Core Aim

I can only speak for what we'd do, but we'd just withdraw, and ask them to enrol for the 25/26 course in August. We'd advise them now what their funding options are likely to be next year, which will depend on the hairdressing qual. Curriculum wouldn't let them start this late in the year on a course that runs Sep-Jul. We wouldn't artificially start them in 24/25 just to get funding. If they won't be funded next year, they might change their mind.

Thanks Ruth. If we were to withdraw her from her current Core Aim, would she be able to stay on until she completes the rest of her Study Programme, Maths and English or would you think she would have to withdraw from the whole Study Programme? Helen 

Oh yes, we do that with a handful every year 😊 Curriculum have a process called "Fitness to study" where it's all talked through with parents and plans made for next year. We have a few who withdrew from the core aim but are continuing with English/maths, and even tutorial sometimes, it varies. Don't reassign the core aim though, you can only do that if they enrol on something of comparable size to the one they're withdrawing from.

I was under the impression that we had to be delivering a Core Aim? 

You have to have been delivering a core aim at some point during the programme, but that can close before the other aims do. Rates and Formula guidance says:

63. Providers must ensure that students only have the core aim flag against one active learning aim at a time. If a student withdraws from their core aim, providers can flag another learning aim as the core if it is then the substantive and core component of the student’s study programme. If an alternative aim that meets these criteria cannot be identified, then the withdrawn aim should remain as the core aim. Students may also have a second core aim if they start a second programme (as set out in the funding regulations).

We allow them to change their voc/core aim if its within the 42 day qualifying period. Anything after that gets set to 3.3

98:Using planned hours as the basis of funding simplifies the 16 to 19 model and reduces the bureaucracy for most students’ data recording. Therefore planned hour changes are usually restricted to the first 6 weeks. This takes into account the usual attendance pattern for most students, which covers the full year. Funding for students who withdraw from their studies during the year is reduced through the retention factor in the funding formula.

Chris Roberts You mean you just pretend the first thing didn't happen and don't report in the ILR? You still have to report that you started one core aim, and changed before 42 days. The guidance is clear that we have to report even one instance of learning. We always record what actually happened, even if that's recording a withdrawal pre 42 days (it doesn't hit stats). The start date of the new programme will obviously be later than usual, we can't pretend it started earlier than it did. Before 42 days, we count the hours to do on the new programme, plus hours done on the old programme, to derive new planned hours. After 42 days, we just keep reporting the original planned hours. That's all in the guidance.

None of that is linked to Core Aim though. You can always change the core aim at any time of year if the new core aim is as substantial as the first, it explicitly says you can. We always reallocate core aim if an A Level student withdraws from just their core aim but stays on other subjects. Why would you not when it impacts on retention?

Yes we record the changes through the enrolment pack Ruth Canham-James but always export the core aim as you have to. 

I don't know what "enrolment pack" and "export the core aim" mean 😂 We have all this DfE terminology, then we have our own internal stuff too! 

enrolment pack = sign up paperwork

export the core aim = open the aim and return in the ILR. 

For 16-19 the PSM states that If the learner changes their learning aim during the funding qualifying period, then the learning aim details can be amended on the original ILR record. Any changes to learning aims after the funding qualifying period must be recorded as a withdrawal or transfer.

Will I only be able to claim the planned hours that have delivered to the learner for the Core Aim? Helen 

As Chris said, any changes after 42 days, you just keep reporting the original hours. So yes, you can keep all the planned hours on the core aim, even if they didn't finish. Annex C of the guidance explains all this.