[insert full name of contact][insert position of contact][insert name of recipient organisation][address line 1][address line 2][address line 3]

[Insert date]

Subject: Grant Offer Letter for Subject Knowledge Enhancement (SKE)

NCTL_GR100000105

Dear Sir/Madam,

This correspondence constitutes a Grant Offer Letter. This letter will form an integral part of the Grant Agreement. The offer is subject to the provisions, limitations and conditions set out below and in the DfE general grant terms and conditions.

This offer is subject to the terms and conditions (T&C) set out below, and to the attached Department for Education general Grant Terms and Conditions1. You should read all annexes and general T&Cs carefully before accepting the offer of funding. Failure to observe these terms and conditions may result in the funding being withdrawn.

Please note that any delays in returning the documents could result in a delay to future grant payments.

Yours sincerely,

[Insert name of Grant Manager]For and on behalf of [Department Name][Insert name of Policy Team][Insert name of Directorate][Insert address]Web: [Insert department’s web address and .gov.uk address page] 

1 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/grant-funding-agreement-terms-and-conditions1

This Grant Funding Agreement is made between:

(1) The Secretary of State for Education and

(2) [Name of the body] of [address] [with Charity Commission registration number or Companies House Registration number].

This Agreement comprises the Grant Offer Letter, project specific conditions, where relevant, any annexes to this letter and general Grant Terms and Conditions2.

This letter supersedes any existing Grant Funding Agreements relating to Subject Knowledge Enhancement (SKE) that you already hold with the Department for Education (DfE). DfE reserve the right to review the SKE conditions of grant between now and the end date specified in Annex E of this letter.

This letter must be read in conjunction with general conditions of grant and these relevant annexes:

Annex A - Acceptance of Grant Offer and effective date Annex B - Bank account details Annex C - Claiming Grant in Arrears [does not apply]Annex D - Claiming Grant in Advance [does not apply]Annex E - Details of Grant Allocations [does not apply]Annex F - List of Objectives for which the grant is being paidAnnex G (i) - Annual Certification of Expenditure (external auditor or

accountant’s report arrangements)Annex G (ii) – Statement of Grant Usage (Statement prepared by Local

Authority)Annex H - Grant Payment schedule [does not apply]Annex I - Sample Exit PlanAnnex J - Sample Progress Report Template [does not apply]

2 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/grant-funding-agreement-terms-and-conditions2

Annex A - Acceptance of Grant Offer and effective dateSubject Knowledge Enhancement (SKE) – NCTL_GR100000105

This Grant Funding Agreement is effective from the date of signing.

Signed by person authorised to sign on behalf of the Secretary of State

Date

Signature

Name (please print)

Position in DfE

As representative of [insert name of the body], I have read both the Grant Offer Letter and associated annexes, and the Department for Education Grant Funding Agreement Terms and Conditions as contained on its website. I agree to comply with the notified conditions of the grant on which the offer is made.

Signed by a person authorised to sign on behalf of [insert name of the body]

Date

Signature

Name (please print)

Position in organisation

Principal contacts Department [name of the body]

Contact name/Postal address

Position

Telephone no.

Email address

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Annex B – Bank account detailsSubject Knowledge Enhancement (SKE) – NCTL_GR100000105

Information required by the Department to make payment of grant for the activities stated in the offer letter.

Contact details for [insert name of the body] to whom payment should be sent

Organisation name:

Address:

Post Code:

Telephone no:

Remittance E-mail address

Provide the following bank account details for your organisation

Account name:

Bank/Building Society Name:

Bank address including Postcode:

Sort code:

Account no:

Roll number:

Signed by a person authorised to sign on behalf of [insert name of the body]

Signature

Name (please print)

Position in organisation

Date

PLEASE NOTE – YOUR BACS DETAILS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED UNLESS THEY ARE ON YOUR ORGANISATION’S HEADED PAPER

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Annex E - Details of Grant Resource Budget Allocation Subject Knowledge Enhancement (SKE) – NCTL_GR100000105

The grant will be paid to ITT Providers and School Direct lead schools within their allocated SKE funding limits agreed with DfE for each academic year (AY) covering the periods October to March, and April to September, from the current academic year (AY) 2017/18, to 31 March 2020.

