GovWire

ESFA funded adult education budget supports students with full funding if they are:

• undertaking English or maths qualifications, and have not previously attained a GCSE grade 4 (grade C) or higher in either of these subjects
• undertaking essential digital skills qualifications and have low or no digital skills
• aged 19 to 23 without a first level 2 qualification and are undertaking level 1/level 2 and level 2 qualifications such as GCSEs or their first technical qualification at level 2 that:
  • have been or are currently listed in 16 to 18 performance tables
  • have not had funding approval removed due to being a pre-existing performance table qualification or a qualification with low or no publicly funded enrolments
• aged 19 to 23 without a first level 3 qualification and undertaking level 3 qualifications such as AS Levels, A Levels, Core Maths, Access to HE and technical or applied qualifications at level 3 that:
  • have been or are currently listed in 16 to 18 performance tables
  • have not had funding approval removed due to being a pre-existing performance table qualification or a qualification with low or no publicly funded enrolments

To be approved for funding through this statutory entitlement, a qualification must be one of the following qualification types:

• GCSE English language
• GCSE maths
• reformed functional skills qualifications in English and maths at entry level to level 2
• certain modular qualifications in English and maths at entry level and level 1 (also known as stepping stone qualifications)

We make units of the modular qualifications available to all eligible students, to support their progress towards a GCSE or functional skills qualification at level 2. Where we make units available you must ensure the units can be delivered on a standalone basis (that students can register on them and receive a certificate of unit credit on achievement of the unit).

We will continue to automatically add any newly regulated GCSEs or functional skills qualifications to the English and maths statutory entitlement in 2022 to 2023.

We will publish funding approval information for qualifications in this statutory entitlement on the list of qualifications approved for funding. You will also be able to identify qualifications that are part of the English and maths entitlements in the Find a learning aim using the category Legal entitlement English and maths (code 39).

Updated English and maths stepping stone qualifications

The 16 to 19 condition of funding and statutory entitlement to English and maths includes certain modular qualifications (also known as stepping stone qualifications) at entry level and level 1. These modular qualifications focus on aspects of English and maths, which a student may need to address to progress to GCSE or functional skills at level 2.

You can ask us to replace an existing modular stepping stone qualification that we have approved (as part of the 16 to 19 condition of funding for English and maths or the statutory entitlement to English and maths) with a new updated qualification.

We will only approve an updated modular stepping stone qualification if:

• it is at entry level or level 1
• there is clear evidence that it is a direct map to the reformed functional skills subject content
• it meets the same minimum size requirements of 45 guided learning hours (GLH)
• it shares the same design characteristic as the modular qualification that it replaces

This process only applies to awarding organisations (AOs) that already have stepping stone qualifications approved for funding. We will not approve stepping stone qualifications for funding unless they are an update of an existing qualification that was originally designed for the qualifications and credit framework (QCF).

We will not approve an updated stepping stone qualification if it replaces a qualifications which has already had funding withdrawn as a result of no enrolments or is a qualification that has low or no publicly funded enrolments.

If we approve an updated stepping stone qualification for funding, we will add funding approval for the updated qualification in the same funded offers that the existing qualification was in. For example, if the existing qualification was only approved in the statutory entitlement to English and maths, we will approve the updated qualification for the statutory entitlement and not for the 16 to 19 condition of funding for English and maths.

We will also add units from the updated English and maths qualification to the English and maths unit offer. Where we add units, you must ensure they can be delivered on a standalone basis (that students can register on them and receive a certificate of unit credit on achievement of the unit).

We will apply a funding approval end date for the existing qualification 2 months after we publish details of the new qualification, unless:

• you have set an earlier operational end date in Ofquals register
• the new qualification has an operational start date that is more than 2 months in the future at the point we consider it for funding approval

If we approve a component (unit) of an updated stepping stone qualification for funding, we will also approve it for funding in the statutory entitlement to English and maths offer.