On 26 March the Department for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills issued guidance to learning providers on the development and submission of institutional planning documents during 2010. It detailed the requirements for the submission of Provision Development Plans to the Department for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills (DCELLS) by Friday 28 May 2010 and the arrangements for the submission of proposals for the deployment of allocated Credit Equivalence Units (CEUs) during 2010/11.
The timetable for the submission of the Provision Development Plans and supporting documents is shown below:
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Issue planning documents to Institutions |
Friday 26 March 2010 |
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Return to DCELLS’ Funding Policy Team |
Friday 28 May 2010 |
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DCELLS Evaluation of CEU deployment proposals |
By 30 June 2010 |
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Issue Funding Agreement with agreed funding targets for 2010/11. |
30 June 2010 |
Institutions were informed of their FE funding allocations on 28 January 2010. The timetable for the 2010/11 planning process is intended to facilitate dialogue between DCELLS and institutions on funded CEU targets and to ensure that feedback on CEU deployment proposals is provided in a timely manner prior to the start of the academic year. Further details on the planning cycle for 2010/11 are set out here.
Main changes for 2010
Target setting and deployment of CEUs
The 2010/11 further education allocation consists of three separate components, namely:
DCELLS will set a single funded total CEU target for each of the components which make up the FE funding allocation. From 2010/11, this will be used for reclaim purposes and to inform future years’ allocations.
This change has been made to try and simplify the target setting process for institutions, thereby reducing the bureaucracy within the planning system. Institutions have informed us that the current system, which uses funded WCEUs for reclaim purposes and total CEUs to inform allocations, is confusing. For instance, there have been instances where institutions have met their WCEU target but failed to meet their total CEU target, resulting in an adverse affect on future funding allocations. By setting a single, funded, total, CEU target we hope to overcome this issue.
Aligned to this is a decision to set the target for the regular FE allocation for 2010/11 at 90 percent of the total funded CEU value. This means that institutions will be expected to achieve at least 90 percent of their funded total CEUs for 2010/11, or face a reclaim situation. Naturally, the 90 percent figure is the minimum volume of required activity and institutions are encouraged to exceed this figure wherever possible. Pathways to Apprenticeships and post-19 skills funding is ring fenced within the 2010/11 FE allocation. DCELLS expects institutions to achieve 97 percent of their 2010/11 funded total CEUs, in these areas, or face a reclaim situation.
As part of the 2010/11 planning process, institutions will also be asked to present proposals for the deployment of CEUs for each of the three funding components that make up the FE allocation. These deployment proposals should be submitted alongside institutions’ provision development plans in May and will form the basis of any negotiations with DCELLS officials on funded targets for 2010/11. Further information on the deployment of CEUs is set out under the Sector Subject Area Deployment of Funding heading below. It is intended that institutions will be notified of their final CEU targets for each of the funding components alongside their annual conditions of funding.
FE Planning Priorities 2010/11
In recent years DCELLS has published annual Priorities for Change, through its National Learning and Skills Assessment (NLSA), which institutions have been expected to respond to in their annual planning documents.
For 2010/11, NLSA Priorities for Change are being replaced with a small set of planning priorities which institutions should give consideration to when developing their institutional planning documents and PDPs. These priorities are:
Planning Priorities for Curriculum Change:
Planning Priorities for Development:
Those priorities set out under ‘Planning Priorities for Curriculum Change’, cover areas where we wish to specifically direct changes in the volume of certain qualifications and delivery activity. The second category, ‘Planning Priorities for Development’, directs learning providers to show in their plans how they are actively assisting the implementation of a variety of different policies and/or priorities in support of the medium and longer-term aspirations of Welsh Ministers.
For 2010/11, the focus on essential/basic skills will be supported by a condition of funding which prevents institutions from charging tuition fees for such courses up to and including level 1 of the national qualifications framework. This decision follows the recent consultation on proposals for a fees policy for post-16 education and training; in which there was strong support for waiving fees for basic skills learning:
2010/11 Planning Requirements
Institutions should ensure that DCELLS’ planning priorities are reflected in their planning documents for 2010. Institutions should also ensure that their provision development proposals are consistent with their own strategic and operational planning documents.
Institutions are reminded that planning documents should be underpinned by a clear emphasis upon quality improvement and the management of performance. The quality emphasis is of particular importance as we continue to move forward with an agenda that seeks to ensure that the education and training funded by DCELLS is of excellent quality and poor quality provision, which fails to improve, will not be funded. Institutions are reminded that DCELLS will withdraw funding for provision that fails to reach grade 3 or above on re-inspection.
Provision Development Plans (PDPs)
Details of the minimum PDP requirements for 2010/11 are set out at here to this letter. Institutions are asked to submit a PDP in May using the template. The PDP must be approved by the Head of the Institution.
Pathways to Apprenticeships (PTA)
£8.5 million has been ring fenced within the total FE allocation for PTA activity. Funding levels for PTA in 2010/11 are intended to maintain 2009/10 learning volumes and, as such, institutions are expected to earmark funds from within their regular activity to match fund DCELLS’ PTA funding.
For 2010/11, 6 sector pathways will operate. These include the 5 pathways which operated in 2009/10, together with a new pathway for Automotive Skills. Draft programme specifications for the agreed PTAs, together with details of entry requirements for the scheme and learner number targets by region, are here. The information provided includes standard qualifications and additional qualifications for each pathway, together with the learning aim reference and guided contact hours where this is available.
DCELLS expects institutions to work collaboratively to agree learner number targets for each of the 6 sector pathways. Institutions are also encouraged to work closely with the sector skills councils in developing and delivering PTA activity for the year ahead. In particular, institutions are reminded of the need to engage with employers to ensure that opportunities to complete apprenticeships are available for learners at the end of their initial Pathway programme.
