Correspondence

ESFA Update further education: 16 January 2019

Published 16 January 2019

This correspondence was withdrawn on 21 December 2020

This has been withdrawn as it’s out of date. Find the latest information from ESFA in the latest ESFA Update.

Applies to England

1. Action: how to express an interest to deliver T Levels in 2021 to 2022 academic year, including the transition offer

The Department for Education (DfE) is looking to identify the next group of providers to deliver T Levels in academic year 2021 to 2022.

We have published information setting out how institutions meeting set criteria can express an interest to deliver T Levels in academic year 2021 to 2022.

All institutions wishing to express an interest must complete and submit an expression of interest to ESFA, by midnight on 28 February 2019.

2. Action: qualification achievement rates (QAR) 2017 to 2018 – provisional data window

Last week we published your provisional QAR 2017 to 2018. The data is available in the ‘QAR reports’ section of the Data Returns page on the Hub.

You have until 5pm on Friday 1 February to inform us of any concerns about how we have implemented our published methodology. You cannot request fixes or adjustments to your 2017 to 2018 individualised learner record (ILR) data.

If you have any queries with the provisional data, please complete a data query form and email this to the service desk at sde.servicedesk@education.gov.uk. Please put ‘ESFA Business Operations QAR’ at the top of your query.

We have also published an updated QAR reports user guide and dataset specifications.

3. Action: help us improve the user experience of receiving and understanding payments from ESFA

We would like to speak to colleagues in academies, local authorities and in further education who receive payment reports and remittance advices in order to seek feedback on our payment processes and guidance.

Can you give us 30 minutes of your time to join us for a research session? Your input will help ensure that we make improvements that meet users’ needs.

If so, please register your interest by emailing PDS.MAILBOX@education.gov.uk by Friday 18 January 2019. Please provide your name and type of education provider and your role within the organisation. Please put ‘Understanding my payments’ in the subject of your query. The session can be completed over the phone or in person, depending on location.

4. Information: 2018 minimum standards thresholds for academic and applied general qualifications

DfE has recently published the minimum standards thresholds for academic year 2017 to 2018 for academic and applied general qualifications. These are set at -0.56 and -0.58 respectively.

The thresholds have been set so that 5% of providers fall below each standard, the same percentage as in 2017. In line with changes to floor and coasting standards at key stages 2 and 4, we are calculating 16 to 18 minimum standards in 2018 for support purposes only.

5. Information: individualised learner record (ILR) R06 2018 to 2019

The ILR R06 data collection for academic year 2018 to 2019 closes on Wednesday 6 February 2019. This is a key return for the calculation of funding allocations for 2019 to 2020. Ensure that you make an accurate return in advance of the deadline.

Please pay attention to 2 areas:

1. Accurate recording of high needs students. There is now an import or export adjustment within the national funding formula that we use to allocate high needs funding to local authorities.

2. All students in all funding bands must have their planned hours amended if they transfer, withdraw or complete their study programme within their initial 6 week period. Students who attend between 2 to 6 weeks on short study programmes remain eligible as a funding start, but their planned hours are restricted to the period of their actual attendance.

These reports will help you validate your data:

• Funding Information System
• The Hub
• ESFA Provider Data Self-Assessment Toolkit

6. Information: 2018 to 2019 funding claims guidance publication

The 2018 to 2019 funding claims guidance is now available. This is relevant to you if you have any of the following contract types:

• adult education budget – grant-funded (non-procured)
• advanced learner loans bursary – grant-funded
• learner support contract – paid-on-profile (procured)
• community learning contract – paid-on-profile
• 16 to 19 funding

Please note that the year-end forecast claim date has changed this year from September (following R13) and will now be in June 2019 following the R10 data collection.

If you have any queries about this please contact the service desk via email at sde.servicedesk@education.gov.uk.

7. Information: launch of public consultation on funding proposals for Teachers’ Pensions’ Scheme (TPS) employer contribution rate increase

The employer contribution rate of the TPS is set to rise from 16.4% to an estimated 23.6% from September 2019.

DfE proposes to fund fully the contribution increase in 2019 to 2020 for maintained schools, academies, and FE providers obliged to offer TPS. This includes local authority centrally employed teachers and music education hubs.

We are holding a public consultation on this proposal, inviting evidence relating to the impact on all sectors covered by the TPS, before determining final funding arrangements. We welcome your views.

The consultation launched on Tuesday 15 January 2019 and will remain open for 4 weeks until Tuesday 12 February 2019.

This is separate to discussions on how to allocate proposed funding. We are discussing this with stakeholders and will continue to do so over the coming weeks.

Please note that funding for 2020 to 2021 onwards is subject to Spending Review 2019.

8. Information: Making Tax Digital

We would like to highlight to all education providers that HM Revenue and Customs is Making Tax Digital.

VAT-registered businesses with a taxable turnover above the VAT threshold are required to use the Making Tax Digital service to keep records digitally and use software to submit their VAT returns from 1 April 2019.

9. Information: Apprenticeship service webinar series: When to pause and stop an apprentice record

The apprenticeship service is pleased to bring you the next in our series of support webinars. This webinar is intended for training providers and employer-providers.

Join us on Tuesday 22 January 2019 at 12.30pm. We will be discussing how to record changes to an apprenticeship record through your individualised learner record (ILR) returns and explaining what actions levy paying employers need to take in their apprenticeship service account.

For more information, please see our webinar registration page.