Correspondence

ESFA Update local authorities: 13 December 2023

Published 13 December 2023

Applies to England

1. Action: help us to improve the online Risk Protection Arrangement (RPA) opt-in and renewal forms

We would like to improve the digital journey that you use to opt-in to the RPA scheme, and to download your membership certificate. Your feedback can help us deliver a better digital experience for you.

To book a confidential online research interview with a user researcher and receive further information, you can email the researcher with your availability and preferred times.

These interviews will run for around an hour on Microsoft Teams from December 2023 and January 2024.

2. Action: college and local authority Accountability Agreements and Local Needs Duty 

We have updated the college and local authority Accountability Agreements guidance to incorporate the statutory duty to review how well the education and training they provide meets local needs.  

We have made this change as part of our drive to streamline and simplify the reporting expectations we place on providers. This update will avoid the need for colleges to publish two separate documents and enable them to fulfil both requirements for Accountability Agreements and the Local Needs Duty with a single annual return. 

The deadline for submitting your Accountability Statement is 30 June 2024. 

3. Information: School Business Professional (SBP) roundtable events in 2024 – book your place now 

If you would like to join other SBPs from across your region to network, share your procurement issues and priorities, and find out more about the free procurement support available from the DfE, you can register to attend one of the upcoming roundtable events. 

The roundtables are free to attend, and will be taking place in  Hereford, London, Bristol and Derby. 

Register now and don’t miss out.

4. Information: Free short courses from the Teacher Mentoring Programme (TMP) 2023-24

As part of the government backed Teacher Mentoring Programme, Cognition Learning Group has launched a new range of free online short mentoring courses, funded by the Department for Education.

Whether you are a mentor, mentee, or someone who oversees or coordinates mentoring within your organisation, the new short courses will help consolidate and build on your existing mentoring knowledge.

To access the courses, follow the below links, create an account, and start your training:

• Getting ready to mentor - an introduction to mentoring in the FE sector

• How to be an effective mentee - for practitioners already working with a mentor

• How to lead effective mentoring and coaching schemes - for those in leadership or managerial roles overseeing mentoring and coaching programmes in FE.

• How to coordinate mentoring and coaching programmes effectively - for those who oversee the coordination of mentoring in their organisation.

5. Information: subcontracting standard update

As per the guidance, providers who subcontract £100,000 or more of their post-16 delivery, across all ESFA funding streams, are required to submit an assurance report on their compliance with subcontracting standards. Thank you to everyone who have submitted their assurance reports.

We are aiming to let providers know the outcome of their assessment of compliance with standards early in the new year. As this is a new process for the department, it has taken us longer than anticipated to process the reports and therefore the assessments. We apologise for this delay and any inconvenience this has caused.

We understand that some providers, particularly colleges, may be awaiting the outcome of the assessment prior to approving their annual financial statements. We are prioritising the reports submitted by colleges and aim to let them know the outcome of the assessment as soon as possible.

If colleges wish to delay the submission of their annual financial statements to the ESFA, beyond the submission deadline of 31 December, they should request an extension, providing the reason, via the mailbox, PRA.Financialhealth@education.gov.uk.

6. Information: the new Customer Help Centre

We are rebranding the ESFA Help Centre.

During December, the ESFA Help Centre will become the Customer Help Centre and the URL will change to https://customerhelp.education.gov.uk/. Please share this with other colleagues at your organisation who may need to know.

You may notice some changes in the design, layout, and navigation of the website, but the rebranding process will not affect the availability of our services. After the transition to the new URL, if you access the Help Centre with your old links, you will be re-directed to the new address.

The Customer Help Centre will continue to provide you with easy access to information and guidance on topics related to education and skills funding. This information is available for apprenticeships, adult education, traineeships, 16 to 19 funding and more.

Additionally, in early 2024, we will be launching our new Customer Help Portal which will replace our ESFA enquiry form. We will be in touch with further details on the Help Portal as we approach the launch date.

We appreciate your understanding during this transition period. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us using the ESFA enquiry form.

7. Information: coronavirus (COVID-19) recovery premium grant allocations 2023 to 2024 

The recovery premium grant is part of the government’s package of funding to support pupils whose education has been impacted by COVID-19. 

We have now published the allocations for December 2023 on GOV.UK. 

8. Information: pupil premium allocations 2023 to 2024 

We have published the updated allocations for the 2023 to 2024 financial year. This takes into account the third quarter payment. 

9. Information: launch of new DfE pilot

DfE invites apprenticeship training providers to submit an expression of interest to take part in our new pilot to test the value of targeted and specific mentoring support for apprentices who have Learning Difficulties and Disabilities (LDD), aligned with Minister Halfon’s ambition that all LDD apprentices have access to a suitable mentor on their course. 

The pilot will test whether offering targeted expert support, advice and training to the people providing mentoring to LDD apprentices results in a positive impact on the cohort, both in terms of satisfaction, as well as broader areas such as retention and achievement for these apprentices.

Providers and prospective mentors will be offered a package of bespoke training, advice, and support in how to support people with LDD throughout the pilot. 

If you are interested in taking part in this pilot, please contact the DfE team at lddmentoring.pilot@education.gov.uk for more information.

10. Your feedback: user research on your experience of using ESFA funding service. 

We are conducting research to understand the needs of ESFA users. 

We would like to invite you to participate in an interview session to help us gain an understanding of your experience as a user of ESFA services. The session will last for up to an hour. You will need access to Microsoft Teams. 

If you are involved in any process to get funding from ESFA for your organisation, and would like to participate, please note the following: 

• Please fill the Screener form before Thursday 21 December 2023.
• We will ask for information about your name, role, and organisation. Your personal data will be kept confidential.
• We would like you to provide your available date / time slot between Tuesday 2 January and Friday 12 January 2024.

If you are shortlisted for the research session, we will send you a meeting invitation and a consent form. 

Note we may not be able to shortlist every respondent due to logistical constraints. 

Thank you for considering participation in our work.