Correspondence

EFA e-bulletin for schools, colleges, local authorities and other 16 to 19 providers: 28 January 2016

Published 29 January 2016

This correspondence was withdrawn on

This has been withdrawn as it’s out of date. The EFA e-bulletin has been replaced by ESFA Update.

1. Information: post-16 student number statements relating to the 2016 to 2017 allocations

We are in the process of uploading post-16 student number statements for further education (FE) institutions, except Commercial and Charitable Providers (CCPs), to EFA Information Exchange. We expect these files to be available by the end of Friday 29 January.

We will be uploading post-16 student number statements and a toolkit for academies and maintained schools in early February.

All files will be in EFA Information Exchange: ‘Revenue Funding’ folder, under ‘AY 2016-17 (2016/17)’.

Information about how we calculate your post-16 allocation is available on GOV.UK. If you have any queries about the figures or calculations in your student number statement, please contact us via our online enquiry form. We will only accept business cases relating to the data within your statement in March 2016, once you have received and reviewed your final allocation.

If you experience problems accessing EFA Information Exchange, please submit a support request.

2. Information: local authority recoupment 2016 to 2017

Guidance for local authorities on the recoupment calculation for 2016 to 2017 is now available. This will help local authorities understand how funding is adjusted when schools convert to academies.

3. Information: procurement training for schools

The Department for Education (DfE) and Crown Commercial Service (CCS) have published procurement training for schools. This is a set of introductory level modules for staff with budget or buying accountability or responsibility in all local authority maintained schools, academies and free schools.

The 12 bite-size modules follow a simple procurement cycle and include trainer notes and exercises that you can use to run your own sessions.

They are designed to help school staff understand public procurement legislation and share effective practice that will lead to better school financial health and efficiency.

4. Information: new Microsoft agreement for schools

The Department for Education (DfE) and Crown Commercial Service (CCS) have negotiated an agreement with Microsoft, which will save schools an estimated £30 million.

The deal will mean schools can take advantage of discounts and better licensing terms across a wide range of Microsoft’s academic software.

The new arrangement, which runs until 1 July 2018, is intended as a transition agreement because Microsoft investment in software will focus on more internet-based cloud services over the next couple of years.