Correspondence

ESFA Update local authorities: 19 January 2022

Published 19 January 2022

This correspondence was withdrawn on

This has been withdrawn as it’s out of date. Read the latest editions of ESFA Update for the latest news and information.

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-local-authorities-19-january-2022

1. 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:

  1. grant funded - ESFA funded Adult Education Budget (AEB) (Adult Skills, Community Learning, 19 to 24 Traineeships and National Skills Fund Level 3 Adult Offer)
  2. 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.

2. Information: consultation response on how local authorities improvement functions are funded

We have published the government response to our recent consultation on proposals to reform how local authorities’ school improvement functions are funded. This confirms that

  • we will proceed with reducing the local authority school improvement monitoring and brokering grant by 50% for financial year 2022 to 2023, prior to full removal in financial year 2023-24
  • provision will be included in the School and Early Years Finance Regulations 2022 (England) to instead allow local authorities to deduct funding for local authorities’ core school improvement activities from maintained school budgets.

The ESFA are also happy to talk to local authorities on a case-by-case basis if flexibility is required on timings for confirming de-delegation amounts and rates following the Authority Proforma Tool (APT) submission which is due by 21 January.

3. 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.

4. Information: allocation calculation 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.

5. Information: Get help buying for schools – create a specification tool

If your school is planning a procurement for catering or multi-functional printing and scanning devices (MFDs), a new Create a Specification tool to help you is now available on GOV.UK Buying for schools.

Designed by the Department for Education in conjunction with schools and suppliers, this free online tool will assist you in planning your procurement needs in detail, ensuring both your school leadership and prospective suppliers are clear on all your requirements.

You can complete your specification over time and download it to share with suppliers as a valuable part of your procurement process.

6. Information: join these webinars on approved frameworks and see how you could save money for your school

The Department for Education (DfE) is hosting webinars on how using our approved frameworks could help your school get value for money.

If you are responsible for buying goods and services for your schools check out the range of informative webinars that could help you save time and money.

All sessions are free, use these Eventbrite links to join the Schools Commercial Team and take the opportunity to ask providers the questions you may have about buying goods and services for your school, Energy and Supply teachers.

For the latest on our wide range of webinars, check out the events tab on our Buying for schools LinkedIn page.

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