Correspondence

DfE Update further education: 21 October 2026

Published 21 October 2026

Applies to England

1. Action: Submit Care to Learn and 16 to 19 Bursary Fund, defined vulnerable groups element, funding claim form 

The Care to Learn scheme and the 16 to 19 Bursary Fund, defined vulnerable groups element, funding claim forms are now live.

The deadline for your submission is 5pm on Wednesday 11 November 2026.  

Before you submit your claim, read our Care to Learn and 16 to 19 Bursary Fund for defined vulnerable groups funding claims guidance. It explains the information you need to complete your submission correctly and includes a link to the funding claim form. 

We are unable to accept funding claims that miss the closing date. These must be submitted in the second claims window in January 2027.

2. Action: Submit final funding claim for the 2025 to 2026 academic year 

The final funding claim window will open at 9am on Tuesday 27 October 2026.  

Submit your final funding claim by 5pm on Friday 6 November 2026 using the form on submit learner data (SLD). The funding claims user guide will help you get your claim right.   

What’s changed 

We have removed the 16 to 19 funding from the funding claims process. You no longer need to sign the final funding claim in ‘Manage your education and skills funding (MYESF)’. Once you have submitted your final funding claim through SLD, you will be able to view it on MYESF and do not need to take any further action.  

Submit your claim

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

• grant funded - adult skills fund   

• grant funded - free courses for jobs offer  

• grant funded - advanced learner loans bursary    

We will review claims to check they are substantiated by the data you have submitted in your Individualised Learner Record and earnings adjustment statement, and that they represent value for money.

3. Information: 16 to 19 and adult revenue funding allocations for the 2026 to 2027 academic year

We have published the 16 to 19 revenue funding allocations for the 2026 to 2027 academic year.

The publication covers schools, academies and further education institutions funded by the Department for Education (DfE) for 16 to 19 year olds and 19 to 25 year olds with an education, health and care plan.  

We have also published the adult funding allocations for academic year 2026 to 2027 for training providers. These cover the funding values for colleges, training organisations and employers with an adult skills funding, apprenticeship carry in or advanced learner loan contract for 2026 to 2027.  

We publish both sets of allocations data annually for transparency. 

4. Information: National Flood Action Week 

Last week was Flood Action Week, so now is a good time to review your college’s preparedness and help minimise disruption to learning if severe weather affects your area. 

You can take a few simple steps to improve resilience: 

• check the long-term flood risk for your area 

• sign up for flood warnings 

• find more information to prepare for flooding 

In addition, every college in England should now have a climate action plan. A holistic plan can help colleges prepare for extreme weather and reduce costs, while supporting student wellbeing and the environment.  

Free support for climate action planning is available through DfE commissioned programmes:

• Sustainability Support for Education
• Climate Ambassadors
• National Education Nature Park

all working with Let’s Go Zero Climate Action Advisors. 

5. Information: Winter readiness webinar 

We are hosting a winter readiness webinar for education settings and local authority officials on Monday 9 November 2026, from 4:00pm to 5:30pm.   

This free session will include practical advice to help settings prepare for winter, support attendance and protect the wellbeing of children, young people and staff. You’ll hear from experts about how to mitigate and manage seasonal illness in settings and prepare for severe winter weather, including potential El Niño-related disruption. 

To find out more about these seasonal resilience risks and the guidance and useful resources available to you, see the ‘Events and webinars’ section below to secure your place.

6. Information: Launch of Teaching Vacancies Service for further education 

From Tuesday 10 November 2026, colleges will be able to advertise teaching and support staff vacancies on the Teaching Vacancies Service (TVS), DfE’s free recruitment platform. The service is already used by schools across England and is now being extended to further education.  

TVS gives colleges a free way to advertise job roles in one place. Jobseekers can search for vacancies, set up job alerts and apply for roles through the service.  

The service has been developed with colleges, whose feedback has helped shape the service to ensure it meets the needs of the sector.  

Join our launch webinar on 10 November to find out more about the service. To receive an invitation please email FErecruitment.ENQUIRIES@education.gov.uk with contact details for your nominated attendees. 

7. Events and webinars: Winter readiness webinar 

Monday 9 November 2026, 4pm to 5:30pm. Register on Eventbrite.