Introduction
The fees policy takes account of the impact of COVID 19 on the residents and businesses within Devon. It adheres to the ESFA guidance on those individuals who are able to take advantage of concessions identified in the 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 funding rules.
The policy recognises the value of employment and wellbeing courses including qualifications, units towards qualifications and non-accredited provision in supporting a wide range of residents who might not have traditionally benefitted from this offer.
Course/Programme delivery
There are two types of delivery that govern the fees policy:
Qualification
Delivery in this category Results in the award of an externally validated certificate for the learner. It also includes non-regulated learning activity which has similar quality assurance requirements and costs.
Non-qualification delivering
Delivery in this category does not lead to an externally validated certificate for the learner. A Learn Devon certificate may be awarded on completion and subject to meeting the laid-down objectives and criteria for the course
Course Fee Conditions
The total course fee (the amount the learner will have to pay) is calculated from the following conditions.
- Learner eligibility for funds – charges are based on the learner being eligible for ESFA funding. Where a learner is not eligible, reference must be made to charges and/or concessions or the full fee charged. Exceptions can only be made by Service Manager.
Note: where other funding streams are used to fund learning, different eligibility criteria and fees may be applicable. These will be detailed separately within this policy. - Programme management – for qualification programmes (non-English and maths) to support the costs of qualification verification, materials.
- Tuition fee including assessment activity where required.
- Examination fee (this is the fee charged by the awarding body to include registration/certification costs plus 10%) where applicable.
- Materials fee levied for courses where materials used are a compulsory requirement of the course. Where a learner takes away products of their learning a charge will be made according to the actual costs of the materials which will be clearly defined to the learner on enrolment.
- Concession (this is the fee adjustment made to address equality / access for priority learners).
Terms and Conditions
Learner Fees
- Where a fee is payable by the learner, the means by which they payment is to be made must be agreed prior to attendance on the course. Failure to meet this will mean exclusion from the course/cancellation of the booking.
- Acceptable payment terms are:
- In full cash, cheque, credit or debit card at a Learn Devon Centre, by credit or debit card through My Devon or online.
- Payment of 10% of total course costs as a non-refundable deposit at the time of booking. Full payment will be requested prior to the start of the course. This is available for courses where the total costs of the course exceed £50.
- Pay by instalments via a standing order, this can be arranged by any Learn Devon Centre or My Devon. The initial payment should be made in enrolment followed by 3 monthly instalments – this applies for courses over £100.Note: When payment by instalments is agreed, the learner is agreeing to full payment for the course and will be liable for full charges subject to the booking being made.
- Payment by invoice to the learner’s employer where the evidence of employer agreement is confirmed within 7 working days of the booking being made.
- Where a concession is being claimed that requires evidence, this must be submitted to the Centre within 7 working days of the booking being made. Failure to provide acceptable evidence will mean payment of full course fees being required or removal from the course/cancellation of booking.
- Where a concession is being claimed for the following, approval is subject to an entry and exit interview with a Learn Devon member of staff:
- Stage 1 – both of the following must apply:Is the learner at least 19 years of age on 31st August 2020
Is the total household income less than £17,004.00 per year or living in a supported living environment?
- Stage 2 – one of the following must apply:Is the learner a full-time carer for a dependent adult or child with disabilities?
Does the learner have a physical disability which has a significant and long term negative effect on the learner’s general well-being?
Does the learner have a learning difficulty which has a significant and long term negative effect on the learner’s general well-being?
Does the learner have a mental or emotional health condition which has a significant and long term negative effect on the learner’s general well-being?
Is the learner a non-EU resident / not eligible for ESFA funding undertaking an ESOL qualification?
Where a learner has had a course cancelled by Learn Devon during the 2020-2021 academic year, they will receive a 5% discount on any course commenced in the 2020-2021 academic year.
- Stage 1 – both of the following must apply:Is the learner at least 19 years of age on 31st August 2020
- Where a learner joins a course after the start date, a pro-rata discount may be applied. Entry after the start date is at the discretion of the Area Co-ordinator responsible for the course and is subject to the agreed learning aims being met and the impact on the existing group of learners. No discount is applicable for sessions missed after the learner has started.
- Where a learner refuses to settle outstanding fees Learn Devon may:
Seek legal recourse to the settlement of the fees, where the costs of such recourse are added to the learner fees.
Refuse entry to examinations.
Refuse entry to further courses supplied by Learn Devon.
Refunds
- Where Learn Devon cancels a course prior to the start date, a refund of all fees will be paid to the learner.
- For non-qualification courses, where Learn Devon cancels a course after the start date, a pro-rata refund of all fees will be paid to the learner.
- For qualification courses, where Learn Devon cancels a course after the start date, a full refund including any examination fees will be paid to the learner.
- Where the learner cancels their enrolment prior to the start of the course, they will receive a full refund.
- Where the learner cancels their enrolment once a course has started they will receive no refund.
Special Conditions
- Illness: Where a learner is unable to attend on medical grounds and produces a doctor’s certificate, a pro-rata refund will be made according to the time spent on the course. No refund for examinations where entered.
- Transfers: Where a learner is on a course at an inappropriate level and wishes to transfer, prior to the second session, they can do so. The learner would be expected to receive or make payment to cover any differences in costs of the courses.