In developing proposals, institutions will also need to have regard to the interim funding arrangements for emerging QCF qualifications here.
DCELLS will monitor the use of PTA funding at regular intervals during the 2010/11 academic year. At the end of the year, any underperformance against funded PTA targets (i.e. less than 97 percent of their funded CEUs for 2010/11) will be reclaimed in full. This reclaim arrangement will not apply to those CEUs which institutions have chosen to deploy through the PTA scheme, only to the specific funding ring fenced by the Welsh Assembly Government (the £8.5 million).
Further information on the PTA scheme for 2010/11, including student support, data collection, monitoring and audit arrangements will be published by the Apprenticeship Unit in June 2010.
Post-19 Skills
Post-19 skills funding is intended to boost the delivery of work relevant skills for adults. This has been provided in response to the increase in demand for adult skills as a result of the economic downturn. Whilst funding for adult skills is not restricted to those aged under 25 years, institutions are encouraged to give priority to young people aged 19-24 in developing their proposals for the deployment of adult skills funding.
To ensure that training and skills delivered are relevant to employers and the workplace, institutions are advised that the ring fenced funds for adult skills may only be deployed for the delivery of work-related qualifications at level 2 or above in the National Qualifications Framework. General education qualifications, such as GCSE or A level qualifications, or Access to HE qualifications may not be delivered via this funding component. Furthermore, any qualifications delivered must be listed on the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF) or National Qualifications Framework (NQF). This means that generic qualifications are also excluded as they do not appear on the QCF or NQF databases.
Institutions should separately identify all learning activities delivered as a result of the additional funding for Adult Skills. These activities should be recorded in Lifelong Learning Wales Record (LLWR) with an entry of 'ASK' in LP51. Institutions will also be provided with a separate monthly NPFS report to monitor their delivery of adult skills.
2010/11 Sector Subject Area Deployment of Funding
Institutions should submit their PDPs, including proposals for CEU deployment for the three separate components which make up the 2010/11 FE funding allocation to the Funding Policy Team by 28 May 2009. Tables 2a to 2d of the PDP template should be used for CEU deployment here.
For 2010/11, the deployment proformae will set out a single funded CEU target for each of the funding components, together with a table which allows institutions to plan their delivery of their WCEUs by sector subject area (SSA). These changes follow the decision by DCELLS to move to a single funded total CEU target for institutions and are intended to try and simplify the target setting process for institutions.
For each of the three funding components, institutions will be asked to identify the number of CEUs which make up their funded total CEU target. For both the regular FE allocation and the post-19 skills component, institutions should then present their proposals for WCEU deployment at the SSA Tier 1 level, with the exception of Adult Basic Education (ABE), ESOL, Independent Living Skills (moderate) and Independent Living Skills (profound), which should be presented at Tier 2. For the PTA component, proposals should be presented by sector pathway for 2010/11.
In order to assist institutions with the deployment of their CEUs for 2010/11, DCELLS will provide the following information in electronic format:
The baseline tables will also include information on uplift CEUs, which will help institutions determine the number of WCEUs from their funded CEU target.
Institutions should ensure that their WCEU deployment proposals take account of the DCELLS planning prioritiesfor post-16 learning and education and the provision development intentions set out within their PDP.
Detailed guidance on the completion of deployment proformae is included at Section 2 here. Further information on institutions’ further education targets for 2010/11 here.
Virement between funding components
Funding for PTA and post-19 skills is ring fenced for the purpose intended and, as such, funding may not be vired into other activities without prior written approval from DCELLS. Institutions are advised that DCELLS will only consider requests to vire funding between PTA and post-19 skills allocations. Institutions will not be able to vire funding into their regular allocation.
Institutions wishing to vire funds should direct their requests, in the first instance, to Andrew Clark, Head of Provider Policy Team. Institutions must also ensure that their proposals for virement are clearly identified in their PDP.
The Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF)
QCF qualifications are being introduced into the curriculum and will eventually replace most National Qualifications Framework (NQF) qualifications. There will be a mix of NQF/QCF provision delivered in the next few years with an anticipated increase in QCF provision year on year as the emphasis moves towards QCF provision.
There is little QCF/NQF mapping information currently available. From the limited data available it appears that the new QCF credit values are generally lower than the equivalent base CEU values allocated to the current NQF qualifications. This makes it extremely difficult to accurately plan the delivery for the year ahead.
In order to assist with curriculum planning and to bring stability to the funding process an interim funding methodology has been developed. The interim funding methodology proposed for 2010/2011 is more comprehensive than the previously adopted in 2009/10, as it is anticipated that the number of QCF qualification delivered will increase significantly. Download here.
Financial Strategy and Financial Forecasts
The Financial Memorandum between the Welsh Assembly Government and further education institutions requires that institutions have a financial strategy in place. Financial strategies are requested every three years with the last submission being in 2007. Institutions are, therefore, required to submit a revised financial strategy which sets out how the institution will finance its plans. This strategy must be approved by the institution’s Governing Body.
Institutions are asked to submit a financial strategy, financial forecasts and accompanying commentary by 16 July 2010. For further guidance on the requirements for financial strategies please refer to:
PDP proposals, and institutions’ own strategic and operational plans, must be underpinned by specific financial resources and the relationship between these proposals and the financial forecasts must be clearly defined.
Feedback and Analysis
DCELLS officials will undertake an analysis of institutions PDPs in May and June. There are no plans for 2010 to provide formal written feedback, however, follow up meetings may be arranged to discuss deployment proposals and funded targets in more detail.
Should you have any queries please contact Lucy Evans on 029 2092 6013 or via email.
