EFA e-bulletin for academies: 5 February 2015
Published 5 February 2015
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1. Reminder: audit firms to complete a short online form
Education Funding Agency (EFA) requests that all audit firms that conduct audits of academy trusts or sixth-form colleges and have not yet completed our short online form do so by 14 February 2015. As part of this, we are seeking a key contact within each audit firm to receive our future communications.
2. Action: submit national non-domestic rates (NNDR) funding claims by 31 March
All academies are eligible for funding to pay for national non-domestic rates (NNDR).
Academies who have not yet claimed for the 2014 to 2015 financial year should submit an online form by 31 March 2015.
3. Information: school sixth-form and post-16 academy student number statements and allocations calculation toolkit
We have now issued the student number statements for the 2015 to 2016 academic year to further education colleges and local authorities.
Student number statements and allocation calculation toolkits (ACT) for school and academy sixth-forms are being issued in stages and will be available by mid-February. Multi-academy trusts will be able to view all of their associated academies information.
The statements and ACT files are being uploaded to the EFA Information Exchange.
School sixth-forms and academies should navigate from ‘> Institution name > Revenue funding > AY 2015-16’.
Multi-academy trusts should navigate from ‘> Multi-academy trust name > Academy name(s) > Revenue funding > AY 2015-16’.
We are aware of issues with the census data for some schools and academies, in particular relating to incorrect recording of core aims and students being recorded as having zero planned hours. We are considering the most appropriate way of dealing with this to best inform the allocations for these institutions.
The student number statement includes:
- the lagged student number total for 2015 to 2016
- a breakdown of how they are distributed between the funding bands
- funding factors that we will use to calculate 2015 to 2016 allocations
The ACT workbook explains how institution data has been used to arrive at some of the key figures in the statement. Detailed explanatory guidance about the statement along with an ACT field guide are available on GOV.UK. For queries about any of the figures in the statement, academies should contact the academy enquiry service:
EFA questions
Contact form https://form.education...
For schools, local authorities, other education institutions and providers, accountants, auditors and other professional advisers with queries for the Education Funding Agency
Post-16 institutions should contact their usual territorial contact.
In most cases, 2015 to 2016 final allocations will also be shared with institutions through the EFA Information Exchange by the end of February. You can access support and guidance about accessing EFA Information Exchange on GOV.UK.
4. Information: mapping of engagement programmes for young people
We have updated the document mapping engagement programmes that are currently available to support the participation of young people in England on GOV.UK. The document was first published in July 2014.
5. Information: new school food standards
Academies are encouraged to sign up to the new school food standards which came into force at the start of January. The new standards are an opportunity to demonstrate a continuing commitment to the health and wellbeing of your pupils.