EFA e-bulletin for academies: 12 February 2015
Published 12 February 2015
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/efa-e-bulletin-12-february-2015-issue-79/efa-e-bulletin-for-academies-12-february-2015
1. Information: academies financial benchmarking website
The Department for Education has launched a new academies financial benchmarking website. It contains the 2012 to 2013 financial data from the accounts returns of single academy trusts and multi-academy trusts with only one school.
The website enables academies to benchmark their income and expenditure against other academies with similar characteristics. This gives academies the opportunity to identify areas for efficiencies and savings.
To view benchmarking data, you will need the LA number and the academy’s LA establishment number, which you can find on Edubase.
2. Information: 2015 to 2016 funding allocation guidance
EFA has published guidance to support funding allocations for the academic year 2015 to 2016 for mainstream academies and free schools. Additional guidance for special and alternative provision academies and free schools will be published by 20 February.
EFA will begin sending out the 2015 to 2016 final allocations towards the end of February and all will be sent before the end of March.
3. Information: capital funding allocations
The Department for Education has announced £6 billion capital funding, covering the second phase of the Priority School Building Programme, and school condition allocations and devolved formula capital (DFC) allocations for 2015 to 2018.
4. Information: post-16 funding in 2015 to 2016
EFA has written to EFA funded post-16 providers with information about funding for students aged 16 to 19 and students aged 16 to 25 with an education, health and care plan/learning difficulty assessment.
5. Information: update - maths and English condition of funding
EFA has updated the information relating to the maths and English condition of funding.
Qualifications that can be taught that meet the condition of funding now include A and AS levels, and EFA has set out details of this. EFA has provided more information on IGCSEs and clarified our advice on continuing students.
6. Information: updated complaints procedure guidance
EFA has updated guidance to support academies and free schools in drawing up and administering compliant complaints procedures.
All academies and free schools are required to have procedures which meet certain requirements of the Education (Independent School Standards) (England) Regulations 2014 and to make their procedures available to parents of prospective and current pupils.
7. Information: phonics partnership grants
The Department for Education is offering phonics partnership grants to primary schools that excel in phonics teaching to establish a network and share their success with other schools.
The deadline for expressions of interest is 6 March 2015.
8. Information: school food achievement award
Applications for the Lead Association for Catering in Education (LACA) Awards for Excellence are now open, including a new school food achievement award sponsored by the Department for Education.
The deadline for entries is 30 April 2015.