FAQs on Partnership Grants (Feb 23)

Summary

FAQs on partnership grants. Please see the full attached document.

FAQs ON PARTNERSHP GRANT
Eligibility
Q: Will a provider be eligible to receive a partnership grant it they apply for a grant
with an organisation in a listed area?
Yes, as long as the partner is located in one of the areas listed in Annex A, the provider will
receive a partnership grant based on the number of trainees recruited by that partner in
2021/22. The partner also needs to meet the other criteria set out in the partnership grant
guidance, e.g., they must be either a previously accredited partner or a delivery partner
previously involved in ITT.
Q: Are providers who have already agreed to establish a new partnership in one of
the listed areas eligible to apply?
Providers will only be eligible to receive a partnership grant if they are establishing or
formalising a new partnership following the accreditation round 2 outcomes on
29 September 2022 with either a non-accredited provider or a delivery partner. They will
also need to meet the other conditions set out in the Partnership Grant guidance.
Q: If an accredited provider partners with an organisation not previously involved in
ITT will they be eligible for the Partnership grant?
Providers will need to evidence in their application that their partner is either an accredited
provider who was unsuccessful in the accreditation process for 2024 or an existing delivery
partner of a provider. The application form also asks providers to include further information
about their partner. For example, the number of trainees the partner recruited or trained in
2021/22, the strategic role of the partner in ITT and a link to the partner’s website.
If a provider cannot evidence the strategic role the partner has played in ITT before, then
they will not be able to receive the Partnership grant.
Q: I’m an accredited provider looking to partner with another organisation. Can I
apply for a grant?
Yes, accredited providers will be able to apply for a grant of up to £20,000 to partner with
either an organisation who was unsuccessful in securing accreditation to deliver from
2024/25, or other organisations directly involved in delivery of ITT, both of which must be
offering ITT provision in one of the named eligible areas listed in the Partnership Grant
guidance. The grant will support with costs associated with establishing new partnerships in
a named area.
Q: I'm an accredited provider looking to partner with 2 [or more] non-accredited
providers. Can I apply for more than one grant?
Accredited providers who wish to partner with 2 or more non-accredited providers or lead
partners delivering in an eligible area will be able to claim for the total sum of trainees
recruited across those non-accredited providers or partners in 2021/22. For example, where
an accredited provider partners with provider ‘X’ who had 50 trainees in 2021/22 and
provider ‘Y’ who had 120 trainees, they would be able to claim up to £15,000.
Q: Will accredited providers be eligible to claim the partnership grant where the
partner is an accredited provider using the dormancy policy?
Where an accredited provider is partnering with another accredited provider in one of the
named eligible areas, they will only be eligible for the partnership grant if this partnership
utilises the accreditation dormancy policy to ensure that only one provider acts as the
accredited and accountable provider within the partnership.
Q: We are developing new ways of working with our existing School Direct partners.
Are we eligible to receive the Partnership grant to support this?
Providers agreeing new Partnership arrangements with existing School Direct partners do
not meet these criteria.
The Partnership Grant supports the costs of establishing new partnerships in target areas
outlined in the guidance. To be eligible for a partnership grant, providers must evidence that
they are partnering with either:
1. An existing accredited provider who didn’t get accreditation to deliver from the
academic year 2024/25, or
2. A lead partner of an existing accredited provider, who has a strategic role in the
delivery of ITT.
Q: Are we able to claim funding for developing partnerships with new placement
schools, who will provide trainee placements and general mentors in the 11 areas?
No, the Partnership grant is to support the costs associated with setting up new
partnerships with organisations who have had a previous strategic role in ITT. For example,
partnerships with providers previously accredited to deliver ITT prior to September 2024 or
lead partners of non-accredited providers who were previously involved in delivering ITT.
Eligible Areas
Q: Why and how have you chosen 11 eligible areas for the partnership grant?
Following both rounds of accreditation and the subsequent appeals process we have
identified 11 areas which we believe require targeted support to increase ITT provision
through partnership formation. Providers and those delivering ITT in other regions will still
benefit from the support from the Department as needed and can utilise our new
Partnerships guidance for further information.
Q: How have the areas listed in Annex A of the Partnership Grant guidance been
defined?
The areas listed in Annex A of the Partnership Grant guidance have been defined using the
Office for National Statistics (ONS) International Territorial Level 2 (January 2021) areas.
These areas can differ to the usual LA and county boundaries. Further information on the
ITL2 areas can be found at the following links:
List of ITL areas
https://www.ons.gov.uk/methodology/geography/ukgeographies/eurostat#south-westengland
Map of ITL2 areas
https://geoportal.statistics.gov.uk/datasets/ons::international-territorial-level-2-january-2021-
uk-buc-v2-1/explore?location=55.347618%2C-3.316972%2C12.71
Q: How will you determine the location of the partners of an accredited provider?
Providers will be asked to provide a postcode of their partner’s location as part of their
application. We will confirm if the partner location falls within one of the areas listed in
Annex A by using the ITL2 areas map. These areas can be slightly different to the local
authority and county boundaries.
Where organisations deliver across multiple sites, further evidence will be requested as part
of the grant assurance process to confirm that ITT will be delivered in one of the 11 eligible
areas named in the Partnership Grant guidance.
Q: We are a new provider and some of our lead partners (current ITT providers) are in
areas not listed in Annex A. Does this mean that we cannot claim any grant for
establishing partnerships with them?
The Partnership Grant supports the costs of establishing new partnerships in target areas
outlined in the guidance. To be eligible for a partnership grant, providers must evidence that
they are partnering with providers who are located in, or delivering ITT training, in these
areas.
Providers will be asked to provide a postcode of their partner’s location as part of their
application. We will confirm if the partner location falls within one of the areas listed in
Annex A by using the ITL2 areas map. These areas can be slightly different to the local
authority and county boundaries.
Where organisations deliver across multiple sites, further evidence will be requested as part
of the grant assurance process to confirm that ITT will be delivered in one of the 11 eligible
areas named in the Partnership Grant guidance.
Q: We are not based in one of the eligible areas listed in Annex A of the Partnership
grant, are we ineligible to receive the grant?
The accredited provider does not need to be based in one of the eligible areas, but they
must be partnering with a new partner who is either based in, or delivering ITT, in one of the
eligible areas. Providers will be asked to provide a postcode of their partner’s location as
part of their application. We will confirm if the partner location falls within one of the areas
listed in Annex A by using the ITL2 areas map. These areas can be slightly different to the
local authority and county boundaries.
Where organisations deliver across multiple sites, further evidence will be requested as part
of the grant assurance process to confirm that ITT will be delivered in one of the 11 eligible
areas named in the Partnership Grant guidance.
Q: Setting up partnerships in new areas increases our geographic spread. Can we
claim for programmes like IRIS that enable us to deliver remote lesson observations,
for example?
No, the Partnership grant is to support the costs associated with setting up new
partnerships with organisations previously involved in ITT. For example, partnerships with
providers previously accredited to deliver ITT prior to September 2024 or lead partners of
non-accredited providers who were previously involved in delivering ITT.
Application Form
Q: What type of response are you looking for under the partner's strategic role
question?
There are two options on the application form to describe the strategic role of new partners.
Option 1: Accredited prior to September 2024 (accredited providers either
unsuccessful in gaining accreditation for 2024 or who chose not to apply), and
Option 2: Delivery partner (select this option if you are partnering with an
organisation who was a delivery partner of a previously accredited provider)
Q: What’s the deadline for submitting the application form?
The deadline for submitting the Partnership grant application form is 28 February 2