The Department for Education (DfE) has raised growing concerns about providers’ ability to evidence compliance with 16–19 Bursary Funding and Free Meals in Further Education Funding. As part of its 2024/25 funding assurance approach, the DfE has already carried out a series of focused reviews – and scrutiny in these areas is only set to increase.
With funding assurance firmly in the spotlight, providers must be confident that their processes, controls and evidence will stand up to challenge.
Join us live on 11 February 2026, 10.30am–12.00pm, or watch on demand at a time that suits you, for a practical, insight-led webinar designed to help you stay compliant, audit-ready and protected.
Led by Lisa Smith and Emma Gipson from RSM UK, this session will move beyond guidance and focus on what providers actually need to do in response to recent reviews. Drawing directly on real assurance activity, our expert speakers will guide you through:
- The most common compliance gaps identified during recent DfE reviews
- What these findings mean for 2025/26 funding assurance
- What good evidence really looks like in practice
- Practical, actionable steps to strengthen internal processes and documentation
- How to minimise the risk of funding clawback and ensure consistency across your organisation
You’ll leave with greater clarity, practical examples, and the confidence that your approach to bursaries and free meals is robust, defensible and future-proofed.
This essential session is ideal for senior leaders, finance teams, MIS and funding staff, compliance leads, and anyone responsible for audit readiness or oversight of 16–19 provision.
If you’re responsible for protecting funding in an increasingly challenging assurance landscape, this is a session you can’t afford to miss.