Payments will be made in line with the regular DfE monthly payment schedule, and recipients will receive payment within the first five working days of each month. Recipients of grant funding will receive remittance advice from the DfE detailing the payment amount (for programme costs and bursary payments); and a unique reference number in order to help identify trainee payments.

Recovery of FundingSKE funding that is unused (including SKE funding passed onto third parties) will be recovered DfE will write to ITT Providers and SD lead Schools regarding the recovery exercise later in the academic year. Annex G (i) and Annex G (ii) are examples of what might be used to give DfE financial assurance. Institutions will be contacted following the end of each academic year to confirm the request and nature of the return required. You must submit the appropriate annual assurance return within the required timeframe.

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Annex F – List of objectives for which the grant is being paid Subject Knowledge Enhancement (SKE) – NCTL_GR100000105

1. BackgroundSome people who apply for ITT with the potential to become outstanding teachers may not have enough specific subject knowledge to begin an ITT course. SKE programmes are pre-ITT courses designed to help these applicants gain the depth of subject knowledge needed to train to teach their chosen subject.

While SKE programmes, and their content, are designed to reflect the individual needs of the applicant, they all serve the same purpose – to ensure that a trainee’s subject knowledge meets standard 3 of the Teachers’ Standards by the end of their ITT course. SKE funding should be used for the eligible SKE subjects outlined in the SKE Operations Manual, and match the subject in which the individual is training to teach.

2. Aim[insert name of the body] shall use all reasonable endeavours to:

Commission training solely for the purpose of candidate or trainee teacher subject knowledge development for initial teacher training.

3. Objectives 3.1 [insert name of the body] shall use all reasonable endeavours to:

Table 1 - Objectives

1 Select the highest quality SKE programmes that meet participants’ learning requirement.

2Ensure that SKE courses are only provided for candidates with a genuine prospect of reaching the Teachers’ Standards, and who would be unlikely to do so without undertaking a course.

3 Consider SKE provision in partnership with their accredited ITT provider when appropriate.

4 Rigorously assess all SKE provision on offer considering quality of provision and value for money.

5 Use the funding issued under this agreement to achieve the aim set out above.

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Distribute the funding issued under this agreement only to their partners, in accordance with their partnership agreement. Failure to do so may result in the suspension of funding and alternative payment arrangements being put in place to ITT provider/s and SD lead schools in their partnership.

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7Demonstrate propriety and adequate controls in their financial management, and comply with relevant financial reporting or governance requirements.

8 Comply with DfE data requirements and requests as stipulated in all DfE guidance.

9Complete and submit the SKE funding request form to DfE, within 2 weeks of the programme start date, in conjunction with this GOL, which must take place before funding can be released.

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Ensure that invoices are kept and made available at any reasonable time for inspection.

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Ensure that evidence of candidate eligibility and SKE training is retained and made available at any reasonable time for inspection.

4. Complying with new Government policies4.1 No funding is permitted for any costs associated with marketing,

consultancy or the maintenance, technical development or updating of existing websites or for the development/creation of new website.

5. Working with third party providers 5.1 If you are an ITT provider or School Direct (SD) lead school, you may

consider commissioning the services of a third party to deliver your requirements. You must ensure you have a signed Grant Funding Agreement in place prior to commissioning the services.

5.2 You must ensure that, in all cases where third party services are commissioned:

an appropriate written agreement is put in place between the ITT provider/SD lead school and signed by both parties, which clearly outlines:

the recipient of the funding;

the body responsible for delivering SKE;

assurances that the funding will be used solely for delivery of SKE;

any timeframes for payment of funds;

details of any fees for administrative services, if appropriate; and

that the third party is responsible for looking after their own tax affairs

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5.3 Any third party activity commissioned by ITT providers/SD lead schools under the grant agreement will be subject to Audit by the DfE and must be included in the annual grant return.

