Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the use of Adult Education Budget funds by grant-funded adult education providers to deliver training and education.

We recognise the challenges that providers are facing as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak and we fully appreciate the steps being taken to continue supporting learners to access high quality education and training. This includes quickly moving to remote learning and providing a wide range of brilliant high-quality, engaging classes.

We are continuing to invest in education and skills training for adults through the Adult Education Budget (AEB), providing £1.34 billion in the 2020/21 academic year.

Currently, approximately 50% of the AEB is devolved to seven Mayoral Combined Authorities (MCAs) and the Mayor of London, acting where appropriate through the Greater London Authority (GLA). These authorities are now responsible for the provision of AEB-funded adult education for their residents and allocation of the AEB to providers. The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) is responsible for the remaining AEB in non-devolved areas.

In recognition that the 2019/20 academic year was challenging, we introduced a one off exceptional end of year reconciliation process for ESFA AEB grant funded providers which lowered the threshold for reconciliation in line with providers’ average delivery of 68%.

In view of the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, we are currently reviewing the end of year reconciliation position for the 2020/21 academic year. Any changes to the published arrangements will be communicated in due course.

For the 2020/21 academic year, we are also giving providers the opportunity to earn an additional 3% on top of their ESFA AEB allocation for over-delivery to support growth in adult skills participation.

In areas where the AEB has been devolved, MCAs and the GLA are responsible for assessing their providers’ delivery levels and considering any flexibilities in their areas.