Advanced Learner Loan bulletin - January 2024

Important – January performance management review point

The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) is reviewing its criteria for growth awards. They'll tell providers the outcome of the review point by the week starting 12 February. Some of you may be eligible for this.

If you qualify for the growth award, please send a digitally signed version of your revised contract to ESFA as soon as you can. This means we'll be notified of the increase as soon as possible.

Advanced Learner Loans – Learning Provider forums

We'll be running a series of face to face and virtual forums in March 2024 where we'll reflect on the current academic year and look towards the 2024/25 academic year. We’ll consider how the FE sector is evolving and cover the latest policy and process updates.
You’ll have the opportunity to feed back on all areas of the Learning Provider and the SLC partnership as well as network with other providers. We'll gather insight to feedback to DfE, ESFA and other partners and share best practice.

Dates and locations are as follows:

• Darlington 12 March
• London 13 March
• Birmingham 14 March
• Manchester 19 March
• London 20 March
• Bristol 20 March
• Darlington 21 March

We will open registration in the next few weeks.

LP Portal housekeeping and security

You should expire the accounts of any users who no longer need access to the system. For example, they might have left their job or changed role. This helps to ensure the security of the portal and learner data. The Learning Provider Portal user guide has more information on how to do this. You should also be aware that only staff assigned as a Primary or Secondary business contact will receive our bulletins so please review and update the contacts list accordingly.

Please also check that your contract manager details on the Learning Provider Portal are correct. You can find this information on the Learning Provider Details page. This will show the information we've received from ESFA for your organisation, including your contract manager details. You can find more information in the updating provider details and contract details chapters of the Learning Provider Portal user guide. 

Introduction to LLE regional programme

The new Lifelong Learning Entitlement funding system is planned to be implemented for new SFE HE students (as well as FE learners enrolled with OfS registered providers) from academic year 2025/26 onwards. Due to the importance of this, it's been decided not to hold one seminar but the replace this for 2024 with a regional programme providing updates about LLE.

We're planning to hold these introduction to LLE regional one day events in May, June and July. They will be held in:

• London
• Manchester
• Birmingham
• Newcastle
• Leeds
• Bath
• Leicester

We will communicate further updates in the coming weeks.

Don't forget- February fixed quarter

The February fixed quarter drawdown deadline is Thursday 15 February.

You need to submit attendance confirmations by this date to ensure payment on Wednesday 21 February. This will allow us to release payments for learners who have a positive attendance confirmation.

If you miss the drawdown date, payment will be made the following month.

You should also submit confirmations of non-attendance and notifications of any change of circumstances as soon as you can. This is to ensure that learners are entering repayment at the correct time and their funding is in line with their true entitlement.

Please see our drawdown calendar for all confirmation, drawdown and payment dates.

There is more information about confirming attendance in the Learning Provider Portal user guide.