ESFA Update further education: 28 October 2020
Published 28 October 2020
Applies to England
© Crown copyright 2020
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/esfa-update-28-october-2020/esfa-update-further-education-28-october-2020
1. Latest information on coronavirus (COVID-19)
The Department for Education has published guidance about COVID-19 in educational settings for staff, parents and carers, pupils and students on GOV.UK.
There is also guidance on the apprenticeship service about COVID-19.
Please check GOV.UK regularly for updates.
2. Reminder: funding claims 2019 to 2020 – final claims
Your 2019 to 2020 final claim form is now available on Submit learner data and will close at 5pm Tuesday 3 November.
You must sign your claim digitally on Manage your education and skills funding by 5pm on Wednesday 4 November. This needs to be completed by your principal or a delegated authority. You need to submit and sign a claim if you receive funds through:
- grant funded - adult education budget (AEB) (adult skills, 19 to 24 traineeships and community learning)
- learner support for AEB procured (adult skills and 19 to 24 traineeships) – paid-on-profile
- grant funded - Advanced Learner Loans Bursary (ALLB)
- 16 to 19 education
Once you have submitted your claim on Submit learner data, you will be able to view it and sign it on Manage your education and skills funding within 15 minutes.
You can find the updated funding claims guidance on GOV.UK which includes a section on the reconciliation business case process. There is separate guidance for 16 to 19 education funding.
The user guide to help you complete the form is also now available.
If you have any queries about this, please contact your Territorial Manager.
3. Information: 16 to 19 revenue funding allocations for 2020 to 2021
We have published the 16 to 19 revenue funding allocations for academic year 2020 to 2021 on GOV.UK.
The publication covers schools, academies and further education institutions funded by ESFA for 16 to 19 year olds and 19 to 25 year olds with an education, health and care (EHC) plan.
We publish 16 to 19 allocations data annually in the interests of transparency.
4. Information: college oversight, support and intervention
On 26 October we published an update to our guidance on college oversight.
We have updated one of the formal intervention triggers for cash related concerns. A request for emergency funding is now a discretionary trigger for intervention, rather than one that applies automatically.
To protect public funds, before agreeing any emergency funding request, we will continue to seek appropriate assurances and due diligence, and continue to apply appropriate conditionality.
5. Information: virtual conferences on inspections of apprenticeship training provision at levels 6 and 7
Further to the Education Secretary’s announcement that from 1 April 2021, Ofsted will inspect apprenticeship training provision at levels 6 and 7 (thereby becoming the single body for the inspection of apprenticeship training at all levels), ESFA will be hosting a series of engagement events in partnership with Ofsted and the Office for Students to help training providers prepare for this change and to gather feedback from the apprenticeships sector to support the effective implementation of this policy.
These virtual conferences will provide an opportunity for training providers to hear directly from ESFA, Ofsted and the Office for Students on the practical implications of this change. There will be opportunities to ask questions and share feedback to help inform the effective implementation of this policy.
Conferences are free-of-charge and there will be a range of sessions to join according to your organisation’s familiarity with Ofsted inspection. There will also be a standalone session for higher education providers that are unfamiliar with Ofsted inspection in order to address the sector specific considerations that these providers may have.
5.1 Events schedule
- Ofsted inspection of level 6 and 7 apprenticeships (for independent training providers and colleges not familiar with Ofsted inspection) – Monday 30 November, 9:00 to 12:00. Register online.
- Ofsted inspection of level 6 and 7 apprenticeships (for universities not familiar with Ofsted inspection) – Tuesday 1 December, 13:00 to 16:00. Register online.
- Ofsted inspection of level 6 and 7 apprenticeships (for providers with some familiarity with Ofsted inspection) – Friday 4th December, 13:00 to 16:00. Register online.
6. Information: Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers 2020
On Wednesday 21st October, we announced The Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers 2020.
We are delighted to have received over 400 applications for this year, and that we are able to recognise employer’s commitment to apprenticeships by ranking the Top 100.
The broadcast featured an explanation of the rankings, full countdown of the 100 employers, interviews with featured employers on their experiences, a Q and A panel with current apprentices.
The full broadcast can now be viewed on our Fire it Up YouTube channel, and we encourage you to watch it if you haven’t already - to share in the successes of the Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers for 2020.
For further information, please contact top.100@education.gov.uk.
7. Information: National Apprenticeship Awards 2020 - Regional Ceremonies
We are pleased to announce that registrations are open for the nine regional finals of the National Apprenticeship Awards 2020. We would love for you to share this with your contacts and networks, to share the celebrations with as many people as possible.
Back for their 17th year, the National Apprenticeship Awards are a fantastic opportunity to highlight business and individual success in apprenticeships, especially given the challenges many employers and apprentices have faced during the pandemic. Each online ceremony will recognise apprentices that have gone above and beyond to make a difference whilst undertaking their apprenticeship.
Apprentice employers, apprentices and apprenticeship champions from all industries entered the awards – with over 1100 entries received.
The ceremonies begin on Monday 2 until Friday 6 November. To register, please follow the relevant links for the specific regional ceremony:
| Location | Date | Time | Registration |
|---|---|---|---|
| North East | Monday 2 November | 11AM | Register online |
| Yorkshire | Monday 2 November | 2PM | Register online |
| North West | Tuesday 3 November | 2PM | Register online |
| East Midlands | Wednesday 4 November | 11AM | Register online |
| West Midlands | Wednesday 4 November | 2PM | Register online |
| East of England | Thursday 5 November | 11AM | Register online |
| London | Thursday 5 November | 2PM | Register online |
| South East | Friday 6 November | 11AM | Register online |
| South West | Friday 6 November | 2PM | Register online |
In the meantime, if you have any queries please contact apprenticeship.awards@education.gov.uk.