DfE Update local authorities: 7 May 2025
Published 7 May 2025
Applies to England
© Crown copyright 2025
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dfe-update-7-may-2025/dfe-update-local-authorities-7-may-2025
1. Action: Submit your section 151 (S151) officer assurance return and schools financial value standard (SFVS) assurance statement for 2024 to 2025
The S151 officer assurance return for 2024 to 2025 is now available.
The purpose of the return is for the S151 officer to provide assurances that funding has been used for the intended purposes, in line with the terms and conditions of the grants and the funding rules, and they are not aware of any errors, exceptions or fraud.
The SFVS assurance statement is also available.
The statement allows the S151 officer to confirm that they have a system of audit for schools in place that gives them adequate assurance over their standards of financial management and the regularity and propriety of their spending.
For more information, and instructions on completing your returns, read the guidance on GOV.UK.
The deadline for the submission of all forms and the S151 officer statement declaration is 5pm on Friday 30 May 2025.
For any queries, please contact us through the Customer Help Portal.
2. Information: 16 to 19 subcontracting
We have published the 16 to 19 subcontracting data for academic year 2023 to 2024.
This publication includes subcontracting data for further education (FE) institutions, schools and academies funded by the Department for Education (DfE).
It is based on the R14 individualised learner record (ILR) return produced by FE institutions, and the autumn census return for schools and academies.
3. Information: Learning aim reference service: category codes
We have updated the learning aim reference service (LARS): category codes guidance.
The most notable update is the discontinuation of category codes 6 to 14, effective from Friday 1 August 2025.
4. Information: Provision recognised as higher education for Office for Students regulatory purposes
We have published a new guidance document for higher education learning aim requests.
This can be found on the Learning aim reference (LARS) webpage and is titled ‘Provision recognised as higher education for Office for Students regulatory purposes’.
The document includes some important changes:
- HECoS codes replacing LDCS codes
- Validation letters no longer required
- Comprehensive list of learning aim types (including three new codes)
5. Information: Local authority planning calendar 2025 to 2026
We have published the local authority planning calendar for the 2025 to 2026 financial year, which covers the period April 2025 to March 2026.
The calendar details important dates for DfE activities during this period that relate to local authority funding, finance and compliance with funding regulations.
The calendar is for planning purposes only. Dates are provisional and subject to change.
6. Information: Post-16 budget grant
We have updated the post-16 budget grant (previously called the ‘post-16 schools budget grant’) methodology and conditions of grant and published allocations from April 2025.
From April 2025, the grant includes further education colleges and sixth-form colleges.
This one-off grant will enable providers to respond to current priorities and challenges, including workforce recruitment and retention.
7. Your feedback: Guided Learning Hours (GLH) thematic review
We are currently undertaking an information gathering exercise about provider approaches to GLH, to better understand the current delivery landscape and learner experience, and how delivery models have evolved over recent years. This will be used to inform potential future policy considerations.
The online survey will be circulated to all Adult Skills Fund providers in the Summer Term Skills Engagement survey.
The survey should take no longer than 15 minutes to complete and should be completed by the employee in your organisation with responsibility for curriculum delivery.
We encourage respondents to return the survey by Monday 16 June 2025.
In addition to the survey, discussions will be held with a selection of providers to gather more detailed information once the survey has closed.
If you have any questions or queries regarding the survey, please contact learner.review@education.gov.uk.
8. Webinar: RPA Members only – Cyber workshop
Wednesday 21 May 2025, 10am to midday.
9. Webinars: Schools Commercial team summer webinars
The DfE Schools Commercial team has a range of summer term webinars scheduled to help those who buy goods and services for schools save time, buy compliantly, and receive value for money.