Redistribution of HEFCE Funding for Teaching for the Academic Year 1996-97
To Heads of HEFCE-funded Institutions
Heads of DENI-funded Universities
Of particular interest to those responsible for Funding; Student data; Finance
Reference 19/96
Publication Date October 1996
Response by 13 December 1996
Enquiries to Regional Officers
Executive Summary
1. This redistribution survey requires institutions to showH2 how they distribute their total grant for teaching. It is one of three surveys required by the Council for funding purposes. This survey and the Higher Education Students Early Statistics Survey (HESES96) (Circular 18/96) are required from institutions which receive HEFCE core funds for teaching in 1996-97. The 1996-97 Research Activity Survey (Circular 17/96) is required only from institutions that expect to receive Council funding for research in 1997-98.
2. The data from this survey and from HESES96, will be used to inform the 1997-98 funding allocations for teaching.
3. This redistribution survey also covers formula capital funds. These funds represent the teaching-related component of the capital equipment and estates formula funds. Institutions are asked to show the distribution of these funds across funding cells. The Council will consider how to use this information in the light of responses about the future of formula capital funding (paragraph 64 of the consultation paper on the funding method for teaching - CP 1/96).
Basis of Redistribution
4. Institutions are asked to show how they intend to use HEFCE core funds for teaching in 1996-97 to support the student numbers returned in the HESES96 survey.
5. The core funds for teaching in 1996-97 are shown in Annex C of Part 2 of the 1996-97 Financial Memorandum (the Funding Agreement) for HE institutions, and in Annex D of the 1996-97 Financial Memorandum for FE institutions.
6. The redistribution table identifies the undergraduate and postgraduate taught categories separately; institutions are required to distribute funds to these cells.
7. The Council does not restrict the way institutions may distribute their total grant for teaching between funding cells. The distribution returned in this survey need not conform with the Council's notification to institutions of their grant allocation for 1996-97.
8. However, the Council reserves the right to question the distribution proposed by an individual institution if, taken with the institution's HESES96 return, it appears to produce an anomalous or perverse distribution of Average Units of Council Funding (AUCFs) across some or all funding cells.
9. The Council may adjust an institution's total funds for teaching if conditions in the funding agreement have not been met. In such cases funds will be held back between the funding cells pro rata to the funds shown on this survey. In other words, the Council may change the level of AUCFs indicated in this return, but not the ratio between them.
Funding for Part-time Provision
10. Institutions have been asked to supply information on part-time student load factors in the HESES96 survey. These factors will be applied to the numbers of part-time registrations recorded in HESES96 when calculating the student loads that will be related to the funds shown in this survey.
Date of Return
11. Completed surveys should be returned to:
Joanne Iles
HEFCE
Northavon House
Coldharbour Lane
Bristol, BS16 1QD
no later than 13 December 1996. Any queries regarding this survey should be directed to your Regional Officer.
Annex A
Guidance Notes
1. An example of the disk-based table for the 1996-97 redistribution survey is at Annex B. The table shows the 1996-97 core funds for teaching for each funding cell. Institutions are invited to consider redistributing their total grant in accordance with the guidance in paragraphs 4 - 10 of this circular. The table also shows the teaching-related component of the formula capital funds; institutions are asked to redistribute this across the funding cells.
2. Each institution will be sent a 3.5 inch computer disk containing a spreadsheet version of the table in Lotus 123 (.WK1) or Excel 4 (.XLS) format. It will be checked for all known viruses, and prepared for each institution. The filename will include the institution's HESA or FEFC code. The disk contains the following file:
ST - - - - - .WK1/XLS HEFCE Redistribution Survey 1996-97
3. If the disk is corrupt or unreadable, or if the institution's spreadsheet program is unable to process the file, please contact Jenni Barrett (0117 931 7456) for assistance.
4. It is advisable to make a back-up copy of the blank spreadsheet before attempting to edit the file. All labels and table formats are protected using spreadsheet cell protection facilities. Do not attempt to change the contents of protected cells, or the structure of the table by adding or deleting any rows or columns.
5. The spreadsheet contains three validation checks. An error message will be displayed if any of the checks have failed.
a. All figures entered must be positive or zero.
b. The sum of the redistributed funds for teaching must equal the total 1996-97 funds for teaching.
c. The sum of the redistributed capital funds must equal the teaching-related component of the formula capital funds for 1996-97.
6. On completion of the spreadsheet, check that the message 'VALIDATION PASSED' is displayed at the top. Then save it on the disk, overwriting the original table, that is, use the original filename, extension and format. Make sure that the software has not used a different file extension by default. For example, Lotus 123 release 3 will automatically save Lotus 123 files with a .WK3 extension.
7. Before sending the disk back to the HEFCE, institutions should check it for viruses and make a back-up copy of the completed files in case the disk is corrupted in transit.
8. One set of hard copy prints of the spreadsheet should be returned with the completed disk to Joanne Iles at the HEFCE by 13 December 1996.
The Sample Table for the 1996-97 Redistribution Survey is available in the printed copy of the circular only.