DfE Funding Assurance Reviews: What Providers Need to Know
Common mistakes, emerging priorities, and effective internal controls
Fees
Member Rate £89.00 + VAT
Non Member Rate £139.00 + VAT
Overview
Navigating Department for Education (DfE) funding compliance is essential for every education provider, whether you’re in further education, apprenticeships, or skills training. With funding rules evolving and assurance reviews becoming more rigorous, non-compliance can lead to funding clawbacks, reputational damage, and missed opportunities for your learners. This interactive webinar will demystify DfE funding compliance, highlight common pitfalls, and equip you with practical strategies to ensure your organisation remains audit-ready and future-proof.
What you will learn:
This webinar will provide policy and operational updates and share practices on:
- The DfE’s expectations in relation to compliance with funding rules
- Good practice in relation to evidence to demonstrate compliance with funding rules and hints and tips for ensuring accurate data
- Common issues identified from recent funding assurance reviews
Who should attend?
- Providers who either already (or intend) to deliver apprenticeships, ASF or Study Programmes.
- MIS Managers, Apprenticeship Managers and Business Development Staff.
Facilitator
Lisa Smith, Risk Assurance Director, RSM
Lisa specialises in internal audit, funding assurance, risk management and governance services to education clients. She has been the project manager for the funding work undertaken by RSM on behalf of the ESFA for the last four years, ensuring that the right level of resources are allocated, liaising with the ESFA and ensuring that all timescales for the submission of opinions and reports are met. Lisa is the lead manager for our Further Education National Funding Team, ensuring that all team members understand the technical requirements of funding assurance engagements, and she provides advice and guidance to our clients on funding related issues.
Guest Speaker
Kirsty Reece, Principal Consultant, RSM
Since 2014 Kirsty worked for a large Employer Provider as an Apprenticeship Practitioner, producing and implementing processes and controls to assist the delivery of Apprenticeships across England, Scotland and Wales. During this time, Kirsty was responsible for a wide range of activity including ILR Returns, ILR Data quality control and management of the Digital Apprenticeship Service account.
Since joining RSM’s Further Education funding team in 2022, Kirsty has been involved in internal audit and funding assurance reviews across post-May 2017 Apprenticeships, pre-may 2017 Apprenticeships, ESFA Adult Education Budget/Skills Fund, MCA Adult Education Budget/Skills Fund, 16-19 study programmes including traineeships and T levels, subcontracting, PDSATs, Multiply provision and Learning Support.
Secure your place!
Fees
Member Rate £89.00 + vat
Non Member Rate £139.00 + vat
If you register but are unable to attend, we will send you a copy of the recording and slides after the webinar has taken place.
DfE Funding Assurance Reviews: What Providers Need to Know
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