Prior funding received?

Check the PLR. It would have to be in there if they had any funding. You won't be able to work out exactly how much (you'd need Planned End Date and original price for that), but it's still useful.

Thanks Ruth but this wont necessarily help us with some of our cases. We find that someone will be on an apprenticeship with another training provider for say a couple of months then may loose their employment and then come to us for a new placement and start on programme with us but not let us know that they had started the same apprenticeship before. They also declare that they have no prior learning too. We only find out about the shortfall in funding once the first payment comes through. 

If it's not in the PLR, it can't have been in an ILR, and they can't have claimed funding. You will only get shortfall if you could see it in their PLR. There's a tiny chance that it might not be there when you first check, then the first provider suddenly starts putting it in their ILR after they withdrew, but that's very unlikely.

If the apprentice says they have no prior learning (possible with some providers), then just claim the whole lot, it doesn't matter that they did a bit before. Same if the PLR shows they were on programme but for less than six weeks. If you're worried that an auditor will query this is they see a small amount of prior study in the PLR, get the student to sign something to confirm that they didn't feel they learned anything at the first provider. 

Thanks Ruth, this is really helpful