EFA college funding maintained for 2016/17

The Education Funding Agency (EFA) has published the letter it has sent to further education and sixth form colleges containing details of the funding they will receive for the academic year 2016/17. In response, Martin Doel, Chief Executive of the Association of Colleges, said: “We are pleased to see that the Department for Education has maintained the money granted per student at £4,000 for 16 and 17-year-olds and £3,300 for 18-year-olds. “This will help colleges to continue to provide quality education and training for their students and a stable working life for their staff. “There are challenges ahead for colleges, such as new technical qualifications, new A Levels and an increased number of students retaking GCSE English and maths; however, knowing that they have stable funding will help them to tackle these challenges. "The Department for Education still has some savings to make, but they pledge that there will be no further cut to the basic rate of funding is a positive move for colleges."