Pound Plus policy - Adult Learning
Introduction
Northamptonshire Adult Learning aims to maximise the participation and learning impact gained from the Community Learning grant and to ensure equality of access and participation.
Generating additional income and revenue is central to the objective of driving up participation in community learning within a very constrained public funding environment. ‘Pound Plus’ is a term that describes how learning providers can show how they are maximising the value of public investment. Pound Plus refers to additional income (and savings) generated by providers over and above core income from government’s Community Learning funding.
Northamptonshire Adult Learning’s strategy for Pound Plus focuses on:
- Cost savings.
- Income generation
Cost savings
Partnership working
Partnership activity is an important mechanism for generating Pound Plus. The overall level of resources available to community learning is enhanced because partners are contributing additional skills and resources over and above that provided by Northamptonshire Adult Learning. Northamptonshire Adult Learning currently monitors the cost savings from partnerships working for the following areas:
- Venue provision
- Providing support workers
- Providing refreshments
- Providing marketing for courses
- Creche provision
Where costs are not identified, for ease, Northamptonshire Adult Learning count the following as the Pound Plus additional income from these resources.
|
Resource Provided |
Cost saving calculation for full support |
|---|---|
|
Venue hire |
£20 per hour (based on average cost of venues within service that are paid for) |
|
Providing support workers |
£14.77 per hour. (Based on the median UK wage (Office for National Statistics (ONS), released 26 October 2022, ONS website, statistical bulletin, Low and high pay in the UK: 2022) |
|
Providing refreshments |
£2 per hour |
|
Providing marketing for courses. |
£3 per hour and are applied to every course |
|
Creche provision |
£45 per hour. (Estimation based on 2.5 creche workers (£11.54 per hour per worker plus half of estimated room hire at £10 per hour) plus on costs for management and booking time.) |
|
Other costs |
Other costs will be included in reporting at the discretion of the curriculum manager and will be estimated using the value of cost if paid for. |
Volunteers
Northamptonshire Adult Learning utilise volunteers to enhance the provision provided and to support those that are interested in volunteering, either for career progression or for their own wellbeing.
Volunteers are supported by Adult Learning staff, including induction, CPD and progression advice.
For the purpose of calculating pound plus value added to the provision, we use the value of £11 per hour.
Income generation
Northamptonshire Adult Learning includes any income generated on top of the community learning grant in their pound plus calculations.
Fee income
Northamptonshire Adult Learning charges fees for courses in the PCDL programme to learners that can afford to pay. The standard rate is currently £5.50 an hour, with a 30% reduction in fees for learners in receipt of certain benefits or who have a low household income.
Grant income
Grant income from other sources may be used if available. In 2022 – 2025, the Multiply funding from Dfe for North Northamptonshire will be used to provide interventions for maths provision for the area.
Sale of products or services
There is not currently a plan for the sale of products or services within Northamptonshire Adult Learning. The service, however recognises that there are occasions where expertise of staff is purchased or equipment is sold, the amounts will be details in the Pound Plus reporting.
Fee income and reserve funding investment
It is a requirement of the ESFA funding rules for additional income from Community Learning Provision, such as fee income and any money that is underspent, to be reinvested into education locally. The final decision to invest this money is made by the Adult Learning Service Manager.
Last updated 21 February 2024