Provider support manual:

Recording 16-19 study programmes

Contents

Completing the ILR: recording 16-19 study programmes

Recording 16-19 study programmes

16-19 funded study programmes are recorded on the ILR using Funding model code 25. A programme aim record (Aim type = 1) is not required for these study programmes unless the learner is doing a traineeship programme.

A study programme may be one of the following:

• Vocational programme : this could be a mixture of vocational qualifications and non-qualification activity (potentially, but not exclusively, work experience).

• Academic programme : these could be a mixture of academic qualifications and non-qualification activity (this could include work experience).

• Mixed programmes : these programmes consist of both vocational and academic qualifications and can include non-qualification activity (which could include work experience). Mixed programmes must still identify either an academic or vocational core aim depending on the focus of the programme: see the funding guidance about core aims in study programmes for further information.

General Further Education (GFE) and Sixth Form colleges can admit full-time 14- and 15-year-olds and alternative provision census home educated 14- and 15-year-olds with the costs being met by the ESFA. These students should be recorded with a Learning Delivery Monitoring code of LDM320 (14-16 Direct Funded Students in FE) or LDM321 (14-16 Home Educated Students) in the Learning Delivery FAM fields.

Planned hours fields at learner level

Planned hours fields at learner level

There are two fields in the ILR recorded at learner level to collect the planned timetabled hours for the learner at the start of their study programme:

• Planned learning hours : this field should be completed with the total planned timetabled hours for the learner for the year, to be spent on DfE approved qualifications only.

• Planned employability, enrichment and pastoral hours : this field includes all other planned, timetabled hours included in the study programme that are not included in the planned learning hours field. The hours for non-regulated learning aims including work experience/placement aims are recorded in this field.

Non-regulated provision is recorded in the ILR using a learning aim class code. Refer to section 15 for the ‘Learning Aim Class Codes’ document.

These fields must be finalised and confirmed as correct within the funding qualifying period.

By the end of the qualifying period it is important to ensure that the planned learning hours reflect, as accurately as possible, the timetabled activity the student is planning to undertake for the duration of the academic year. If the planned learning hours for the study programme change within the first 6 weeks, you must update the planned learning hours to reflect the actual period of attendance.

It is the total of these hours fields that are counted for funding.

The hours recorded should be the total the learner is planning to do in the academic year even if this exceeds the number of hours that will be funded, as this could inform future policy.

Changes to planned learning hours

This data should not be updated during the year, however, there are exceptional circumstances in which you may change the planned learning hours to reflect additional learning.
For example, if a learner progresses to subsequent learning in the same teaching year, after completing all the activities on their original learning agreement or plan.

Refer to the 'recording planned hours' section of the 16-19 funding regulations for more information.

If the learner progresses from a traineeship to an apprenticeship during the year, the planned learning hours for the 16-19 funded study programme must continue to be returned. Learning hours undertaken within the apprenticeship are not recorded.

Learner withdrawals and transfers and the funding qualifying period

Annex C of the Funding regulations contains some questions and answers to assist institutions in correctly recording planned learning hours in a variety of situations.

GCSE maths and English condition of funding

GCSE maths and English condition of funding

If a learner has met or is exempt from the GCSE maths or GCSE English condition of funding, you must record this in the Learner FAM fields using type GCSE maths condition of funding (MCF) and/or GCSE English condition of funding (ECF) as applicable.

Refer to the information on the condition of funding on GOV.UK for further details.

Information about overseas qualifications can be found from UK ENIC please see https://www.enic.org.uk/

GCSE qualification grades

The fields ‘GCSE maths qualification grade’ and ‘GCSE English qualification grade’ collect the highest examination grade awarded to the learner for a GCSE maths or English qualification as at the funding qualifying start period.

The only exception to this is for full-time learners who have both:

• Grade D or 3 in English Literature, AND

• Grade E or 2 or lower in English Language

In this exceptional circumstance, the English Language grade should be recorded in the GCSE English qualification grade field. These learners are not subject to the grade D or 3 requirement for condition of funding and may enrol on a stepping stone qualification to meet the condition of funding. Refer to the maths and English condition of funding guidance for further information.

Recording a core aim

Recording a core aim

Every 16-19 funded study programme must contain a ‘Core aim’. This must be recorded in the Aim type field using code 5. The core aim is the substantive learning aim being undertaken in a study programme. See the ‘Funding rates and formula guidance’ for more information on determining core aims.

For academic study programmes, if the learner’s qualifications are of the same size, for example, 3 A levels, you must assign one of these qualifications as the core aim.

Should a learner withdraw from the core aim, the core aim should only be reassigned where a new core aim is clearly demonstrable to be a substantive and core component of the learner’s study programme. If an alternative aim that meets these criteria cannot be identified, then the withdrawn aim should remain as the core aim.

For academic study programmes where all aims within the programme are of equal size, there is no requirement to select another core aim should a learner withdraw from the original core aim. Please refer to the funding guidance for a definition of academic and vocational programmes.

It is expected that you will be able to identify the substantive learning aim for the learner at the start of their study programme. In exceptional circumstances when the core aim is unknown by the end of the funding qualifying period, then another aim should be designated as the core aim until the substantive learning aim is decided upon and recorded. The Aim type should then be re-assigned. The core aim must be finalised by the end of the teaching year.

For all non-traineeship study programmes that continue across more than one teaching year

If the core aim is completed in year one, this aim should not be returned in year two. A new core aim must be identified in year two.

