Guidance

EFA e-bulletin for schools, colleges and other 16 to 19 providers: 3 July 2014

Published 3 July 2014

This guidance was withdrawn on

This is an old edition of the EFA e-bulletin, so has been archived. Please view our most recent e-bulletins and web pages for up-to-date information.

© Crown copyright 2014

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/efa-e-bulletin-3-july-2014/efa-e-bulletin-for-schools-colleges-and-other-16-to-19-providers-3-july-2014

1. Information: announcement of GCSE plans and further education (FE) workforce strategies

Skills and Enterprise Minister Matthew Hancock MP has announced the government’s plans for strengthening existing GCSEs in English and maths in post-16 education and replacing them with reformed GCSEs in these subjects.

You can read the written ministerial statement and the press notice on GOV.UK.

Alongside this announcement the government has also published the FE Workforce Strategy and an equality analysis to assess the impact of changing the 16 to 19 funding condition from August 2015 for students without a good pass in English and maths.

2. Information: 16 to 25 high needs funding arrangements

EFA has recently updated a number of sections in the 16 to 25 high needs funding arrangements: additional information for the 2014 to 2015 academic year document, which was last published in May. The latest version lists all the updates and changes made since the last edition in the introduction pages.

If you have any queries on this document, please contact your EFA territorial mailbox.

3. Information: free meals in further education: applications for cash exceptions

From September 2014 further education (FE) funded institutions will be required to provide free meals to disadvantaged students who are aged 16 and over. School and academy sixth-forms already have to provide free meals to disadvantaged students who are over 16.

EFA expects institutions to offer eligible students a meal, or a voucher or credit for a meal, wherever possible. In exceptional circumstances, they may give students cash to buy a meal; the circumstances are set out in the FE free meals guide.

Where institutions want to give students cash, but do not meet the criteria set out in the guide, they must apply to EFA for permission. The application form must be returned to your EFA territory inbox.

4. Information: Traineeships funding consultation

A consultation on the future funding of traineeships has been launched by the Skills and Enterprise Minister Matthew Hancock.

It is a joint consultation from the Department for Education and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

5. Information: evaluation of Youth Contract for 16- and 17-year-olds

EFA commissioned the Institute for Employment Studies (IES), in partnership with Professor Sue Maguire, Centre for Education and Industry at the University of Warwick, and the Policy Research Institute at Leeds Metropolitan University, to undertake an independent evaluation of the Youth Contract element targeted at 16- to 17-year-olds who are not in education, employment or training.

The independent evaluation on the Youth Contract for 16- and 17-year-olds is now complete and available on GOV.UK.

6. Information: updated performance data for the Youth Contract to end March 2014

EFA has updated and published data for the delivery of the Youth Contract programme for 16- and 17-year-olds to the end of March 2014. Data published in November 2013 was for delivery of the programme from September 2012 to September 2013.

EFA will update and publish delivery data for the Youth Contract programme for 16- and 17-year-olds every 6 months.

7. Information: 16 to 19 data and management information (MI) reports

Local authorities (LAs) can now access the June 2014 release of 16 to19 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[(https://sa.education.gov.uk/idp/Authn/UserPassword).

8. Information: 16 to 19 Bursary Fund evaluation provider survey

The Department for Education is currently undertaking the third and final year of the 16 to 19 Bursary Fund Evaluation. This independent evaluation, commissioned and conducted by NatCen Social Research, aims to understand how the Bursary Fund is being used, and what difference it makes to young people.

The findings in the year 1 and year 2 evaluation reports have already informed policy changes to help providers administer the Fund and raise awareness of it among school leavers.

NatCen are contacting providers of 16 to 19 education to take part so please look out for an email invitation from the NatCen team. If contacted EFA would be interested in hearing about how your college uses the bursary fund and the impact you think it is having. If you have been asked to take part and have any questions please email bursarystudy@natcen.ac.uk or call freephone 0800 652 0501.

9. Information: student bursary support service procurement

On 7 July EFA will publish a Prior Information Notice (PIN) announcing its intention to procure a supplier to deliver the Student Bursary Support Service from 1 September 2015, when the current contract expires.

The PIN will include information for potential bidders and will also set out the timetable for the process. The notice will be published on Contracts Finder.

10. Information: 16 to 19 accountability

The EFA 16 to 19 accountability policy for 16 to 19 education and training as it applies for the 2014 to 2015 academic year has been published on GOV.UK.

It covers minimum standards, inspection and financial health and control.

11. Action: sign up for alerts about newly published information

You can sign up for emails alerting you to newly-published content by EFA on GOV.UK.

You can choose to have immediate alerts, or daily or weekly digests.

It is not possible to specify the type of content you get alerts about (such as academies or post-16), but we estimate in most weeks there are between 5 and 10 updates.

12. Information: asbestos management in schools outside local authority control

The Health and Safety Executive has published a report on inspections of 153 schools outside local authority control in England, Scotland and Wales.

This included foundation, voluntary aided, independent, academy and free schools. The inspection project assessed compliance with the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012.

13. Information: support for building school alumni communities

Future First is a UK social mobility charity that works to build alumni communities around state schools to encourage former pupils to act as career and education role models, e-mentors, volunteers, fundraisers, governors or work experience providers. Future First has also produced fundraising guidance for schools.

14. Contacts

All 16 to 19 providers can get in touch with EFA through the relevant territorial inbox, unless a different email address is specified in an article:

16 to 19 providers - northern territory

For local authorities, schools, colleges and other (non-academy) providers in north west, north east and Yorkshire and the Humber with queries for the Education Funding Agency

16 to 19 providers - central and south west territory

For local authorities, schools, colleges and other (non-academy) providers in south west, west midlands and east midlands with queries for the Education Funding Agency

16 to 19 providers - southern territory

For local authorities, schools, colleges and other (non-academy) providers in south east, east of England and London with queries for the Education Funding Agency

Academies should contact:

EFA questions

For schools, local authorities, other education institutions and providers, accountants, auditors and other professional advisers with queries for the Education Funding Agency

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