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Annex G (i) – Annual Certification of ExpenditureAnnual Certification of Subject Knowledge Enhancement (SKE) NCTL_GR100000105 Expenditure for Financial Year [20XX-XX]

(i) [insert name/address of the body] [insert grant ref number]

(ii) [insert name/address of the external auditor/accountant/organisation]

Dear Sirs,

Re: Subject Knowledge Enhancement (SKE) NCTL_GR100000105

This certificate is provided to [name of grant recipient] to enable it to comply with the Department for Education (DfE)’s terms and conditions of the Grant Funding Agreement (GFA) and the Grant Offer Letter requirements. We have obtained [limited] or [reasonable] assurance that the expenditure, for which grant of [insert value of grant awarded £XX] for the year ending [insert date] was paid. From this grant the [insert name of grant recipient] incurred [insert amount of funding actually spent by the grant recipient £XX] and this was applied for the purposes intended by the DfE and the financial transactions conform to the GFA and list of objectives specified. Our work included examination, on a sample basis, of evidence relevant to the regularity and propriety of [insert name of the body]’s income and expenditure.

Nothing has come to our attention that causes us to believe that the accompanying [the schedule] has not been prepared in all material respects in accordance with the grant funded activities.

This report is made solely to [insert name of the body] to be produced to the DfE. Our work has been undertaken so that we might state to [insert name of the body] those matters we are required to state in a report and for no other purpose.

Yours faithfully,

Signed by an independent external officer authorised to sign

Date

Signature

Name of external auditor/accountant or equivalent (please print)

Position in organisation

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Signed by a senior officer authorised to sign on behalf of [insert name of the body]

Date

Signature

Name (please print)

Position in organisation

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Annex G (ii) – Statement of Grant UsageNotes for completion:

1. The Grant Recipient shall prepare a Certification of Grant Usage for the Grant Period [Insert start and end dates].

2. This comprises three parts:

a) Certificate of Grant Usage.

b) Statement of Expenditure; and

c) Report confirming Delivery.

3. The Grant Recipient shall submit the forms to the Department no later than 28, twenty eight days from the end of the Grant Period.

a) Certificate of Grant Usage

Name of organisation [Insert Name of Grant Recipient]

Approved Project titleSubject Knowledge Enhancement (SKE) NCTL_GR100000105

The total Grant amount of £[insert figure] was exclusively used for the purposes set out in the agreement between the Grant Recipient and the Department, dated [insert date of our letter].

A report on the activities funded by the Grant Funding will be submitted to the Department, confirming that the grant outputs have been delivered to a satisfactory standard and the expected benefits that have accrued or will accrue. The report will be provided within 28 days after the completion of the funding of the [insert project name].

A final financial statement detailing the use of the Grant Funding will be provided in section b – Statement of Expenditure. This is a summary statement of all receipts and expenditures connected with the above Project. The organisation’s financial systems that recorded the income and expenditure of this Grant have provided sufficient internal control for the purposes of this certification.

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Signature

Name Date

Position

Organisation address

Postcode

Initialled by Organisation’s Chief Financial Officer/ Auditor

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b) Statement of Expenditure

Name of Organisation [Insert Name of Grant Recipient]

Name of Approved Project [Insert Project name]

Expenditure Type (£)

TOTAL EXPENDITURE

Paid for as follows (£)

Contribution from DfE

Matching funding from own partners’ resources

Other funding

TOTAL

Under spend on Grant (if applicable)

c) Report confirming Delivery

(setting out how the funding has been applied detailing all relevant outputs.)

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Annex I – Sample exit planSubject Knowledge Enhancement (SKE) – NCTL_GR100000105

Introduction1. Although the Department does not seek to exercise detailed control of the

activities of [insert name of the body], it must ensure that public money is protected and value for money achieved. To meet this requirement, this Annex describes the duties and responsibilities of [insert name of the body] and the Department, leading up to and covering the expiry or termination of this grant for whatever reason and the transfer of the grant funded activities.

2. This Annex defines the exit plan and how it shall be revised to ensure that it remains workable at any time. The Department and [insert name of the body] acknowledge the importance of keeping the exit plan up to date during the term of the Grant and of reflecting the impact of all relevant changes to the grant funded activities or outputs required. You shall not make any additional charge for any work undertaken in making changes to the exit plan. Where there are principles to be adopted in implementing this plan, the parties to this Grant Funding Agreement shall endeavour to agree the relevant details within such principles.

