Correspondence

ESFA Update local authorities: 22 June 2022

Published 22 June 2022

This correspondence was withdrawn on 27 December 2023

This has been withdrawn as it’s out of date.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

1. Reminder: local authority high needs funding: 2022 to 2023 operational guide survey

We’d like to gather user feedback on the content and format of the current high needs funding: 2022 to 2023 operational guide. We’ll use feedback received from the survey to inform and shape future publications of the guide.

You can access the survey and submit your responses by 27 June 2022. Please forward to all schools in your local authority and note that this survey is optional.

The survey should take approximately 10 minutes to complete.

If you have any questions, please contact us via email at CRM.QUERIES@education.gov.uk.

Thank you in advance for your participation and contributions – the views of our audience are important to us and will help improve the accessibility of future publications.

2. Reminder: complete the educational setting status form for school-led tutoring on Thursday 23 June

To help us support schools with tutoring, it is important for us to understand how you are using your School-Led Tutoring (SLT) grant.

Please complete the Educational Setting Status form on Thursday 23 June, which will include 3 questions on SLT.

We have published guidance on how to complete the form so you can ensure the individual completing it has the relevant information to hand on SLT use in your school.

3. Information: Universal Infant Free School Meal (UIFSM) funding allocations

We will publish the final UIFSM allocations for 2021 to 2022 and the provisional allocations for 2022 to 2023 this week.

For the final allocations for 2021 to 2022 we have returned to the usual methodology. This follows the temporary approach used last year due to the pandemic related school opening restrictions. The per meal rate of £2.34 has been applied.

Beginning from 1 April 2022, the per meal rate has been increased to £2.41. There is an additional payment in the 2021 to 2022 final allocations to backdate the uplift for the period April to August 2022.

The provisional allocations for 2022 to 2023 have been calculated using the total number of eligible meals in 2021 to 2022 with the new per meal rate of £2.41 applied.

4. Information: the school-led tutoring year-end statement form to open this week

The school-led tutoring: year-end statement form will open this week.

You will need to complete this form if you have received school-led tutoring funding.

The deadline to submit your form will be 6:00pm on Friday, 16 September 2022.

We will publish guidance shortly to help you complete the form.

You can read more on the school-led tutoring grant on GOV.UK.

5. Information: coronavirus (COVID-19) recovery premium grant allocation for June 2022 now available

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

We have now published the allocations for the period June 2022 to August 2022 and these are available on GOV.UK.

6. Information: reconciliation thresholds for under and over-delivery for ESFA adult education budget (AEB) academic year 2021 to 2022

We have increased the AEB over-delivery threshold for the academic year 2021 to 2022 from 103% to 110%.

This applies to ESFA grant and contract funded AEB adult skills and brings the over-delivery threshold in line with that for Free Courses for Jobs and 19 to 24 traineeships.

The under-delivery threshold for ESFA AEB adult skills for grant-funded providers has not changed and remains at 97% as previously published.

If you have any questions, please contact your territorial team or use our online enquiry form.

7. Information: final funded values data 2019 to 2020 and 2020 to 2021 (May 2022)

We published the academic year 2019 to 2020 and 2020 to 2021 funded values information today. The data is correct as at May 2022 for colleges, training organisations and employers that have a contract for 2019 to 2020 and/or 2020 to 2021. It excludes values where we are discussing current delivery performance.

If you have any questions, please contact your territorial team or use our online enquiry form.

8. Information: tactical risk assessment workshop for RPA members

As part of our risk management support, The DfE, in conjunction with Willis Towers Watson are hosting a Practical Risk Assessment workshop.

This workshop will focus on:

• the legal requirement for undertaking health and safety risk assessments
• the workshop will focus on a practical risk assessment. This will go through the entire process and include the identification of hazards through to risk rating systems and the identification of control measures.

Please select the best date for you to read more information and register:

• 30 June 2022 – 10:00am to midday
• 14 July 2022 – 10:00am to midday

9. 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:

• sustainable print marketplace options for your school
• the Risk Protection Arrangement (RPA) – an alternative to commercial insurance
• how the DfE approved framework ‘Utilities supplies and services’ can help your school buy gas and electricity
• the DfE approved cyber security framework and what it covers
• how to save your school money on supply teachers and agency workers

Follow our ‘Buying for Schools’ LinkedIn page to learn more about how we can support your school to buy goods and services.

10. Information: privacy notice for Key Stage 5 and adult education

The Department for Education (DfE) have published a privacy notice for Key Stage 5 and adult education. This replaces the ESFA privacy notice.

It explains how DfE uses (processes) any personal data you give to us, or any that we may collect about you in relation to Key Stage 5 and adult education.

For the purposes of relevant data protection legislation, the DfE is the data controller for personal data, this includes personal data processed by Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA).

For any queries, please use our contact form.

11. Information: cost of school uniforms

Schools will be aware that the Department published new statutory guidance on the cost of school uniforms in November 2021.

Schools should be compliant with much of the guidance by September 2022. The ‘requirements for schools’ section sets out the actions that schools need to take before parents seek to purchase or acquire uniform items in summer 2022.

This includes a requirement for schools to make sure that second-hand uniforms are available for parents to acquire (either from the school directly or from an established scheme). While schools can decide the particular method they are going to use to make the provision of second-hand uniforms available, all schools should ensure that information on second-hand uniform is clear for parents of current and prospective pupils and published on the school’s website.

We expect schools to be engaging with parents and pupils to ensure that any required changes are in place ahead of September 2022.