Pound Plus policy

The Adult Learning & Skills Service - Pound Plus Policy

What is Pound Plus?

Pound Plus is a term used by and Greater London Authority (GLA) and the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) to describe additional income and value generated by providers of adult education over and above the core Community Learning (CL) allocation within the Adult Education Budget (AEB).

Pound Plus was developed in 2013 to help adult learning services across the country show how they add value to the money provided by government for community learning. It does this by looking at the additional investment (or savings made) in community learning which can be estimated in monetary terms and explaining how this is then used to support the most disadvantaged learners in the borough.

Pound Plus shows how learning providers make the most of public funding. This is important because making the most of the income which supports community learning helps increase participation in adult learning at a time when government funding is reducing.

Pound Plus adds up various elements that contribute to adult learning, such as direct income, cost savings, value for money and fees. It also looks at how this income or saving is re‐invested in community learning.

According to the GLA and the ESFA, “the ‘Pound’ represents the public pound, the ‘Plus’ is everything else that you can generate in addition to your non-formula community learning funding allocation, such as fee income, funding from other sources, resources in kind and other sources of revenue / sponsorship / volunteering”. ALSS receives funding from the GLA and the ESFA to run its learning provision.

This policy explains how Pound Plus fee income/savings are invested for the people who most need, and can least afford, CL provision.

This is important as generating additional income allows ALSS to maximise the value of public investment and is used to increase the services provided to residents.

What we do

ALSS adds value to the AEB by working closely with partners to reduce costs, share resources and attract additional income to widen the offer available to disadvantaged learners who otherwise may not be able to afford course fees.

The key points of the ALSS Pound Plus policy are:

Fee income from learners with those qualifying for a concession paying 35% of the standard fee.
income from independently funded projects.
Curriculum planning - to ensure the course offer meets national, regional and local priorities and the needs of the local communities with progression opportunities leading to increased participation.
Access to high quality venues to local residents with digital resources and space to socialise or study.
Access to high quality venues for other council groups, services and local partner organisations, to widen participation in those services more generally and support local communities.
Reduced course fee offer within the Community Learning offer to remove barriers to learning, promote digital inclusion, employability skills, support families and promote wellbeing.

Intended Impact

ALSS will use Pound Plus to measure how much extra value is being added to CL by additional income, cost efficiencies and savings. This extra value can be through charging course fees to those who can afford it, working with partners, developing volunteers, applying for extra funding and grants, and making sure our systems are effective.

Pound Plus savings and income is used to help deliver the Service’s Strategic Plan and Community Learning Objectives described in the AEB Funding Rules by:

Focusing on people who are disadvantaged and least likely to participate
Offering more provision in the local community.
Extending and widening provision at no cost to those unable to pay.
Supporting progression on to further learning and work.
Supporting key skills around literacy, numeracy, language and digital skills.
Contributing to family learning, health, digital inclusion and social well-being.
Developing stronger and more engaged communities.
Developing new courses and curricula.
Expanding outreach work to more communities and individuals.
Resource upgrades. Volunteers are supported by ALSS staff, including induction, CPD and progression advice.
Ensuring that the curriculum available is efficient and avoids duplication of provision.
The effectiveness of the curriculum – we provide courses that encourage participation.
Utilising volunteers where possible and providing them with the relevant training and support.
Creating access to venues at no or reduced costs.