THE two bodies that oversee the funding of schools and colleges are to merge.
The Education Funding Agency and Skills Funding Agency will be renamed the Education and Skills Funding Agency and will sit within the Department for Education.
It will be responsible for the funding of education for pupils aged five to 16, education and training for those aged 16 to 19, apprenticeships and adult education and managing school building programmes.
Education secretary Justine Greening said they will be able to provide a more joined-up approach to funding and regulation.
David Hughes, chief executive of the Association of Colleges, said it provides the perfect opportunity to simplify the system and make it more efficient and cost-effective.
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