Guidance: Qualifications: approved for public funding

The policy and processes the Education and Skills Funding Agency uses to make qualifications eligible for public funding.

Documents

2019 to 2020 student transfer process for existing qualifications

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Pre-existing qualifications with removed funding approval from 1 August 2020

ODS, 46.2KB

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Apprenticeship standards: list of acceptable current and prior qualifications for English and maths requirements in apprenticeship standards at level 2 and above

ODS, 43.3KB

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Qualification funding approval principles: funding year 2019 to 2020

Ref: Version 1, May 2019HTML

2019 to 2020 list of qualifications in the English and maths legal entitlement offer

ODS, 45.9KB

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2019 to 2020 list of qualifications in the level 2 and level 3 legal entitlement offer

ODS, 114KB

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2019 to 2020 local flexibility component form

MS Excel Spreadsheet, 104KB

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2018 to 2019 list of qualifications in the English and maths legal entitlement offer

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2018 to 2019 list of qualifications in the level 2 and level 3 legal entitlement offer

ODS, 122KB

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2017 to 2018 list of qualifications in the level 2 and level 3 legal entitlement offer

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2017 to 2018 list of qualifications in the English and maths legal entitlement offer

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2016 to 2017 list of qualifications at level 2 and 3 in the legal entitlements

MS Excel Spreadsheet, 249KB

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2016 to 2017 list of qualifications in english and maths in the legal entitlements

MS Excel Spreadsheet, 185KB

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How the SFA and EFA will fund legacy GCSEs and IGCSEs in English, English language and mathematics in 2016 to 2017

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Details

We have brought together, in a single guidance document, the principles that we will use to approve qualifications for funding in the funding year 2019 to 2020.

These approval principles will be used to approve qualifications for funding through the:

• adult education budget (AEB)
• offer for students aged 14 to 19 (previously known as Section 96)
• European Social Fund (ESF)

The guidance document also sets out clearly when we will publish funding approval and funding validity information for approved qualifications.

2019 to 2020 legal entitlements offer

We have published lists of qualifications for the legal entitlement offers in the funding year 2019 to 2020. These offers allow eligible learners, to be fully funded where they are:

• aged 19 to 23 and undertaking their first qualification at level 2 and/or level 3
• aged 19 and over and undertaking an English or maths qualification, up to and including level 2

Funding approval for pre-existing qualifications

We have published a list of qualifications that we will stop funding from 1 August 2020, as part of the review of post-16 qualifications at level 3 and below in England. We will remove funding approval from these pre-existing qualifications in the 16 to 18 performance tables, that are running in parallel with newer redeveloped qualifications.

The list sets out which funding streams will be affected, and how the pre-existing qualifications map to redeveloped qualifications.

Funding moratorium

In the first stage consultation document on the review of post-16 qualifications at level 3 and below, we also set out our intention to introduce a moratorium on approving any new qualifications at level 3 and below for funding, for students aged 16 and above. We have confirmed that the moratorium will take effect from September 2020. 1 September 2020 will be last day for awarding organisations to submit qualifications for funding approval. We will publish detailed guidance shortly.

