Correspondence

DfE Update further education: 13 May 2026

Published 13 May 2026

Applies to England

1. Information: Free meals in further education funded institutions guide: 2026 to 2027 academic year 

You can read the further education (FE) free meals guidance for the 2026 to 2027 academic year to understand changes, including funding rules and eligibility criteria for the scheme for the new academic year. 

From the start of the 2026 to 2027 academic year, all students from households that receive Universal Credit will be entitled to receive a free meal. Post-16 providers will receive extra funding through free meals in FE to support meal provision for additional eligible students. 

Transitional protections will end and households must meet the new eligibility criteria to continue receiving free meals. 

As confirmed in 11 March 2026 DfE Update, your allocation is based on the current meal rate of £2.61 per student. This is confirmation that, as a minimum, the rates will remain the same as in the previous year to support planning. As with all programmes, funding remains under review, and further updates will be shared separately.

2. Information: Update to accountability statement guidance 

We have updated the annual accountability statement guidance to clarify that providers in scope should set out how they intend to use the inclusive mainstream fund to support transition to the reformed special educational needs and disabilities system.  

This clarification aligns with the already published inclusive mainstream fund for 16 to 19 providers: methodology 2026 to 2027 and ensures consistency across guidance for the 2026 to 2027 academic year.

3. Information: Oversight of apprenticeship units – sector update

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is supporting the successful introduction of apprenticeship units as the offer becomes established for providers, employers, and learners. 

Apprenticeship units are a new form of publicly funded training based on apprenticeship standards. They are typically short, delivered in the workplace and undertaken by existing employees. 

To ensure that quality oversight is proportionate and reflects the distinctive nature of apprenticeship units, DWP and Ofsted have agreed that apprenticeship units will not be brought into scope for Ofsted inspection until April 2027 at the earliest. 

This approach gives providers and employers time to develop and embed effective delivery models, while allowing DWP and Ofsted to consider the design of an appropriate quality framework. 

During this period, apprenticeship units will not be inspected as part of routine Ofsted activity. They will be monitored on a light touch basis by DWP and DfE using simple measures and kept separate from qualification achievement rates. As the test and learn phase progresses, further detail will be published on how apprenticeship units will be incorporated into the Apprenticeship Accountability Framework in a proportionate and flexible way.

4. Reminder: Adult skills fund learner support claims

We are reviewing adult skills fund (ASF) learner support claims for the 2024 to 2025 funding year. Our review has identified common compliance issues that providers should address now to reduce risk and strengthen future claims. 

You must ensure: 

• learner support claims are accurate, transparent and fully compliant with funding rules

• only eligible costs are claimed for DfE funded ASF learners and record these under the correct category 

• clear evidence of learner need and the support provided is retained, with each cost directly traceable to an individual learner 

• before submitting claims, to reconcile totals against a learner‑level breakdown that supports the amounts claimed 

• your Learner Support Policy is reviewed and updated to reflect current funding requirements 

It is important to not include ineligible costs such as free meals or staff time.

5. Feedback: Tell us about your experience of the DfE Update newsletter

We have launched a short survey for colleagues in education settings and local authorities who read DfE Update. Your responses will help us understand how you use the newsletter, what you value most and how we can improve the content, format and focus.

Whether you read DfE Update every week or occasionally, your views will directly inform how we develop the product to better meet your needs.

The DfE Update survey:

• will close on Tuesday 26 May 2026
• takes around 10 minutes to complete
• keeps all personal data confidential

Thank you for taking the time to share your views.

6. Feedback: Help us improve adult funding information

We are improving how adult funding information is presented, specifically calculation information regarding allocation statements for the adult skills fund.

We would welcome your feedback on the design currently in development and encourage participation if your role involves accessing and using these documents. 

Online feedback sessions will run from Tuesday 19 May to Tuesday 26 May 2026. Sessions will take place via Microsoft Teams and will last up to 60 minutes. 

Please register your expression of interest to take part. We will then contact you to confirm your session date and time.

Your feedback will help make adult funding information clearer, easier to access and more consistent.