Provider support manual:

Coverage of the ILR

Contents

16-19 funding (excluding apprenticeships)

The 16-19 funding model funds non-apprenticeship provision for:

• 14 to 16 year olds who are directly recruited into eligible FE institutions,

• electively home educated (EHE) students of compulsory school age who are enrolled at any FE institution,

• 16 to 19 year olds

• learners aged 19 or over who are continuing a programme they started aged 16, 17 or 18

• non-apprenticeship learners aged 19 to 24 who have an Education Health and Care Plan.

All learning aims undertaken as part of a study programme must be recorded on the ILR.

ESFA 16-19 funded study programmes are recorded using code 25 in the Funding model field.

Adult skills funding

The Adult skills funding model supports flexible and responsive provision to learners and employers, including:

• Qualifications and non-regulated learning including traineeships, and learning and learner support funding that is funded through the Adult Education Budget.

• Apprenticeship frameworks (including 16-18 apprentices) started prior to 1 May 2017.

Adult skills funded learning is recorded using code 35 in the Funding model field.

Other 16-19 and Other Adult skills funding

Funding model code 81 and Source of funding 105 must be used to record all learning aims for:

• Apprenticeship standards started prior to 1 May 2017.

• Other Adult skills funded provision as notified by the ESFA for pilots and specific exercises that is not funded by the Adult skills, ESF or Community learning funding models.

Learning aims started on or after 1 August 2013 that are delivered through funding models 81 and 82 should be identified using a Learning Delivery Monitoring code recorded in the Learning Delivery Funding and Monitoring (FAM) fields. You will be informed which code to use. This does not apply to apprenticeship standards.

Apprenticeships

Apprenticeship frameworks and standards can be delivered at different levels, including: Intermediate-level Apprenticeships, Advanced-level Apprenticeships, and Higher and Degree Apprenticeships.

All apprenticeship programmes on the ILR are comprised of a programme aim and one or more component aims. For apprenticeship frameworks, these component aims are: competency, knowledge and functional skills aims.

For new apprenticeship programmes started on or after 1 May 2017, these must be recorded using Funding model code 36. This includes both apprenticeship frameworks and apprenticeship standards.

Community Learning

For Community Learning activity claimed using the ‘non-formula funded’ approach, ILR data must be recorded using Funding model code 10 and Learning Delivery FAM records to identify Personal and Community Development Learning (PCDL), Neighbourhood Learning in Deprived Communities (NLDC), Wider Family Learning (WFL), or Family English, Maths and Language (FEML).

For activity similar to Community Learning delivered through the Adult Education Budget (AEB) formula funded approach, you do not need to record these Learning Delivery FAM codes, but must follow the requirements for the Adult skills funding model (Funding model 35) set out in the ILR specification and this guidance document.

Community Learning provision that is subcontracted to an FE College by a local authority must be recorded by the College using code 99 in the Funding Model field, with a Learning Delivery FAM code of SOF108.

The data collection requirements are the same for all non-formula Community Learning provision, regardless of whether it is directly funded or subcontracted by a local authority (Funding model 10, or Funding model 99 and Source of funding 108).

From 2019 to 2020, the AEB will be apportioned into devolved and non-devolved budgets. Approximately half of the AEB participation budget will be transferred by the Department for Education to the devolved authorities for them to administer. This means that from 1 August 2019, the ESFA will no longer be accountable for administering the AEB in these areas. The ESFA will continue to be responsible for funding learners in England that are resident outside of the devolved areas.

Recording Family English, Maths and Language

All provision recorded as Family English, Maths and Language (FEML) must meet the definition of FEML provision in the ILR specification.

FEML provision must be identified in the Learning Delivery FAM fields using the applicable codes:

• For FEML, learning aims delivered and formula funded through the AEB (Funding model 35) are recorded using code FLN1

• For non-formula funded FEML learning aims delivered through the Community Learning funding model (Funding model 10), record using code ASL3.

Skills Bootcamps

Skills Bootcamps have been introduced from 2022 to 2023. They ar e available for adults aged 19 or over who are either in work or recently unemployed and live in England.

Skills Bootcamp provision must be recorded using Funding Model 37, and Programme Type 32 on the ILR.

European Social Fund (ESF)

ESF funded learning is identified in the ILR using Funding model code 70.

ILR data provides information to manage and calculate ESF funding. The data derived is also used to manage and monitor ESF funded provision and to inform the development of future policy. Where relevant, the data is also used to substantiate ESF funding claims.

ILR data is also used to produce the ESF Programme Management Information (MI), which is submitted with each ESF claim to the ESF Managing Authority and then to the European Commission. For the 2014 to 2020 ESF Programme, the MI for common outputs and results indicators is set by Regulation (EU) No 1304/2013 of the European Parliament and Council. The ESFA has a statutory obligation to collect this information for ESF funded learners and those learners that are used, or could potentially be used, as match funding.

Traineeships

The traineeship programme helps unemployed young people aged 16-24 to develop the necessary skills and experience to progress to an apprenticeship or long-term work.

