New agency to provide joined-up education and skills funding

The government has announced a new body will combine and carry out the roles of the Education Funding Agency (EFA) and Skills Funding Agency (SFA).
On Tuesday March 28, the secretary state for education – Justine Greening – announced that the EFA and the SFA will merge to become a single funding agency – the Education and Skills Funding Agency – and will begin to operate from April 2017.
Taking over the roles of two, the Education and Skills Funding Agency will be responsible for effectively and efficiently overseeing:

• the funding of education for pupils aged 5 to 16
• education and training for those aged 16 to 19
• apprenticeships and adult education
• managing school building programmes.

Responsibility is contained to England.
“Creating the Education and Skills Funding Agency will mean we are able to provide a more joined-up approach to funding and regulation of schools, colleges and other providers, with improved accountability and better service.

“We will be working closely with our staff, unions, stakeholders and the education sector to finalise and deliver our plans for the new agency,” Justine Greening stated.

Current chief executive of both agencies, Peter Lauener, has announced that he intends to retire following the merger and plans to recruit a successor are under way. Mr Lauener will carry on as chief executive of the Education and Skills Funding Agency until a permanent replacement has been recruited and is in place.
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