EFA e-bulletin for schools, colleges and other 16 to 19 providers: 17 July 2014
Published 18 July 2014
© Crown copyright 2014
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/efa-e-bulletin-17-july-2014/efa-e-bulletin-for-schools-colleges-and-other-16-to-19-providers-17-july-2014
1. Action: EFA Information Exchange accounts activated
EFA has now activated all accounts for the EFA Information Exchange.
To access it, all EFA-funded institutions need to use the Department for Education Secure Access portal.
If you have recently signed up for a Secure Access account, please look out for the details you need to activate it.
EFA has sent a letter containing the PIN to your head of institution, and emailed the person who has registered to be your institution’s approver with their user name and activation link.
You need both to activate the account. The link will only work the first time you click it – so you need to make sure you have the PIN to hand at the same time.
If you have not received these by Wednesday 23 July, or have any problems logging on, please contact the Secure Access team. You can read more about managing your access to EFA Information Exchange on GOV.UK.
The EFA Information Exchange includes the Document Exchange, which allows you to download and upload documents about your institution and a variety of online forms. In the autumn term we will be adding a calendar of important activities and deadlines, and a knowledge base to help you answer any questions you may have.
2. Information: fairer schools funding – arrangements for 2015 to 2016
The Department for Education has announced how £390 million of additional schools funding will be allocated in 2015 to 2016 to the least fairly funded local areas in England. Details are published on GOV.UK.
3. Information: 16 to 19 funding guidance
EFA has published the 16 to 19 funding regulations and funding rates and formulaguidance documents for 2014 to 2015. There is very little change from the equivalent documents for 2013 to 2014.
These documents complement the sub-contracting controls guidance, published earlier this year. The final element of the funding guidance for 2014 to 2015, on funding returns and reconciliation, will be published later this month.
4. Information: 16 to 19 Bursary Fund - changes to the 2014 to 2015 guide
EFA has updated the 16 to 19 Bursary Fund guide for the 2014 to 2015 academic year. Updates cover:
- children in care/care leavers, plus foster arrangements
- Prince’s Trust additional information
- recycled funding and underspends
The main change is around recycled funding and underspends. Institutions that have unspent bursary funds at the end of the 2013 to 2014 academic year, regardless of the amount and from what year, should roll them into their 2014 to 2015 academic year discretionary bursary allocations and use them to support eligible students.
5. Information: further education free meals - online presentations
We have published 3 online presentations on the DfE YouTube channel about FE free meals. The presentations cover:
- requirements for institutions
- allocations
- Q & A session
Further information on FE free meals is available on GOV.UK.
6. Information: 16 to 19 funding - maths and English condition of funding
From August 2014, all full time students without an A*-C in either maths or English will need to study those subjects. It becomes a condition of funding that they are doing so from this autumn. EFA has published a list of approved qualifications.
EFA has also published further guidance on this policy, which sits alongside the announcement on GCSEs that was highlighted in the 3 July EFA e-bulletin.
7. Information: transitional protection of specialist provision in 2014 to 2015
Specialist post-16 institutions have been sent a template for completion and return as part of the published transitional protection arrangements for 2014 to 2015.
Questions about the template should be directed to EFA territory teams using the mailbox on the template. Institutions should make their returns by Friday 8 August in order to ensure payment for the end of September.
8. Information: maintained schools with sixth-form funding - assurance guidance
EFA has published a non-mandatory guide for local authorities on gaining assurance over the funding provided for school sixth-forms in the 2013 to 2014 academic year.
9. Information: 16 to 19 data and management information (MI) reports
Local authorities (LAs) can now access the June 2014 release of 16 to 19 FE data and management information (MI) pivot tables on the EFA Information Exchange. The purpose of the release is to update LAs’ overview of provision.
This release includes FE data which has been collected about delivery in the 2013 to 2014 academic year received up to February 2014.
The EFA Information Exchange is available through the Department for Education Secure Access portal.