mteb/FeedbackQARetrieval huggingface dataset:
Guidance Maintaining education and skills training provision: further education providers
European Social Fund
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
Guidance Maintaining education and skills training provision: further education providers
Traineeship flexibilities
Extending 19 to 24 adult education budget and 16 to 18 traineeships without 16 to 19 study programme funding
Where learners need longer than originally planned to complete their
traineeship, programme providers should stretch their existing planned
learning aims over a longer duration.
The planned end date must not under any circumstances be changed or extended
within the ILR. Providers should continue to record the end date of the
programme using ‘Learning Actual End Date’.
Additional funding demand in 2020 to 2021, as a result of the programme’s
actual end date extending from the original planned end date in 2019 to 2020,
may impact on the availability of growth in 2020 to 2021 if there is not
sufficient budget available to support demand. It is your responsibility to
ensure you meet the cost of trainees that continue into the following year
within your funding year allocation.
This is a temporary measure that applies only in this period of social
distancing and while students are not able to access work placement activity.
For more information, we are publishing a traineeship addendum to the ESFA
adult education budget funding rules 2019 to
2020 on 13 May.
[ILR]: individualised learner record
  [ESFA]: Education Skills Funding Agency
Guidance Maintaining education and skills training provision: further education providers
Toolkit for engaging vulnerable young people
We have collected examples from providers who are successfully engaging
vulnerable young people: both keeping in contact to ensure vulnerable young
people working remotely are safe and engaging vulnerable young people in
learning.
This information is intended to provide an opportunity for colleges and other
providers to learn from each other’s emerging practice and develop their
approach to engaging vulnerable learners in education.
Keeping in contact with vulnerable learners
Providers have found that the most effective method of communication can vary
by learner, but could take place via telephone, video call, email, text or
social media. In some cases, providers have reported that social media has
been more effective than traditional channels, although appropriate safeguards
must be applied.
Guidance Maintaining education and skills training provision: further education providers
Regulation, accountability and audit
Alternative evidence for wet signatures
This guidance applies to evidence for learners who are funded through
apprenticeship, 16 to 19 education, adult education budget (AEB) and advanced
learner loans funding rules.
It is expected that where providers already have a digital/electronic
signature process, they must continue to utilise their existing processes in
accordance with the respective funding rules above for 16 to 19, adults and
apprenticeship learners.
A wet signature is created when a person physically ‘marks’ a document. Where
a provider has no digital or electronic systems and processes in place to
capture a learner or employer signature, then under normal circumstances a wet
signature is required for recruitment and evidence of continuing learning.
It is recognised that providers delivering training and/or recruiting learners
during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak will experience difficulty in
obtaining learner and employer wet signatures. Therefore, for the funded
programmes listed above, where providers do not have systems and processes in
place for electronic/digital signatures, during the Covid-19 restrictions, we
will allow confirmation / evidence to be obtained through email as detailed
below.
For the purpose of audit evidence, we expect a record of acknowledgement or
adoption of a genuine electronic message or document. Acceptable alternative
evidence includes:

an email from the learner and/or employer email address with details of the confirmation and their typed name at the end of the message
a typed name on an electronic form or document emailed from the learner and/or employer
a signed scanned document attached to an email from the learner and/or employer
a photo taken on a camera/digital medium of the signed document attached to an email from the learner and/or employer

