EFA e-bulletin for schools, colleges, local authorities and other 16 to 19 providers: 22 October 2015
Published 22 October 2015
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/efa-e-bulletin-22-october-2015-issue-105/efa-e-bulletin-for-schools-colleges-local-authorities-and-other-16-to-19-providers-22-october-2015
1. Action: local authorities – grant returns due by 30 October
Local authorities are required to submit grant returns and use of funds statements for 2014 to 2015 to EFA by 30 October 2015.
EFA has published guidance online and issued specific use of funds statements to each local authority.
The returns should be certified by the local authority’s chief financial officer and emailed to EFA by the deadline.
2. Information: Condition Improvement Fund (CIF) information for applicants
EFA has published further information for academies and sixth-form colleges applying to access the Condition Improvement Fund (CIF) in the 2016 to 2017 financial year.
The CIF application portal is now open. Eligible single academy trusts, smaller multi-academy trusts (MATs) and sixth-form colleges have until 16 December to submit an application for capital funding to address significant building condition issues.
3. Information: post-16 funding for the 2016 to 2017 academic year
EFA usually write to you in the autumn to explain how we will fund post-16 provision for the forthcoming academic year. As we are waiting for the results of the spending review in November, we are not in a position to provide this information until after that time.
If there are any updates or developments that we are able to communicate before this, we will do this via the EFA e-bulletin. All the latest post-16 funding information can be found on GOV.UK.
4. Reminder: large programmes data reports for institutions
EFA would like to remind institutions that the business case process for large programmes closes on 23 October 2015. We have informed those institutions who have students on large programmes qualifying for the large programme uplift in 2016 to 2017.
The reports explaining how we will apply the uplift and how to complete a business case are available to download from the EFA Document Exchange – folder: [Other Submissions>AY 2015-16 folder].
If you think the report is inaccurate for at least 5 students, or if you think that you should receive the uplift but have no report, you should submit a business case.
If you have difficulty in accessing the EFA Document Exchange, guidance is available on GOV.UK.
5. Update: Traineeships eligible provider list
EFA and Skills Funding Agency have published the latest version of the 2015 to 2016 eligible providers list for traineeship delivery.
6. Information: submission of sixth-form college financial statements
The process for sixth-form colleges to submit their financial statements and associated documents to EFA has changed this year.
Sixth-form colleges must submit these documents for the year ended 31 July 2015 using the document exchange feature within EFA Information Exchange. We will publish a detailed guide on how to do this closer to the submission deadline.
The college accounts direction sets out what documents must be submitted. The submission deadline is 31 December 2015.
7. Information: PE and sport premium funding for 2015 to 2016
EFA has published funding allocations for the PE and sport premium which primary schools will receive in the academic year 2015 to 2016.
We will pay local authorities their first instalment (seven-twelths) of the allocation on 29 October. We will pay the remainder in April 2016.
Local authorities are required to pass the PE and Sports Grant funding onto participating maintained schools within one month of receipt. Authorities should not pay PE and sport grant to academies that converted by 1 September 2015 as these academies receive this directly from the EFA.
We have revised the grant conditions this year. The most significant changes include:
- ways in which the premium should not be spent
- website reporting requirements
Guidance on the PE and sport premium, including payment dates and advice on how to spend the funding, is also available.
8. Reminder: autumn school census deadline
The deadline for approved submissions for the autumn school census 2015 is Wednesday 28 October.
Please be aware that once you have completed editing your return, you must press the ‘submit’ button in COLLECT to allow the DfE to access your return.
EFA has produced a series of short training videos providing an overview of the school census, how to prepare and submit your data and how the data is used. The deadline for having all submissions authorised by the Department for Education is 25 November.
Please use the data collections helpdesk service request form for queries about the return.
Please use the interactive post-16 census tool to help you make accurate post-16 school census data returns.