ESFA Update further education: 19 January 2022
Published 19 January 2022
Applies to England
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/esfa-update-19-january-2022/esfa-update-further-education-19-january-2022
1. Action: new subcontractor declaration window open, updated collection for 2021 to 2022 – deadline 11 February 2022
Our next mandatory collection of subcontractor declarations for 2021 to 2022 is now open.
In line with your contract/agreement and the subcontracting funding rules, organisations delivering ESFA funded post-16 education and training programmes, including adult education budget (AEB), traineeships, apprenticeships, European Social Fund (ESF) and 16 to 19 programmes, must ensure they declare their 2021 to 2022 subcontracting arrangements to us.
All providers must declare their subcontracting arrangements for the period 1 August 2021 to 31 July 2022 through the manage your education and skills funding service (MYESF). If you subcontract 16 to 19 provision, you are reminded that you must declare subcontracting of employment, enrichment and pastoral (EEP) activity within your declaration. We will require a further breakdown of EEP subcontracting in future collections and this will be communicated via Update.
The deadline for submitting your declaration is Friday 11 February 2022 by 5pm.
2. Reminder: mid-year funding claims for 2021 to 2022
The mid-year funding claim window will open at 9am on Tuesday 8 February 2022. You will need to submit this claim Please submit your mid-year funding claim by 5pm on Friday 11 February 2022.
The claim form will be available on Submit Learner Data. For more information, please see the 2021 to 2022 funding claims guidance.
You will need to submit a claim if you receive funds through these contracts:
- grant funded - ESFA funded Adult Education Budget (AEB) (Adult Skills, Community Learning, 19 to 24 Traineeships and National Skills Fund Level 3 Adult Offer)
- grant funded - Advanced Learner Loans Bursary (ALLB)
Once you have submitted your claim you will also be able to view it on the Manage your education and skills funding.
If you have any queries about this, please contact your Territorial Manager.
3. Information: list of declared subcontractors
The first publication of the 2021 to 2022 list of declared subcontractors has been published on GOV.UK. It is based on information from declarations submitted by ESFA funded providers.
The list of declared subcontractors shows subcontractors with contracts worth at least £100,000 in total, with one or more ESFA-funded providers of post-16 education and training services, including adult education budget (AEB), traineeships, apprenticeships, European Social Fund (ESF) and 16 to 19 programmes. The list also includes the individual values of these subcontracts.
For further information, please refer to the list of declared subcontractors page on GOV.UK.
4. Information: high needs place change request outcomes 2022 to 2023
We have published the high needs place change request outcomes: 2022 to 2023 that will inform the funded place numbers for the 2022 to 2023 academic year in academies, free schools, further education colleges and independent learning providers.
You should review the published outcomes as soon as possible, to ensure the numbers reflect those expected. If an institution is not listed, this means no change was notified for that institution and the published 2021 to 2022 place numbers will be used as the basis of the 2022 to 2023 allocation.
Local authorities, academies or further education institutions can contact ESFA to query their 2022 to 2023 place numbers between 19 January 2022 and 4 February 2022.
More information about the enquiry window can be found in the high needs place change process guidance.
5. Information: allocation toolkits available to support 2022 to 2023 16 to 19 revenue funding allocations
Allocation calculation toolkits (ACT) confirming how we have used 2020 to 2021 individual learner record (ILR) data to calculate funding elements which will be used in the calculation of 2022 to 2023 16 to 19 revenue funding allocations have been made available on Document Exchange.
If you have any questions after reading our guidance, please contact us using our online enquiry form.
6. Information: availability and review of provisional qualification achievement rates (QAR) 2020 to 2021 and data query window 31 January 2022
Provisional QAR 2020 to 2021 data was released yesterday and our apologies for the slight delay due to resolving a technical issue preventing the data release.
Providers can access their data through the View Your Education Data portal. On reviewing the provisional data, providers have until 5pm on Monday 31 January 2022 to inform us of any concerns about how we have implemented our published methodology. You cannot request fixes or adjustments to your 2020 to 2021 Individualised Learner Record (ILR) data.
If you have any queries with the provisional data, please complete and submit the data query form which can be downloaded from GOV.UK and submit this via our online enquiry form, selecting the QAR query type, and ask us to assign your query to ‘ESFA Business Operations QAR’.
Alongside this release of data, following feedback from providers, we have also provided clarification across the business rules and technical specifications including:
- update to the exclusions table for Traineeships to include ‘Aims where unemployed learners claiming Universal Credit, Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) or Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) in the Work Related Activity Group (WRAG) cannot continue their learning through to successful completion because they have started work’.
- amendment to the contents table of the QAR datasets to include reference to ‘Orig_Learn_Start_Date’
These documents provide technical information about how we produce the QAR dataset and should be read alongside the business rules, which explain the methodology for calculating QARs for 2020 to 2021 and can be accessed on qualification achievement rates 2020 to 2021 on GOV.UK.
7. Information: latest COVID-19 information for FE providers
7.1 New template form for college students and staff to report test results
Reporting test results every time students and staff take an lateral flow device (LFD) test means the NHS always gets the latest, most accurate information possible. This helps them to keep track of where the virus is spreading, provide support where it is needed and protect local communities across the country.
Please remind your students and staff of the importance of reporting all tests results, whether positive, negative or void, to NHS Test and Trace and their setting. Colleges can now access a new template form for students and staff to report test results. Tests should also be reported online through the report a COVID-19 rapid lateral flow test result page, which should only take a couple of minutes.
It is important to continue with twice weekly LFD testing and reporting. You can access the updated testing toolkit for examples of good practice and for steps you can implement to increase testing and reporting rates in your setting.
7.2 National booking service open for 16 to 17 year olds to book booster vaccinations
16- and 17-year-olds can now book their COVID-19 booster jab appointment online. Please share this with your students. There are also new booster communications assets online for you to use.
Since the vaccination programme rolled out to this age group in August 2021, more than 889,700 teens – seven in 10 people aged 16 and 17 – have had their first dose. More than 600,000 in this age group have also had their second jab.
Invites will be sent out this week encouraging people in this group to book their appointment through the online booking service, calling 119, or by finding their nearest walk-in site as soon as they can.
7.3 Information: vaccinations for students working in health and social care
A reminder that from Friday 1 April, all Health and Social Care students aged 18 and over who wish to undertake a placement in any CQC registered setting will need to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
It is possible that these settings will expect the same for 16 and 17-year-olds, and so we ask that all students are reminded to take up the vaccination offer, with a first dose needed by 3rd February to enable students to have their second by 1st April.
Please see the following guidance for further information