Correspondence

DfE Update local authorities: 21 May 2025

Published 21 May 2025

Applies to England

1. Action: Declare your subcontracting arrangements for the 2024 to 2025 academic year

Post-16 providers are required to submit a fully completed subcontractor declaration on Manage your education and skills funding (MYESF).

The window for declaring arrangements for 01 August 2024 to 31 July 2025 is now open. This declaration should be an updated and final account of your subcontracted delivery for the 2024 to 2025 academic year.

The deadline to complete your declaration is Monday 30 June 2025.

If you do not subcontract, you must still provide a nil return to confirm this (schools and academies do not need to submit a declaration).

Further information on ‘How to declare subcontracting for post-16 education and training’ is available on GOV.UK.

Please use the Customer Help Portal if you have any questions.

2. Information: Consistent financial reporting data collection for 2024 to 2025 is now open

The consistent financial reporting (CFR) data collection for 2024 to 2025 is now open.

You must upload your local authority’s data on to COLLECT by 5pm, Thursday 17 July 2025. 

Please ensure you read the CFR framework for 2024 to 2025 and the COLLECT guides for schools and local authorities before completing your return.

Please contact us using the data collections service request form if you require further support.

3. Information: Update on early years 2025 summer term data collection 

In 2025 to 2026, funding for the working parents entitlements for 2-year-olds and under, and the early years pupil premium (EYPP) for 2-year-olds and under, will continue to be funded on a termly basis as announced in our ‘Early years data collection for the 2025 to 2026 financial year’ guidance.

In addition, we will continue to collect data on 2-year-olds receiving additional support and children with SEND. This data will be used for policy monitoring purposes.

We have now published the technical guide about how to access the 2025 summer term data collection form. Please note the online form will only be available to access from Monday 2 June 2025 and you will need a DfE Sign-in account to access the form.

• Local authorities need to submit data for the 2025 summer term count week, which will be the week commencing 9 June 2025.
• The deadline to submit this data is 11 July 2025.

Additionally, we have published an early years funding allocation adjustment calculation tool for 2025 to 2026 and 2024 to 2025.

These tools have been developed to help local authorities calculate their funding allocation adjustments for the working parents entitlements for 2 year-olds and under, and EYPP for 2-year-olds and under, using the termly data.

4. Information: Earnings adjustment statement (EAS)

We have published guidance for submitting the EAS in the 2025 to 2026 funding year. This year’s version contains the following changes:

• updated adjustment type field for the Prince’s Trust to the King’s Trust
• added new source of funding (SOF) codes for the 3 new devolved authorities in 2025 to 2026 (East Midlands Combined County Authority, York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority and Cornwall Council)
• deleted funding line types for apprenticeship frameworks, which can no longer be certificated after 31 March 2025

You can now access published guidance and supporting documents, including a template CSV file and validation rules, to help you with your return.

5. Information: New foundation apprenticeships available from 1 August 2025

The first foundation apprenticeships will be available from 1 August 2025 for young people aged 16 to 21, and for those up to the age of 25 who are a care leaver, a prisoner/prison leaver, or have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) in:

Construction and the built environment:

• Building service engineering foundation apprenticeship
• Finishing trades foundation apprenticeship
• Onsite trades foundation apprenticeship

Engineering and manufacturing:

• Engineering and manufacturing foundation apprenticeship

Health and Social Care:

• Health and social care foundation apprenticeship

Digital:

• Hardware, network and infrastructure foundation apprenticeship
• Software and data foundation apprenticeship

These new apprenticeships are jobs with training at level 2 and have a minimum duration of 8 months. They provide a broad curriculum focusing on job-specific knowledge and skills, while also developing employability skills and behaviours to support the transition from education to work.

Employers can receive up to £2,000 for the first wave of foundation apprenticeships, to help with the costs of taking on a young person and supporting their progression.

More detail can be found within the Apprenticeship funding rules, 2025 to 2026.

6. Reminder: Submit your section 151 (S151) officer assurance return and schools financial value standard (SFVS) assurance statement for 2024 to 2025

The deadline for submitting the S151 officer assurance return and SFVS assurance statement for 2024 to 2025 is 5pm on Friday 30 May 2025.

You will find information and instructions for completing your returns on GOV.UK.

For any queries, contact us through the Customer Help Portal.

7. Reminder: Year-end funding claim for 2024 to 2025

The year-end funding claim window will open at 9am on Monday 9 June 2025.  

Please submit your year-end funding claim by 5pm on Thursday 12 June 2025. The claim form will be available on submit learner data. The funding claims user guide is available to help you complete the form.    

You will need to submit a claim if you receive funds through these contracts:    

• grant funded – DfE-funded adult skills fund (ASF) (adult skills, tailored learning, funding for innovative provision, and level 3 free courses for jobs offer)
• grant funded – advanced learner loans bursary (ALLB)   

For 16 to 19 delivery, you do not need to take any action for the year-end (R10) funding claim. The 16 to 19 delivery section of the funding claim only needs to be signed off for your final (R14) funding claim.   

We will review claims to ensure they are substantiated by the data you have submitted in your ILR and present value for money.   

Once you have submitted your year-end funding claim on submit learner data, you will also be able to view it on Manage your education and skills funding.

If you have any queries, contact us through the Customer Help Portal.

8. Events and webinars: ‘Buying for schools’ summer term webinar schedule is open for bookings

Are you responsible for buying goods and services for your school?

The Department for Education (DfE) Schools Commercial team hosts free webinars on how using approved frameworks could save you time and help your school or trust get value for money.

Visit Eventbrite to find out more and book your place.