Provider support manual:

Introduction to the ILR

Contents

What is the ILR

Summary of the ILR

The ILR is an on-going collection of data about learners and the learning undertaken by them from learning providers in the Further Education (FE) and Skills sector.

The FE and Skills sector includes: Further Education Colleges, former External Institutions, Sixth Form Colleges, Training Organisations, Local Authorities, Academies, and Voluntary and Community Organisations.

The data collected in the ILR for each teaching year is detailed in the Specification of the Individualised Learner Record and the associated documents. The ILR documents are listed below.

• ILR specification is the definitive technical specification of the Individualised Learner Record (ILR).

• Validation rules is a spreadsheet of validation rules and accompanying guidance.

• ILR Privacy Notice.

• Appendix A - Data collection timetable.

• Appendix B - Migration mapping from the previous year to the current year format, and the accompanying annex 1 spreadsheet.

The following items are now embedded within the ILR specification in the relevant fields

• Learning delivery monitoring (LDM) codes for recording the Learning Delivery Funding and Monitoring fields.

• Higher Education Domicile codes (found on the DOMICILE field).

• Standard occupational classification (SOC) 2010 codes (found on the SOC2000 field).

• Outcome grade code list (found on the Outcome field).

The ILR specification defines what data is collected for each teaching year. For ILR purposes, the teaching year runs from 1 August to 31 July.

What is ILR data used for?

Data underpins funding and commissioning decisions, and also underpins and informs the work of Ofsted and other agencies. When aggregated, it presents the progress and position of the sector to sponsoring departments and to the Government, thereby informing policy making decisions.

Data recorded on the ILR return is used to calculate funding earned by providers and to enable comparison of actual volumes and costs against contracted levels.

The data provides management information, including performance indicators, which are used to manage the current programmes and also to assist with the development of future programmes.

The data gathered provides information about the effectiveness of the learning programmes in terms of who they reach, what learning they receive and what outcomes are subsequently achieved.

The data collected in the ILR is also used to ensure that the public money distributed through the ESFA is being spent in line with government targets for quality and value for money, for planning, and to make the case for the sector in seeking further funding.

Specifically, the data is used to:

• monitor individual providers’ delivery against allocation or contract

• inform local decisions about plans and provision

• monitor progress to targets

• to give the ESFA assurance that the funding rules are being followed

• inform national planning, including policy development and modelling

• calculate actual funding earned

• monitor quality of provision and evaluate the effectiveness of providers across the sector

• make the case to government for levels of funding appropriate to the sector

• demonstrate the outcomes of distribution of government funds.

The data will be analysed in relation to:

• demographic trends

• participation and achievement rates

• local labour market requirements

• strategic planning targets.

These analyses will enable the funding bodies to:

• influence curriculum and capital investment within providers for the benefit of the local economy

• engage with providers in medium- and long-term strategic planning.

The ESFA holds ILR data in a single national data collection database. This database contains the most up to date ILR data for each provider. At certain points in the year, the ESFA will extract data from this national ILR database for the purposes above.

Who is required to make ILR data returns?

ILR returns are required from providers who receive funding directly from the ESFA, or through Advanced Learner Loans.

Providers are grouped into two broad types for ILR collection purposes, these are:

• Colleges (also referred to as ‘grant funded’ providers in some cases) - this type covers:

  • Further education corporations established under the Further and Higher Education Act 1992, covering GFE’s, Tertiary, Sixth-form, Specialist Colleges, and Academies

  • Sixth Form Colleges established under the ASCL Act 2009

  • Local authorities (county, borough, district and city councils and unitary authorities in England)

  • Higher Education Institutions (HEIs).

• Training organisations (also referred to as ‘contract funded’ providers in some cases) – this type relates to:

  • An organisation whose main area of business is education and/or training, but which is not a college or local authority

  • A ‘loans only’ training provider with a facility to deliver only Advanced Learner Loans funded provision.
    

Coverage of the ILR

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 Fund funding

The Adult Skills Fund funding model is to support adult learners in non-devolved areas. Enabling learners to gain skills leading to meaningful, sustained, and relevant employment, or to progress to further learning which will deliver that outcome. It is for qualifications and learning that is funded through the Adult Skills Fund.

Adult skills funded learning is recorded using code 38 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 Fund, or Tailored 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.

Tailored Learning

For Tailored Learning activity claimed using the ‘non-formula funded’ approach, ILR data must be recorded using Funding model code 11 and Learning Delivery FAM ACL to identify the purpose type of Tailored Learning Delivery.

Please see section 13 for further details

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 Adult Skills Fund (Funding model 38) are recorded using code FLN1.

• For Tailored Learning (funding model 11) use code AFL1.

Skills Bootcamps

Skills Bootcamps are 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.