Published 20 February 2014
Last updated 14 August 2019 + show all updates

1. 14 August 2019 We have published guidance for the 2019 to 2020 student transfer process for pre-existing qualifications. We have also updated the 2019 to 2020 list of qualifications in the English and maths legal entitlement offer and the 2019 to 2020 list of qualifications in the level 2 and level 3 legal entitlement offer.
2. 22 July 2019 We have published a list of pre-existing qualifications in the 16 to 18 performance tables that we will stop funding from 1 August 2020, as part of the review of post-16 qualifications at level 3 and below in England. We have confirmed our intention to introduce a moratorium on approving any new qualifications at level 3 and below for funding.
3. 17 July 2019 We have updated the 2019 to 2020 list of qualifications in the English and maths legal entitlement offer.
4. 12 June 2019 We have updated the 2019 to 2020 list of qualifications in the English and maths legal entitlement offer.
5. 22 May 2019 We have published the qualification funding approval principles for the funding year 2019 to 2020 guidance. We have also published the 2019 to 2020 list of qualifications in the English and maths legal entitlement offer, the 2019 to 2020 list of qualifications in the level 2 and level 3 legal entitlement offer and the 2019 to 2020 local flexibility component form.
6. 27 March 2019 We have updated the 2018 to 2019 list of qualifications in the English and maths legal entitlement offer, and the 2018 to 2019 list of qualifications in the level 2 and level 3 legal entitlement offer.
7. 19 December 2018 We have updated the 2018 to 2019 list of qualifications in the level 2 and level 3 legal entitlement offer.
8. 5 December 2018 We have updated the Apprenticeship standards: list of acceptable current and prior qualifications for English and maths requirements in apprenticeship standards at level 2 and above.
9. 1 October 2018 Updated 2018 to 2019 list of qualifications in the level 2 and level 3 legal entitlement offer
10. 31 July 2018 We have added a list of acceptable current and prior qualifications for English and maths requirements in apprenticeship standards at level 2 and above.
11. 13 July 2018 Updated list of qualifications in the level 2 and level 3 legal entitlement offer.
12. 28 March 2018 Published the 2018 to 2019 list of qualifications in the English and maths legal entitlement offer, the legal entitlements and qualification eligibility principles within in the adult education budget and the 2018 to 2019 local flexibility component form.
13. 20 December 2017 Updated 2017 to 2018 list of qualifications in the level 2 and level 3 legal entitlement offer.
14. 28 September 2017 Updated 2017 to 2018 list of qualifications in the level 2 and level 3 legal entitlement offer.
15. 26 July 2017 Updated 2017 to 2018 list of qualifications in the English and Maths legal entitlement offer.
16. 28 June 2017 Updated 2017 to 2018 level 2 and level 3 legal entitlement qualification list and 2017 to 2018 legal entitlements document, 2017 to 2018 qualification eligibility principles document and 2017 to 2018 component form published.
17. 5 April 2017 Updated the 2017 to 2018 list of qualifications in the level 2 and level 3 legal entitlement offer and the 2017 to 2018 list of qualifications in the English and maths legal entitlement offer.
18. 24 March 2017 Updated list of qualifications at level 2 and 3 in the legal entitlements.
19. 25 January 2017 Added guidance about the process for adding components to the 2016 to 2017 adult education budget local flexibility offer.
20. 21 September 2016 Updated the qualification eligibility principles – 2016 to 2017 document, the list of qualifications at level 2 and 3 in the legal entitlements and the list of qualifications in english and maths in the legal entitlements.
21. 2 August 2016 Revised version of How the SFA and EFA will fund legacy GCSEs uploaded on 02 August 2016.
22. 13 July 2016 Updated: list of qualifications in English and maths in the legal entitlements and list of qualifications at level 2 and 3 in the legal entitlements.
23. 15 June 2016 We have updated the ‘How the SFA and EFA will fund legacy GCSEs and IGCSEs in English, English language and mathematics in 2016 to 2017’ guidance note to include information about the funding of IGCSEs in English and maths in the academic year 2016 to 2017.
24. 8 June 2016 Added guidance about how the SFA and EFA will fund resits of legacy GCSEs in English, English language and mathematics in 2016 to 2017.
25. 18 May 2016 New version of Legal Entitlements for 2016 to 2017 – Level 2 and level 3 qualifications uploaded on 18 May 2016.
26. 23 March 2016 New versions of the four files on this page uploaded on 23 March 2016.
27. 15 February 2016 Qualification Eligibility Principles – 2016 to 2017 uploaded on 15 February 2016. Also amendments made to detail shown on the page.
28. 10 February 2016 Four new documents uploaded on 10 February 2016.
29. 10 February 2016 Page content updated on 10 February 2016.
30. 1 February 2016 February 2016: Advanced learner loans prospectus 2015 to 2016 and 2016 to 2017 (version 2) published.
31. 9 December 2015 Four new documents uploaded on 9 December 2015. * Advanced learner loan catalogue links update * AO prospectus * Notification form for advanced learner loan qualifications * Qualifications approvals August 2015.
32. 5 August 2015 Updated qualifications funding approval form.
33. 17 July 2015 Updated qualifications funding approval form.
34. 21 May 2015 New Qualification Funding Approval Form uploaded on 21 may 2015.
35. 12 March 2015 Qualifications funding approval form updated 12 March 2015.
36. 25 February 2015 Qualifications funding approval form v4.1 published.
37. 5 February 2015 Technical Guide version 3 has now been published.
38. 21 October 2014 Qualifications funding approval form updated.
39. 22 August 2014 The revised qualifications funding approval form now incorporates the English and Maths qualifications application form, in line with the changes made in the Technical Guidance (version 2) for 14/15 which was published in beginning of August 2014.
40. 1 August 2014 English and Maths qualifications application form added to page.
41. 20 February 2014 First published.