Traineeships are funded through both the 16-19 funding model and Adult skills funding model.

Learning that is not funded by the ESFA

All providers must return an ILR for Office for Students (OfS) funded learners.

There are also some circumstances, detailed below, in which non-funded learners are included in the ILR.

Requirements for Further Education (FE) colleges

FE colleges must send data for all learners, including those that are not funded by the ESFA. This learning should be recorded as follows:

Subcontracted-in learning aims that are delivered by the college on behalf of another college or training provider who is in receipt of direct ESFA funding must be recorded using Funding model code 99 and Source of funding code 998 ‘Other’.

Community Learning provision that is subcontracted-in to the college by a local authority (LA) must be recorded using Funding model code 99 and Source of funding 108.

Provision where the full cost of the learning is met by the learner or their employer must be recorded on the ILR using Funding model code 99. The Source of funding does not need to be returned for this learning.

Example
A training organisation receives funding from the ESFA but subcontracts provision for 10 learners to Casterbridge College (i.e. the provision is subcontracted-in to Casterbridge).

Casterbridge College includes the 10 learners in their ILR return with the following coding:

• Funding model = 99

• Source of funding = SOF998
  

Non-funded apprenticeships

Training organisations are asked to send details of apprenticeships that are not funded by the ESFA in the following circumstances:

• where the apprenticeship programme is delivered within the terms of an ESFA contract, and

• on a voluntary basis in other cases

These non-funded apprenticeships need to meet the collection requirements for frameworks or standards, but don’t need the Financial dataset to be recorded.

Requirements for Higher Education Institutions (HEIs)

The following requirements apply to non-apprenticeship provision only.

For learners funded through Advanced Learner Loans, HEIs must return ILR data to the ESFA for all Advanced Learner Loans funded provision.

Advanced Learner Loans

Students studying non-prescribed courses at Levels 4-6 may be eligible for Advanced Learner Loans support if these courses lead to qualifications on the approved list for Advanced Learner Loans. Please refer to the Advanced learner loans funding and performance management rules 2021 to 2022 for further information.

All providers must send ILR records for all learners and learning aims financed by an Advanced Learner Loan.

Learning aims that are financed by an Advanced Learner Loan must be recorded using Funding model code 99 and a Learning Delivery FAM code of ADL1.

Some learning aims financed by an Advanced Learner Loan may require Higher Education data to be returned on the ILR.

ILR data for Advanced Learner Loans must reflect the data held by the SLC.

Advanced Learner Loans Bursary

In addition to the Advanced Learner Loan, learners can also be in receipt of support funded through the Advanced Learner Loans Bursary Fund. The Loans Bursary Fund is a separate ESFA allocation.

The Advanced Learner Loans Bursary should be recorded on the ILR in the Learning Delivery FAM fields.

The dates for which the learner is receiving support through the loans bursary need to be recorded using the ‘Date applies from’ and ‘Date applies to’ fields.

For contract funded providers and providers which only have a loans facility agreement with the ESFA, the bursary will be paid monthly based on ILR returns up to the level of your bursary allocation as set out in your loans facility agreement.

For providers funded through a grant, the bursary allocation is paid on profile and reconciled at the end of the year; any unspent funds must be repaid. If the learner requires learner support, this should also be recorded using the Learner support reason (LSR) codes in the Learner FAM fields.

Please refer to the Advanced learner loans funding rules for payment and performance management arrangements.

OLASS funded learners

All learning aims delivered through the Offenders’ Learning and Skills Service (OLASS) should be identified using code LDM034 in the Learning Delivery FAM fields.

These aims should be recorded with Funding model code 99.

Subcontracted provision

The requirements for returning ILR data for subcontracted provision are described below.

Recording subcontracted-out provision (All providers)

You may deliver teaching and learning to learners that you enrol either directly or through a partnership or subcontracting arrangement with another organisation (subcontracted-out).
The Subcontracted or partnership UKPRN field must be completed to indicate if any proportion of the learning aim is delivered by a partner or subcontracted provider.

Provision funded through Advanced Learner Loans must not be subcontracted-out to other providers.

Recording subcontracted-in provision (FE colleges only)

The data requirements for subcontracted-in provision depend on the type of provider that you are subcontracted to. The following guidance applies to FE colleges only.
For provision subcontracted-in from a school or HEI:

• You should not return ILR data for learners enrolled at a school even if the learners are studying provision delivered by you on behalf of the school at which they are enrolled.

• You must not return ILR data for learners who are subcontracted-in from a HEI for provision at level 4 or above.

For provision subcontracted-in from another provider (not a school or HEI):

• Learners who are subcontracted-in from another provider should be included in the ILR.

• Learners who are undertaking HE provision and are subcontracted into an FE college from another FE college must not be included in the ILR.

• Learning aims must be recorded using Funding model code 99. The Source of funding must be returned as code SOF998 unless the provision is Community Learning subcontracted from a local authority: in this case, the Source of funding must be SOF108.