Question: What do further education provider need to know about ESF easements?

Answer passage (source: UK):
page_title: Guidance Maintaining education and skills training provision: further education providers
section_headers: European Social Fund
section_content: For European Social Fund (ESF) provision, the following easements have been
agreed.
Delivery postcode for remote learning
The managing authority has confirmed that where delivery is occurring
remotely, ESF providers can now use the postcode of their physical base within
the local enterprise partnership (LEP) area relating to the contract as the
delivery postcode recorded on the ILR. This means that where remote delivery
is taking place that is now falling outside the LEP area relating to the
contract, it will be considered eligible.
Evidencing remote enrolment and remote learning
Currently projects must have wet signatures from participants, on both
enrolment forms and any contact sheets, demonstrating they are in receipt of
support and to declare relevant information. The ESF managing authority
recognises that this is not possible given current social distancing measures.
Therefore, ESF providers can, from 1 February 2020, provide participant
verification by alternative means, such as email.
progression requirement
It is a requirement of the ESF programme, that all programme progression
related deliverables are achieved within 28 days of leaving the ESF programme.
This timeline starts when all ESF funded intervention / activity has ceased.
Providers may wish to consider how they utilise non-regulated activity to
continue to engage and support learners regularly during the coronavirus
(COVID-19) outbreak.
Contract extensions
It is still our intention to extend ESF contracts to March 2023, where funding
is available and with consideration to contract performance. It is planned to
action this as part of the April 2020 performance management process. This is
currently in development, along with the associated timelines which we will
share as soon as possible. We are proposing to implement a simplified and
streamlined process to minimise the burden and input required from the
provider base during this challenging period.
External audit testing
The Government Internal Audit Agency (AS GIAA the ESF Audit Authority (AA)),
has agreed that all provider level (AA based) audit testing, relating to ESF
provision, funded through the ESFA, will be temporarily paused until the
current restrictions are lifted. This extends beyond physical visits to cover
remote audit testing approaches, based on the wider potential impacts. We will
update providers in due course regarding the resumption of this work, as it
continues to constitute a key requirement within the current regulatory
framework.
Compliance and performance reviews
Compliance and performance visits (unless previously agreed) have been
suspended until further notice. This is in recognition of the difficulties in
accessing physical documentation and premises currently.
[ESF]: European Social Fund
  [LEP]: local enterprise partnership
  [ILR]: individualised learner record
  [ESFA]: Education Skills Funding Agency

Reviewer feedback on this answer:
This is a direct answer to the question. This answer provides comprehensive information and explanation regarding the agreed easement for ESF provision.
This seems to answer the question well.

Reviewer ratings:
Excellent
Excellent

Answer passage (source: UK):
page_title: Guidance Maintaining education and skills training provision: further education providers
section_headers: Adult education budget (AEB) and advanced learner loans bursary contract for services
Devolved AEB
section_content: From 1 August 2019, the AEB is apportioned between the ESFA and 6 mayoral
combined authorities (MCAs) and the Greater London Authority (GLA) and the
ESFA is no longer accountable for administering AEB in those devolved areas.
The MCA or GLA will be responsible for agreeing arrangements with their
providers in respect of devolved AEB.
[AEB]: adult education budget
  [ESFA]: Education Skills Funding Agency
  [MCAs]: mayoral combined authorities
  [GLA]: Greater London Authority

Reviewer feedback on this answer:
This does not answer the question. The question is asking for information on ESF easement and this information is about AEB.
This seems to relate to the question with out answering it.

Reviewer ratings:
Bad
Could be Improved

Answer passage (source: UK):
page_title: Guidance Maintaining education and skills training provision: further education providers
section_headers: Funding
In year recruitment of learners
section_content: We currently use the profile of recruitment throughout the year to determine
the lagged student numbers used in 16 to 19 allocations. For providers who
recruit learners later in the year rather than purely at the beginning of the
academic year, and whose enrolment of new learners in the summer term will
have ceased, we will determine a way to ensure this does not have an unfairly
detrimental impact on future allocations. For example, we could still apply
the current approach of identifying what proportion of student numbers were
recruited after we take the initial data return in the autumn but use full
year data from 2018/19.
Student prior attainment in English and/or maths GCSEs
Three elements within the 16 to 19 funding formula use students’ prior
attainment in English and/or maths, namely:

the condition of funding
disadvantage funding - block 2
level 3 programme maths and English payment

We anticipate that these will continue to be calculated as now following the
alternative plans that have now been published to award grades to students in
the absence of GCSE exams this summer, and so providers will still be
allocated additional funding for young people with low prior attainment in
GCSE English or maths. As further details are published for how the
replacement for exams will work, we will consider these elements in more
detail.
Funding to prepare for and deliver T levels
Allocations have been made to providers who will be delivering the first wave
of T levels in 2020 to 2021 based on planned T level student numbers. We have
already published the approach for applying a tolerance where enrolment of T
level students is below the planned number.
Due to the lagged student number approach, where the level of T level students
recruited means the tolerance would be implemented, only the numbers above the
tolerance would be converted to a full-time band 5 student. Read more about
the tolerance in the How T levels will be funded in 2020 to
2021 guidance.
We will monitor the suitability of this approach over the coming months as we
get nearer to the introduction of T levels.
Industry Placement Capacity and Delivery Fund (CDF) 2019 to 2020
The unprecedented impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) has meant that it is
currently extremely difficult for providers to continue to organise and
deliver industry placements through the Capacity and Delivery Fund (CDF).
Given these exceptional and unprecedented circumstances, providers will not be
penalised for missing specific CDF industry placement targets this academic
year. Funding will not be clawed back if providers can demonstrate how the
funding has and will continue to support your work on industry placement
delivery. We want to make sure that providers are able to maximise the
activity that they are able to carry out during this period to continue to
support the delivery of placements, and to prepare to deliver placements in
2020 to 2021. Activities we would expect to continue to go ahead:

continuing to build relationships with employers and developing engagement strategies for different industries
preparing students for placements (such as through virtual training for work programmes)
ensuring alignment between curriculum planning and industry placement provision
developing matching processes for when students can go on placements again

We will ask for evidence of this through the usual autumn CDF monitoring
process in order to minimise reporting burdens, and we will still look to claw
back funding under the usual arrangements should providers fail to demonstrate
they have continued to support the delivery of industry placements. Providers
must avoid the risk of double funding. We will seek to claw back funding
should providers furlough staff involved in these activities.
Free meals in further education
We expect further education institutions to continue to support students who
are eligible for, and usually receive, free meals in further education, or are
newly eligible, whether they are continuing to attend the provider or are
studying remotely due to coronavirus (COVID-19) related issues. Read further
guidance on free meals in further education funded institutions for 2019 to
2020.
*[CDF]: Capacity and Delivery Fund

Reviewer feedback on this answer:
This does not answer the question. The question is asking for information on ESF easements, however, this information is about funding for T levels, funding for young people based on attainment in GCSE Math and English, industry placement and free meals in further education.
This does not seem to relate to the question.

Reviewer ratings:
Bad
Bad