Recording High Needs Students

Recording High Needs Students

The Learner FAM code for High needs students (HNS1) should be completed for 16-19 funded and Other 16-19 funded students only where a local authority has paid element 3 ‘top-up’ funding for a student whose agreed learning support costs are greater than £6,000. It must not be used in any other circumstances, for example, where costs are less than or equal to £6,000 or where the local authority has not made an in-year contribution to the costs even if they are judged/agreed to be greater than £6,000.

Code HNS1 should also be completed for students whose agreed learning support costs are greater than £6,000 and who are fully funded by the local authority in the current year. Learning aims for these students are recorded using funding model code 99 ‘Non-funded (No ESFA funding for this learning aim)’.

All 16-19 funded and Other 16-19 funded learners aged 19 to 24 who are recorded as being high needs students in the ILR must also have an Education Health Care (EHC) plan recorded in the Learner FAM fields.

For learners who receive element 3 support funding of more than £19,000, the Learning support cost field must be returned. The total support costs for the student should be recorded in this field (element 2 + element 3).

Supported Internships must be recorded with the Learning aim reference code ‘Z0002347’. Refer to section 15 for the correct recording of Supported Internships in the ‘Learning Aim Class Codes’ document.

Additional guidance for special post-16 institutions

For fields to be completed by special post-16 institutions (SPIs) during the current year and where the student is undertaking a traineeship programme, refer to the Field collection requirement tables .

The Learning support cost field must be completed for all high need students. This field should contain the total learning support cost (element 2 + element 3) for the student for the year. This will ensure consistency of data reporting with FE institutions.

Recording Learner Funding and Monitoring (FAM)

• High needs students: use code HNS1 for all high need students (16-19 funded only).

• Education Health Care Plan: use EHC1 if the student has an EHC plan.

• Learner support reason: required if the student has received support from the 16 to 19 Bursary Fund or residential support. If not applicable, leave blank.

• Eligibility for 16-19 (excluding apprenticeships) disadvantage funding: use code EDF1 for students who have not achieved a maths GCSE (at grade A*-C or 9-4) by the end of year 11 and/or EDF2 for students who have not achieved an English GCSE (at grade A*-C or 9-4) by the end of year 11.

• GCSE maths condition of funding: use where a student is exempt from or has met the GCSE maths condition of funding.

• GCSE English condition of funding: use where a student is exempt from or has met the GCSE English condition of funding.

• Free meals eligibility: use code FME2 where a 16 to 19 year old student is eligible for and in receipt of free meals.

For 16-19 funded students, at least one aim must have Aim type code 5 (core aim) and all other aims must have Aim type code 4 unless the student is studying a traineeship.

All 16-19 funded high needs students use Funding model code 25. Students who are fully funded by the local authority or are social care funded are not included on the ILR.

The Source of funding for all 16-19 funded high needs students must be code SOF107.

Recording work experience

How to record the work experience aims

16-19 study programmes include a work experience element which must be recorded on the ILR.

• Record the work experience element using the learning aim reference ZWRKX001 (Work experience/placement).

• Record the work experience element of a Supported internship using the learning aim reference Z0002347 (Supported internship).
  

Recording Industry placements

How to record Industry placements

A specific learning aim reference has been created to record Industry placements. This aim applies only to institutions receiving Capacity and Delivery Fund.

To record industry placements for Capacity and Delivery Fund, use learning aim reference ZWRKX002 (Industry placement).

Industry placements must be:

• with an external employer

• recorded as a single, continuous, placement (at the same employer)

• a minimum of 315 hours

• must be occupationally specific to the course the student is undertaking

• can only be recorded as Funding model 25

Completing the Work Placement entity

Work Placement guidance

In addition to recording the work experience or the industry placement learning aim, you must record details of each work placement that is undertaken using the Work Placement entity.

You must record the hours planned for each individual work placement on the work placement entity in the field: ‘Work placement hours’.

The Work placement hours field is mandatory for each work placement record and must reflect the total hours planned for the individual work placement.

You must record the work placement hours planned for both internal and external work placements. For Industry placements, you must record the industry placement hours planned for the external work placement.

All industry placements must be with an external employer and the work placement employer identifier field must be recorded.

Where the work experience aim is a learner’s core aim, it is expected that the work experience will always be with an external employer.

If more than one work placement takes place within the teaching year and as part of the same programme of study, then the learning start and planned end dates for the work experience aim must cover the duration of all work placement periods for the teaching year.
If the learner has a core aim of work experience and they leave the study programme early to progress to a positive destination as detailed in the ESFA funding regulations for post-16 provision, then the learner should record the work experience aim as completed to be classed as retained for funding purposes.

Work experience and planned learning hours

The total of all work placement hours for the current year (both internal and external) must be included in the Planned employability, enrichment and pastoral hours field. This is used for funding.

Where work experience is an essential and integrated part of a student’s vocational qualification, such as a BTEC, then a work experience learning aim is not recorded. The hours for the whole qualification including the work experience element are recorded in the Planned learning hours field.

Recording work experience that crosses multiple teaching years

If a work experience placement takes place across the teaching year boundary of 31 July/1 August, then you must record a Learning planned end date of 31 July for the learning aim to be recorded in the current year’s ILR.

The hours recorded for the individual work placement(s) on this aim should only include the hours up to and including 31 July.

A new work experience aim with a Learning start date of 1 August will need to be recorded in the 2023 to 2024 ILR and a new work placement record added. The new work placement record must include the planned hours remaining for the work placement from 1 August onwards.

This guidance applies to 16-19 study programmes.

Early leavers and transfers

Early leavers and transfers

Learners who withdraw from a 16-19 funded study programme to take up a traineeship, Supported Internship, or apprenticeship programme, their Destination and Progression data will be used to exclude the learner from DfE’s completion and attainment measure.