EFA e-bulletin for schools, colleges, local authorities and other 16 to 19 providers: 20 August 2015
Published 21 August 2015
1. Information: audit approach for 16 to 19 study programmes
We have published the audit approach for 16 to 19 study programmes funded in the 2014 to 2015 academic year.
The audit approach applies directly to charitable and commercial providers. The principles are also relevant to specialist post-16 institutions, academies, local authority schools and college providers.
2. Information: funding guidance for young people aged 16 to 19 in 2015 to 2016
We have published all 4 documents of the funding guidance for young people aged 16 to 19 for the 2015 to 2016 academic year.
The individualised learner record (ILR) returns guidance contains information for ILR-funded institutions, including 2015 to 2016 guidance, and a link to information explaining how to return the 2014 to 2015 final funding claim to EFA this autumn.
3. Action: individualised learner record - R13 2014 to 2015
The individualised learner record (ILR) R13 data collection for the 2014 to 2015 funding year opens at 9am on Monday 24 August. It closes at 6pm on Monday 31 August. It will reopen at 9am on Monday, 7 September and close at 6pm on Monday, 14 September.
If you are due to make a return for R13, you must submit your data to the Hub. For more information, please see the payments and data webpage.
4. Information: free meals in further education - cash exceptions to students
We expect institutions to offer eligible students a meal, or a voucher or credit for a meal, wherever possible. However, in exceptional circumstances, institutions are permitted to provide cash to students to purchase a meal.
There has been a revision to the criteria for making cash payments to students from the 2015 to 2016 academic year, which includes giving institutions discretion to make cash payments without seeking EFA approval.
Any institution wishing to offer cash payments should read the revised criteria when determining if cash payments should be made to students.
5. Information: Universal Credit and the 16 to 19 vulnerable bursary
Universal Credit will gradually replace Income Support and the Employment and Support Allowance, which are qualifying benefits for the vulnerable bursary.
Universal Credit award notifications do not include any information on which benefits they have replaced. This means you will not be able to see whether a student meets the Income Support or Employment and Support Allowance criteria when they apply to claim a vulnerable bursary.
From September you should ask any student claiming a vulnerable bursary based on a Universal Credit award to tell you which benefit it has replaced. This will allow you to complete the claims form correctly.
Students who receive a Universal Credit award in place of Employment and Support Allowance must also be receiving Disability Living Allowance or its replacement, Personal Independence Payment.
If a learner is unsure why they have been awarded Universal Credit, treat it as a replacement for Income Support. You should then send the claim to the Student Bursary Support Service in the usual way.
6. Information: further education and sixth-form college governors needed for user needs research
We are looking to undertake some research with a group of further education and sixth-form college governors to better understand the needs of both new and established further education and sixth-form college governors.
The research is expected to take place online, with the opportunity for a face-to-face session for those able to take part.
Please do make your governors aware of this opportunity and email EFA enquiries if you are interested in taking part.
7. Information: financial health of independent and non-maintained special schools
We have updated our financial health assessment of independent and non-maintained special schools. In accordance with the high needs assurance framework, we share our results with local authorities.
Local authorities can find these results on Document Exchange within EFA Information Exchange. These are in the finance and payments folder for your local authority under ‘AY 2014-15’.
8. Information for local authorities: contacting the EFA
We are phasing out the email addresses used by local authorities to contact EFA with questions about pre-16 funding.
Instead, local authorities will use our single enquiry service. This will help us to manage your enquiries better and get back to you more quickly.
At first, automatic replies sent to acknowledge your enquiry will come from ‘academy questions’. We plan to change this soon and will confirm this via this e-bulletin.
Enquiries about post-16 funding will continue to be managed through existing channels.
9. Information: access to personal learning record (PLR) data
The Personal Learning Record (PLR) allows individuals to access their past and current accredited achievement records. Schools, colleges, further education training providers and universities staff can use the PLR to directly access records for individuals making applications or studying at their organisations. Further information about this is available on GOV.UK.
Individuals can access their qualification data via the PLR by signing onto their National Careers Service Lifelong Learning Account. From 28 August, individuals wishing to access their PLR for the first time will be directed to an online form to verify their ID. You will need to check the details, print the form and send it to the Skills Funding Agency, together with the appropriate ID evidence listed alongside the form.
Individuals that have already gone through the ID assurance process will continue to have access to the PLR as usual.
If you have any questions, please email the Skills Funding Agency.