Direct Delivery Fees
Unemployed Learners / Low-Skilled or Transitioning Workforce
Non-Qualification Delivery |
|
ESA claimants, JSA including higher skilled and/or older people. | |
Those without GCSE grade A to C qualifications or level two qualification in NVQs or other vocational qualifications and are in work Those moving across to another employment sector | |
Employability Skills / Wellbeing / Digital | |
Course Viability | 4 |
Tuition Fees per Learner per hour | £0 |
Material Costs per course | £0 |
Families
Non-Qualification Delivery |
|
Families of under 8-year old’s, children starting school, transition to secondary, adults with low skills, qualifications, returning to work. | |
Return to first principles of FL – targeted delivery in schools, children centres. Programmes include arts, crafts, with progression routes. | |
Course Viability | 4 |
Tuition Fees per Learner per hour | £0 |
Material Costs per course | £0 |
Arts, Crafts & Languages – ONLINE
Non-Qualification Delivery |
|
Course Viability | 4 |
Tuition Fees per Learner per hour | £0 |
Material Costs per course | £0 |
Arts, Crafts, Languages – FACE TO FACE
Non-Qualification Delivery |
|
Course Viability | 4 |
Tuition Fees per Learner per hour | £4.00 |
Material Costs per course | £3.00 |
ALDD Learners
Non-Qualification Delivery |
|
Course Viability | 4 |
Tuition Fees per Learner per hour | £0 |
Material Costs per course | £0 |
English, Maths & Digital
Qualification Delivery |
|
Course Viability | 4 |
Tuition Fees per Learner per hour | £0 |
Material Costs per course | £0 |
English, Maths & Digital
Non-Qualification Delivery |
|
Course Viability | 4 |
Tuition Fees per Learner per hour | £0 |
Material Costs per course | £0 |
ESOL – ONLINE
Qualification Delivery |
|
Course Viability | 4 |
Tuition Fees per Learner per hour | £0 |
Material Costs per course | £0 |
ESOL – FACE TO FACE
Qualification Delivery |
|
Course Viability | 4 |
Tuition Fees per Learner per hour | £3 |
Material Costs per course | £0 |
Tuition Fees – Non-eligible learners | |
Tuition Fees per Learner per hour | £12 |
Premises Hire
The following acts as a guide – Area Managers may use their discretion to tailor charges according to the demand in their local area. Any reductions in pricing must apply across the offer not on an individual customer basis (other than to sub-contractors).
General classrooms and meeting rooms | |
Non-profit making organisation | £9.00 per hour
£54.00 per day |
Commercial / profit making organisation | £15.00 per hour
£90.00 per day |
School Halls and Art Rooms | |
Non-profit making organisation | £15.00 per hour
£90.00 per day |
Commercial / profit making organisation | £25.00 per hour
£150.00 per day |
Out-of-hours fees
additional levy to cover caretaking |
|
Saturday | £15.00 per visit |
Sunday | £19.00 per visit |
Cancellation Fees | |
20+ working days | 100% Refund |
16-19 working days | 75% Refund |
11-15 working days | 50% Refund |
Sub-Contracting Charges
Non-Qualification Charges | |
All contracts | £0 |
Qualification Charges | |
Contract Management – per learner of which: Contracting Set-up & Close-down Contribution to Finance & Quality Contribution to Operating Costs (inc MIS, Infrastructure) |
£25.00
£25.00 £11.00 |
Learner Enrolment & Reporting – per learner | £53.27 |
Total per Learner | £114.27 |
Qualification Charges |
Note: the maximum charge for a contract will be 20% of the income received from the ESFA |
Single Qualification - ESFA Guidance
Vocational and general qualifications | English and maths |
16 to 23 core offer* – Tech Levels, Applied general, A levels, AS levels, Access to HE, Technical Certificates, GCSEs. | English and maths core offer – GCSE English and maths, functional skills in English and maths. |
In addition – a limited number of other technical or professional qualifications from the Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF). | In addition – a limited number of other ‘stepping stone’ English and maths qualifications from the RQF. |
Provision | Aged 19-23 | Aged 24+ unemployed | Aged 24+ other |
English and maths
(Individuals who have already achieved grades A* to C (grade 4 or above) will not be able to access English and Maths provision – we will not fund the learner to only re-sit the exam) |
Fully Funded | Fully Funded | Fully Funded |
Essential Digital Skills Qualifications up to and including level 1 | Fully Funded | Fully Funded | Fully Funded |
Level 2 – First full level 2 as part of legal entitlement | Fully Funded | Fully Funded | Fully Funded |
Learning to progress to Level 2 | Fully Funded | Fully Funded | Co-Funded |
Level 3 – First full level 3 | Fully-funded | Loan | Loan |
ESOL | Unemployed Fully-fundedEmployed Co-Funded+ |
Fully Funded | Co-Funded + |
Learning aims up to and inc level 2 where learner already has level 2 | Unemployed Fully-fundedEmployed Co-Funded+ |
Fully Funded | Co-Funded |
+ Learners in receipt of a low wage |
We are able to fully fund learners who are employed, or self-employed, and would normally be co-funded for provision, up to and including level 2. The learner must be: |
eligible for Co-Funding AND |
earns less than £17,004 annual gross salary
Evidence of gross annual wages must be provided. This could be a wage slip or a Universal Credit statement within 3 months of the learning start date, or a current employment contract which states gross monthly / annual wages. Please note this is not an exhaustive list, other forms of proof may be accepted at the discretion of Learn Devon. |
For funding purposes, a learner is defined as Unemployed if one or more apply |
They receive Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), including those receiving National Insurance credits only |
They receive Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) |
They receive Universal Credit, and their earned income from employment (disregarding benefits) is less than £338 a month (learner is sole adult in their benefit claim) or £541 a month (learner has a joint benefit claim with their partner) |
Providers may also use their discretion to fully fund other learners if both of the following apply. The learner: |
wants to be employed, or progress into more sustainable employment, and their earned income (disregarding benefits) is less than £338 a month (learner is sole adult in their benefit claim) or £541 a month (learner has a joint benefit claim with their partner), and you are satisfied identified learning is directly relevant to their employment prospects and the local labour market needs. |