3. The Department shall be entitled to disclose the contents of the exit plan to any future bidder for the Grant (or its equivalent).

4. Should [insert name of the body] cease to be an accredited provider of Initial Teacher Training or School Direct Lead School, this Grant Funding Agreement will be terminated.

Objectives5. The objective of the exit plan is to ensure:

an orderly and smooth transition of the grant funded activities from [insert name of the body] to a successor body or the Department at the expiry or termination of this Grant;

the continuation of grant funded activities;

that there is no undue favour to [insert name of the body] in any future competition for the Grant (in whole or in part); and

that the responsibilities of both parties to the Grant Funding Agreement are clearly defined in the event of expiry or termination.

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General6. Where the Department intends to continue the operation of the grant funded

activities in broadly the same way after expiry or termination, either by performing them itself or by means of a successor, you shall endeavour to ensure the smooth and orderly transition of the grant funded activities and shall co-operate with the Department or the successor, as the case may be, in order to achieve such transition.

7. When such endeavours and co-operation are outside the scope of the Grant, you shall provide quotations for reasonable charges associated with providing such assistance and the Department shall pay such reasonable charges.

8. You shall comply with any reasonable request of the Department for information relating to the performance of the grant funded activities, including the use of other parties. You will be allowed a reasonable period of time in which to respond to the Department.

Exit Planning9. You shall, in conjunction with the Department, maintain, and as necessary

update, the Exit Plan throughout the period of the Grant so that it can be implemented immediately, if required. From time-to-time either the Department or you can instigate a review of the Exit Plan.

10.You shall co-operate with all reasonable requests made by either the Department or a successor body relating to exit transition arrangements for the grant funded activities.

Assistance11.You shall be responsible for delivering the grant funded activities and achieving

the objectives at Annex F until the date of expiry or termination or transfer of the Grant (as appropriate).

12.You shall use all reasonable endeavours to ensure that a transition of responsibility for the delivery of the grant funded activities to the successor body or the Department, as the case may be, minimises any detrimental effect on the delivery of the activities and the Department shall use all reasonable endeavours to co-operate in such transfer.

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Assets Register13.You shall maintain throughout the exit period of this Grant an asset register in

accordance with the Terms and Conditions of the Grant Funding Agreement.

14.You shall not change the status of any asset without the prior written consent of the Department where such a change would either be viewed as a major change or would require repayment in accordance with the Terms and Conditions of the Grant Funding Agreement.

Transfer of the Department's DataIn addition to complying with the provisions of the main agreement, you shall, upon reasonable written request by the Department or in

15.any event, within one month of notice of termination, deliver the Department's data, including the following:

a) an inventory of the Department's data and any other data available for transfer;

b) a data structure definition (where relevant) covering all available Departmental data; and

c) a proposed method for testing the integrity and completeness of the Department's data transferred.

Documentation and Access16.You shall provide the Department on request with information and

documentation reasonably necessary to assist with the transfer of the grant funded activities to the Department or to a successor body, including any documentation required to support any bidding process for the provision of the activities. This includes full details of:

a) the work programme, objectives/targets, and other services delivered by you under this funding agreement;

b) any software, including third party software and any hardware used in connection with the delivery of the activities;

c) software and supply agreements used to deliver any services associated with delivery of the activities, including the agreements relating to any third party software identified by name of supplier, term of Grant, and charges payable under the Grant; and

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d) any employees used by you to help deliver the grant funded activities who are essential to this delivery; this information shall be provided under conditions of confidentiality reasonably acceptable to you.

17.The Department may make the documentation available to suppliers who wish to bid for the provision of the activities. You shall respond expediently and in full to any reasonable questions by the Department or the suppliers and shall co-operate with any reasonable due diligence activities carried out by suppliers.

Transfer Support Activities18.You shall co-operate with all reasonable requests made by either the

Department or a successor relating to the grant funded activities transition arrangements. The Department and you shall discuss the implementation plan for the transition of the activities to either the Department or a Successor body.

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