Department For Education
Rollover is the process by which we continue the funded offer in a current funding year into the next funding year or subsequent funding years.
Rollover of 2022 to 2023 offer into 2023 to 2024
If a qualification was part of a funded offer in 2022 to 2023 in the list of approved qualifications published on 21 February 2023, it remains available in that same offer for 2023 to 2024, as long as:
- it had a funding approval end date of 31 July 2023, the final day of the 2022 to 2023 funding year.
- it had an operational end date after 1 August 2023, the first day of the 2023 to 2024 funding year, as published in Ofquals Register on 21 February 2023
- it is not a qualification in scope to have funding approval withdrawn on 31 July 2023 for example, some non-GCSE or functional skills qualifications English and maths qualifications at level 1 or 2 and level 2 in the 16 to 19 offer only
Rollover of 2023 to 2024 offer into 2024 to 2025, and 2025 to 2026
Qualifications approved for the following publicly funded offers will be in scope for this rollover process:
- 14 to 16
- 16 to 19
- ESFA funded AEB local flexibility offer
- level 2 and level 3 statutory entitlement
- English and maths statutory entitlement
- digital statutory entitlement
- advanced learner loans
- level 3 free courses for jobs
In November 2023, we will begin the process to confirm which qualifications approved for 2023 to 2024 will continue into the next 2 funding years, 2024 to 2025 and 2025 to 2026, at the following levels:
- entry level
- level 1
- level 4 to 6 (non-advanced learner loan offers only)
Qualifications continuing to be approved will have a funding approval end date of 31 July 2026.
In November 2023, we will also begin the process to confirm which qualifications approved for 2023 to 2024, will continue into the next funding year, 2024 to 2025, at the following levels:
- level 2
- level 3
- level 4 to 6 qualifications (advanced learner loans only)
Qualifications continuing to be approved will have a funding approval end date of 31 July 2025.
Level 2 and 3 qualifications will be continued for one year only because they are in scope of the 2025 to 2026 funding approval process for new reformed qualifications.
Level 4 to 6 qualifications in the advanced learner loans offer will be continued for one year only due to the introduction of the lifelong loan entitlement.
We will confirm which level 2 and level 3 qualifications have been approved for funding in 2025 to 2026 in:
- May 2024 for level 3 qualifications
- July 2024 for level 2 qualifications
This process will include:
- the addition of new reformed qualification at level 2 and level 3, which will be approved for funding until 31 July 2028
- the removal of funding approval from 1 August 2025, from existing qualifications at level 2 and level 3, in certain sector subject areas, where those qualifications align with the routes and qualification categories being considered in the first funding approval cycle for 2025 to 2026
- the continuation of funding approval for non-reformed level 2 and level 3 qualifications, not covered by point 1 and 2 above, into 2025 to 2026, which will be approved for funding until 31 July 2026
November 2023 rollover process
For the November 2023 rollover process, to confirm a qualification currently approved for funding can be continued into 2024 to 2025 only or into 2024 to 2025 and 2025 to 2026, we will require the following information:
- funding approval end dates in the DfEs list of qualifications approved for funding that is available on Tuesday 24 October 2023 - only qualifications with a funding approval end date of 31 July 2024 will be eligible to be continued into 2024 to 2025 or 2025 to 2026
- qualification operational end dates in the Ofquals register of regulated qualifications available on Tuesday 24 October 2023 - only qualifications with an operational end date of 1 August 2024 or later will be eligible to be continued into 2024 to 2025, and only qualifications with an operational end date of 1 August 2025 or later will be eligible to be continued into 2025 to 2026
If qualifications have an operational end date earlier than those indicated above when we take our download of the published version of Ofquals register of regulated qualifications available on Tuesday 24 October 2023, we will not extend that qualifications funding approval into the funding year 2024 to 2025 or 2025 to 2026.
Awarding organisations may wish to review operational end dates on Ofquals register if they want qualifications to be in scope for funding approval in 2024 to 2025 and 2025 to 2026. Awarding organisations must do this and make the appropriate changes in Ofquals register by Monday 23 October 2023.
We will use the Ofqual portal and sector representatives newsletters to communicate this. We will not use ESFA Update because this publication is for providers of education and training.
We will publish outcomes on our list of qualifications approved for funding before 31 December 2023.
The same outcomes will be published on Find a learning aim in the spring as usual. In the interim, awarding organisations can inform their providers which funding offer has been continued for their qualifications, and can direct providers to search our list of qualifications approved for funding for confirmation of funding approval in 2024 to 2025 and 2025 to 2026.
In spring 2024, we will inform awarding organisations of the information we will need for the May and July 2024 processes to continue funding approval for non-reformed level 2 and level 3 qualifications into 2025 to 2026.
The process to add cycle 1 new reformed qualification at level 2 and level 3 to the 2025 to 2026 offer is covered in the 2025 to 2026 funding approval manual.
Future funding approval cycles
August 2023
Once the August 2023 funding approval completes, as previously announced in the transition to the 2025 to 2026 funding approval process, we will move to termly funding approval cycles.
November 2023
The next funding approval cycle will be November 2023. The deadline for receipt of funding approval applications for this cycle is 23 October 2023.
Qualifications approved for funding during this cycle will be approved until 31 July 2025, unless there is a reason to apply a shorter funding approval end date.
In this and in all future funding approval cycles, we will not consider moratorium exemption type 3 submissions for level 2 and level 3 qualifications in some sector subject areas. Read Changes affecting the moratorium.
We will publish the outcomes of this process on our list of qualifications approved for funding and Find a learning aim before 31 December 2023.
This cycle will run in parallel to the rollover of the 2023 to 2024 offer into 2024 to 2025.
The cycle for November 2023 is the final funding approval cycle where you will be able to submit moratorium type 3 exemption requests in some sector subject areas. Read Changes affecting the moratorium.
March 2024
We will run a further funding approval cycle in March 2024. The deadline for us to receive funding approval applications for this cycle is 19 February 2024.
Qualifications approved for funding during this cycle will be approved until 31 July 2025, unless there is a reason to apply a shorter funding approval end date.
In this and in all future funding approval cycles, we will not consider moratorium exemption type 4 submitted for level 2 and level 3 qualifications in some sector subject areas. Read Changes affecting the moratorium.
We will publish the outcomes of this process on our list of qualifications approved for funding and Find a learning aim before 30 March 2024.
The cycle for March 2024 is the final funding approval cycle where you will be able to submit moratorium type 4 exemption requests in some sector subject