Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of implications for his policies on criteria for transitional funding in the first two years for areas having a devolved adult education budget of the WEA's latest impact report on its disadvantaged students.

From 2019/20, Mayoral Combined Authorities (MCAs) and the Greater London Authority (GLA) will be responsible for commissioning and funding Adult Education Budget (AEB) provision for learners resident in those areas, including disadvantaged learners, and the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) will be responsible for funding provision for learners resident in non-devolved areas.

The exception to this are providers which meet the following criteria, which will be funded nationally by the ESFA for a transitional period of two years (academic years 2019/20 and 2020/21) following devolution of the AEB:

• qualify for a residential uplift for their learning provision, and
• receive more than two thirds of their income from the AEB, and
• predominantly target their provision at the most disadvantaged in society.

There are no plans to change this criteria.

Providers who do not meet this criteria, such as the Workers’ Educational Association (WEA), are able to work with the MCAs and GLA to support them to deliver the skills and learning needed at a local level to meet their strategic skills plans. If the WEA wish to be considered for AEB funding in devolved areas then they can demonstrate the ways in which they can contribute to meeting skills needs locally with the MCAs and GLA including sharing the findings of their latest impact report on disadvantaged students.