EFA e-bulletin for academies: 11 June 2015
Published 11 June 2015
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1. Action: budget forecast webinar
Don’t forget to register now for the budget forecast return webinar that Education Funding Agency (EFA) is holding at 3pm on 17 June 2015. You can submit questions before and during this live session.
2. Action: financial framework webinars for academies and auditors
You can register now for EFA’s webinar for academies on the financial framework, which takes place at 11am on 10 July. This Q&A session will give academy staff the opportunity to ask questions on the financial framework, including the Academies Financial Handbook and Academies Accounts Direction.
A webinar for academy auditors (2pm, 10 July) is also open for registration.
You can submit questions when you register for the webinars. Please watch our online videos on the financial framework before the webinar: these will be published in early July.
3. Action: 16 to 19 Bursary Fund - vulnerable student claims for 2014 to 2015
16 to 19 Bursary Fund vulnerable student claim forms for the 2014 to 2015 academic year need to be submitted to the Student Bursary Support Service (SBSS) before the end of the academic year. Claims for 2014 to 2015 should be sent to enquiries@efalearnersupport.co.uk.
The new SBSS portal for the 16 to 19 Bursary Fund will go-live on 3 August to enable education institutions to submit claims for the 2015 to 2016 academic year but should not be used for claims relating to 2014 to 2015.
Institutions should draw down funding for vulnerable students from the SBSS as soon as they assess a student as being in one of the 4 defined vulnerable groups, which are:
- in care
- care leaver
- in receipt of Income Support or in receipt of Universal Credit in place of Income Support
- in receipt of Employment Support Allowance (ESA) (or Universal Credit as a replacement for ESA) and Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or in receipt of ESA and Personal Independence Payments (PIP)
Please read the guidance notes accompanying the form before completion. Detailed explanations of the vulnerable groups are set out in the 16 to 19 Bursary Fund guide for the 2014 to 2015 academic year.
For more advice or information, call SBSS on 0300 303 8610 or visit GOV.UK.
4. Reminder: summer school census 2015 returns
The deadline for returning approved submissions for the summer school census is Wednesday 17 June 2015.
Please note, you are only able to complete a ‘return-level’ notepad entry in COLLECT. We no longer accept notepad entries against errors and queries. This means that we can see all entries in one place and entries in resubmitted returns are not overwritten.
If you raise a validation query in COLLECT, you must explain the reason as a notepad entry. More information about notepad entries for COLLECT queries can be found on GOV.UK.
Please may we remind you to make sure you press the ‘submit’ button in COLLECT when you have finished so we can view your returns.
We have published a video which provides information about the school census, how the data is used, and how to access and use COLLECT.
Although aimed at academies and free schools, the content is relevant to maintained schools who make returns directly in COLLECT.
We will produce further guidance videos before the autumn census.