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We are seeing a rise in learners of all ages needing support to overcome barriers to learning, whether that is due to additional support needs or financial barriers. While there is funding to meet these requirements, providers must be able to demonstrate compliance with the relevant funding rules to avoid the risk of clawback of funds.

This article emphasises two key funding streams for learners which have revealed issues that, at times, have led to substantial errors in funding, necessitating reimbursements to the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA).

Additional Learning Support (ALS)

For adult learners, providers can claim £150 per month ALS where they can demonstrate that a reasonable adjustment is needed to ensure that learners can achieve their learning goal. This applies to both adult classroom and all apprenticeship learners, although there are some subtle differences in terms of evidence expectations for the two funding streams.

For adult classroom learners, providers must be able to evidence that they have undertaken an assessment that has identified an additional learning support need, for which a reasonable adjustment is required. The support need must not relate to everyday difficulties that are not directly associated with the learner’s learning goal. The results of this assessment must be retained on the learner file and must be used to develop a plan of support to address the identified need. Providers must also be able to demonstrate that a cost has been incurred in the delivery of the support. Finally, they must be able to evidence that support has been provided to the learner for the period in which it has been claimed on the Individualised Learner Record (ILR).

The process is similar for apprentices. However, there is an expectation that all apprentices will have an initial assessment to identify whether a support need exists. This should then be followed up with a robust assessment if there are any indications that the apprentice would benefit from having a reasonable adjustment put in place. The initial assessment is classed as an eligible cost that can be incorporated into the negotiated price with the employer; however, the detailed assessment is not. The development of a support plan and evidence of delivery of the support is the same as for adult classroom learners. Although, there is also an expectation that the provider will undertake a formal review every three months of the effectiveness of the support being provided.

For both funding streams, if the actual cost of delivery exceeds £150 in the month, the difference can be claimed through the provider’s Earning Adjustment Statement (EAS).

The most common issues that could result in funding clawback related to ALS are:

• The initial assessment does not clearly demonstrate that the support need is linked to whether the learner will be able to achieve their learning goal or not. Generally, this is where the support needs are related to mental health concerns and the reasons for the support need have not been clearly articulated in the assessment.
• The provider cannot demonstrate that learning support has been provided for the duration over which the ALS has been claimed through the ILR.
• Although the EAS does not form part of the current ESFA’s funding assurance approach, they do reserve the right to review a provider’s records if they so wish. There have been instances where the provider cannot provide details of the costs incurred in delivering the support to individual learners and therefore cannot evidence claims made through the EAS. There have also been situations where the costing methodology is out of date and does not reflect the current staffing costs. In these instances, there is a risk of funding underclaim where the actual costs of delivery are now higher than when the costing model was last reviewed.

There may be instances where the overall cost of support exceeds £19,000 in a funding year. For learners who are 19 to 24 and don’t have an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan, or those who are over 24, providers can claim Exceptional Learning Support (ELS). It should be noted that each individual ELS claim should be supported by an explanation as to why the support has been claimed, and the claim must only reflect the cost of providing support to the learner, excluding any indirect costs or overheads.

16 to 19 Bursary Fund

The 16 to 19 Bursary Fund enables providers to support students where there is a financial barrier which could prevent them from being able to complete their study programme or T Level.

The bursary fund is intended to be used to support students with course costs, such as travel, essential books, equipment, specialist clothing or childcare (where appropriate). In other words, to provide support towards the cost of items that the student needs to pay for to participate in the study programme or T Level.

There are two types of bursary funding that learners may be eligible for:

• Vulnerable: this is for students who are in care, are care leavers or who are in receipt of benefits in their own right; and
• Discretionary: this is for students who meet the criteria set by the provider, which are usually linked to household income and financial need.

Bursaries for vulnerable students are capped at £1,200 annually. However, if the provider deems more support necessary to help the student finish their studies, additional funds can be awarded. Any payments over £1,200 must be made either from the discretionary bursary allocation or from the provider’s own funds. While there's no upper limit set for discretionary bursaries, providers should note that they are expected to cover any amounts exceeding their allocated funds with their own resources.

Providers are required to assess financial need for both vulnerable and discretionary bursaries, by considering the specific financial needs associated with the study programme or T Level on which the student is enrolled. 

The most common issues that could result in funding clawback related to 16 to 19 bursary funds are:

• Providers cannot clearly demonstrate that they have undertaken an assessment of the financial need of the student in relation to the costs of them participating in the course, instead making flat-rate or fixed payments to students.
• Bursary funds being used for items that are not clearly essential to the student’s study programme or T Level.

If you would like to know more about how to effectively support learners in further education and ensure compliance with funding rules, please get in touch with Lisa Smith.