The Latest from the ESFA

As schools continue to deal with the ongoing difficulty, that is Covid-19, it is important that any update when it comes to school finances, is made aware of and publicised.

As can be expected during a time like this, changes to deadlines and protocols are going to be hard to keep track of so below is a short update on some recent announcements from the ESFA.

Change to the Academies Planning Calendar

Just the one amendment here regarding the change of date for the land and building collection tool. The form will now go live on the 15^th December 2020 with a submission deadline of 28^th January 2021. For those trusts who have had academies join them after 1^st September, do not worry about them as their previous trust will include them. This form must be completed online and can also be recalled if any changes need to be made which certainly helps during these busy times and with our mind on more things than normal. Another key change is that this year you can attach documents directly to an occupancy and will not be able to create one without at least two documents attached to it. Therefore its’s imperative that you have all documents to hand prior to starting the submission. This change can be seen on the revised calendar. Click here to download

Academies Accounts Return Form Now Live

The academies accounts return form is now live. The deadline for this submission is the 23^rd February 2021. It is worth making sure that your external auditor details are correct as they are the only person permitted to submit this. The ESFA will be running a number of webinars if you need any questions answering and the link for those can be found here.

Deadline for CIF Bid

An important deadline for some coming up early in the new year and that is the deadline for CIF (Condition Improvement Fund) applications. 12 noon, 14^th January 2021 is that date however the deadline for setting up an account to apply is 12 noon, 10^th December 2020. This year’s criteria again favour bids from applicants with strong governance and good financial management. Guidance on the application process can be found here.

Don’t forget that the Finance team at SBS are here to keep you up to date with these announcements as well as provide assistance, so if you have any questions, please contact the service desk on 0345 222 1551 • Option 2, or email financeservicedesk@schoolbusinessservices.co.uk

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