We are allowing providers to use this type of electronic confirmation (as
detailed above) during the period of restrictions due to coronavirus
(COVID-19) only where no other usable digital or electronic processes exist.
This is not to be used as alternative evidence as part of the provider’s
business as usual process once the coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions are
lifted.
Following the period of coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions, providers using
the above alternative evidence must resume their usual process for obtaining
wet signatures on relevant documentation. Providers must ensure that all
alternative evidence replacing wet signatures received during the coronavirus
(COVID-19) restrictions is genuine and irrefutable, and the evidence is
retained for audit purposes.
*[AEB]: adult education budget
Guidance Maintaining education and skills training provision: further education providers
Adult education budget (AEB) and advanced learner loans bursary contract for services
Devolved AEB
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
Guidance Maintaining education and skills training provision: further education providers
Traineeship flexibilities
Extending 16 to 19 study programme traineeships
Our funding guidance sets out that planned hours should not be changed after
the qualifying period unless correcting an error or starting a new study
programme in-year. However, we recognise that in the current circumstances
some students may need more hours than originally planned in order to complete
their traineeship programme.
Where learners need longer than originally planned to complete their
traineeship programme, we expect, in most cases, stretching their existing
planned hours over a longer duration should provide the flexibility providers
need.
In exceptional circumstances, where a learner with part-time hours requires
significant extra delivery, while they are unable to deliver work experience
with an employer, providers can increase the planned hours. Providers should
record where an increase of planned hours is required in the learner file and
demonstrate the need for increased hours to ensure learners remain engaged. We
may ask for this evidence through monitoring processes.
The planned end date must not under any circumstances be changed or extended
within the ILR. Providers should continue to record the end date of the
programme using ‘Learning Actual End Date’.
We expect providers to arrange alternative provision to cover the delivery
that cannot take place. The alternative delivery needs to be above the already
planned work experience hours as these cannot be funded again within the same
time period.
This is a temporary measure that applies only in this period of social
distancing and while students are not able to access work placement activity.
*[ILR]: individualised learner record
Guidance Maintaining education and skills training provision: further education providers
Governance
Holding meetings online or by telephone
Some FE and sixth form college corporations, and other providers which are
charities, may not be able to make amendments to their governing documents to
allow for board meetings online or by telephone, rather than face to face. We
recommend following the Charity Commission advice to record your decision to
proceed with other ways of meeting in the interests of good governance.
Using reserves and restricted funds
We recommend that FE and sixth form college corporations, together with other
providers which are charities, read the Charity Commission guidance on using
reserves to cope with the current
crisis. The guidance also tells you about the
limitations on using any restricted funds.
*[FE]: further education
Guidance Maintaining education and skills training provision: further education providers
Adult education budget (AEB) and advanced learner loans bursary contract for services
Advanced learner loans
With regard to advanced learner loans, the Student Loans Company (SLC) will
continue to make scheduled fee payments to all providers with a loans
facility. Providers must continue to inform the SLC if and when a learner’s
circumstances change.
*[SLC]: Student Loan Company
Guidance Maintaining education and skills training provision: further education providers
Funding
High needs funding for students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)
Colleges and other providers will continue to receive from the ESFA
allocations of high needs place funding (at £6,000 per place per annum) for
the remainder of the academic year 2019 to 2020.
Local authorities will also continue to receive their high needs funding for
the financial year beginning April 2020, and should continue to pay high needs
top-up funding to colleges, special post-16 institutions and other providers
at the rates they have determined. This will ensure that the institution’s
employment and payment of staff supporting students with special educational
needs and disabilities (SEND) can continue. If placements for the summer term,
and top-up funding, were anticipated but have not yet been agreed, the local
authority should consider funding the institution on the basis of previous
patterns of placements and commissioning, so as to make sure that the staff
can remain in employment and be available for when the special provision is
needed. Staff in institutions who support vulnerable students should also be
available for redeployment if their services are needed elsewhere, or they can
provide support in different ways. Co-ordination between institutions, and
with local authorities, will be important in arranging this.
[ESFA]: Education Skills Funding Agency
  [SEND]: special educational needs and disabilities
Guidance Maintaining education and skills training provision: further education providers
Regulation, accountability and audit
Audit
Prior to the Prime Minister’s announcement of the new coronavirus (COVID-19)
restrictions on Monday 23 March 2020, we made the decision to pause the start
of any new routine funding audits for all post-16 providers for the short
term, as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. We have now extended
this pause to cover the period for, at least, the duration of the lockdown.
Where funding audits and investigations were already in progress, we have
sought to complete the work, taking into account providers’ capacity to
resolve any issues. We understand the challenges providers face as a result of
the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and have been sensitive to these
challenges when contacting providers.
It may be necessary for the ESFA to contact providers during the coronavirus
(COVID-19) outbreak in order to continue to maintain effective oversight and
protection of public funds. Where such contact is necessary, we will continue
to be sensitive to the challenges providers face as a result of coronavirus
(COVID-19).
We will continue to monitor and review the situation in the light of the
circumstances. When the coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions are reduced and
there is a return to office-based working across the country, we will assess
when it is appropriate to restart routine funding audits.
*[ESFA]: Education Skills Funding Agency
Guidance Maintaining education and skills training provision: further education providers
Funding
We recognise that the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak carries financial
implications for many providers, and we are working to make changes where we
can. We set out below the flexibilities we are introducing to support grant
funded providers to continue to deliver learning.
To help manage the financial implications, we can confirm that the Education
and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) will continue to pay grant funded providers
their scheduled monthly profiled payments for the remainder of the 2019/20
funding year.
ESFA allocations for 2020/21 have been confirmed, and payments will be made in
line with the national profile which will be confirmed in the relevant 2020/21
Funding Rules.
*[ESFA]: Education Skills Funding Agency
Guidance Maintaining education and skills training provision: further education providers
Regulation, accountability and audit
Qualification achievement rates
As part of steps taken to fight the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19), the
government announced that all exams due to take place in schools and colleges
in England in summer 2020 are cancelled, and that it will not publish any
school or college level educational performance data based on tests,
assessments or exams for 2020.
The Department for Education will not hold schools/colleges to account on the
basis of exams and assessment data from summer 2020 and data will not be used
by others, such as Ofsted and local authorities, to hold schools/colleges to
account. Further information can be found at Coronavirus (COVID-19): school
and college performance
measures.
Guidance Maintaining education and skills training provision: further education providers
Adult education budget (AEB) and advanced learner loans bursary contract for services
For providers funded through a contract for service for AEB and Advanced
Learner Loans Bursary, we will remove the financial year controls set out in
the funding and performance management rules for 2019 to
2020.
This means we will pay any over delivery in the August 2019 to March 2020
period by utilising the April 2020 to August 2020 period funding, up to the
full 12 month contract value. The commitment to fund delivery up to 103% of
adult skills and 110% of traineeships contract values will still apply over
the full funding year.
*[AEB]: adult education budget
Guidance Maintaining education and skills training provision: further education providers
Data collection and recording
Breaks in learning
ESFA funded AEB and advanced learner loans (including bursary fund) funding
rules for 2019 to 2020 already make provision for ‘breaks in learning’ for a
range of circumstances.
You and the learner can agree to suspend learning while the learner takes a
break. This allows the learner to continue later with the same eligibility
that applied when they first started their learning.
We are extending the current breaks in learning rules for ESFA funded AEB and
advanced learner loans to:

allow a break in learning at the learner’s request where a learner is self-isolating, or caring for others affected by coronavirus (COVID-19) and is unable to continue by distance learning and/or an online offer
allow a break in learning to be recorded where a provider is unable to deliver because of the impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) on their own business and there is no possible delivery by distance and/or online learning

Where some learning aims have been delivered, this should be evidenced in the
usual way. However, where a break in learning is now beginning or expected,
providers should include these learners in their individualised learner record
(ILR) submission and record breaks in learning as starting on the date of the
last learning activity for the aim. It is likely that these aims will have
been suspended knowing that it will be reviewed at stages over the coming
months. Under no circumstances should the current planned end date be changed.
To record breaks in learning for coronavirus (COVID-19) reasons, providers
should:

include these learners in their ILR submissions
record, retain and submit evidence in the usual way
record a break in learning in their ILR submission
ensure that the affected learners are not recorded as permanently withdrawn from their learning, by entering the ‘completion status’ field of the ILR as ‘6’, denoting that the learner has temporarily withdrawn from learning due to an agreed break in learning as a direct impact of COVID-19

Further information on data collection is included in reducing burdens on
educational and care
settings.
[ESFA]: Education Skills Funding Agency
  [AEB]: adult education budget
  *[ILR]: individualised learner record
Guidance Maintaining education and skills training provision: further education providers
Residential providers
We are expecting residential further education providers to keep their
residential provision open where necessary, and decisions will have to happen
on a case by case basis. It is especially important that residential providers
remain open to those who have particular needs that cannot be accommodated
safely at home, and those who do not have suitable alternative accommodation.
In collaboration with Public Health England and Department of Health and
Social Care (DHSC), we have produced guidance on isolation for residential
educational settings,
including further education providers with residential accommodation and
residential special colleges. This contains advice on managing the setting in
the case of self-isolation or infection.
Guidance Maintaining education and skills training provision: further education providers
Broader support to the community
Further education providers are major community institutions and have greater
capacity and organisational resilience than smaller schools.
We know a number of colleges have already taken steps to support vulnerable
learners, or the children of critical workers who can’t be supported
elsewhere.
This is a hugely valuable contribution; colleges have a vital role to play in
holding communities together and supporting our broader national response to
coronavirus (COVID-19).
Remember that, if your organisation is a charity, any help you provide for the
national effort must be consistent with your organisation’s charitable
purposes. If your organisation is a registered charity, see the Charity
Commission guidance on how charities can help while keeping within their
objects.
FE and sixth form college corporations which are helping the national effort
in ways other than education, such as giving surplus food to a food bank or
allowing key workers to use unoccupied student accommodation, are to be
applauded for contributing in this way. Governors must be satisfied that such
assistance is in their corporation’s interests, and does not create additional
risk or significant one-off or ongoing costs to the corporation, and should
record the basis for their decision.
*[FE]: further education
Guidance Maintaining education and skills training provision: further education providers
Traineeship flexibilities
The current coronavirus (COVID-19) situation means that many trainees are not
able to carry out the work placement element of the programme due to social
distancing measures and employers being closed or having ‘work at home’
arrangements that are not suitable for trainees.
We want to enable providers to continue to deliver where possible given
traineeships will play an important part in re-engaging and supporting young
people to get back into learning and work following the coronavirus (COVID-19)
outbreak.
Where flexibilities are used, providers should record this and retain it as
evidence for audit purposes.
New trainees can start programmes during this period with programme aims
adjusted in line with these flexibilities.
Guidance Maintaining education and skills training provision: further education providers
Traineeship flexibilities
Extended programme duration up to 12 months
It is our priority to enable providers to support learners to continue with
their learning online during this period, until trainees are able to complete
their traineeship.
During this period, providers can extend the traineeship programme duration up
to 12 months where one or more of the following scenarios applies:

the learner has not completed their qualification and basic skills learning aims including employability, maths or English
the learner has completed less than 70 planned work experience hours
the provider has assessed the learner as needing further work placement hours to complete this element of their traineeship

This flexibility is offered on the basis that the trainee undertakes online or
alternative distance learning to complete other non-work experience learning
and/or alternative work experience learning part of the traineeship where
online learning is possible.
Where flexibilities are used, providers should record this and retain it as
evidence for audit purposes.
Providers delivering traineeships funded by ESFA AEB can also refer to section
‘5b Breaks in learning’ of this guidance for coronavirus (COVID-19) related
breaks in traineeship learning.
[ESFA]: Education Skills Funding Agency
  [AEB]: adult education budget