The Children’s Partnership Strategic Partnership for Early Years and Childcare Sue Robb National Head of Early Years, 4Children
Learn Explore Debate October 2014
Aims • To give an overview of the latest information related to early years and childcare and the government's key priorities including • Early Years Pupil Premium • Sector led improvement – PVI and schools partnership • Two year old early education funding • Working with Health • SEN and Disability • EYFS framework going forward • Update from Ofsted • Safer Networks • Sector Updates • To give opportunities to share and debate
Getting it right for children and families – starting at two years • Improved access, choice, opportunity, responsiveness flexibility and affordability • Improved quality • Improved outcomes - closing the gap
Programme 09.30: Refreshments 10.00: Policy Updates - including o Early Years Pupil Premium o Partnership Working o SEN and Disabilities 11.15: Refreshment Break 11.30: Policy Updates (continued) o EYFS – going forward o Partnership with Health 13.00: Lunch and Networking 13.45: Updates by representative from Ofsted 14.45: Safe Network Standards & the EYFS 15.45: Q & A 16.00: Close
Mood Music Let’s go round again Simply the best Staying alive I’m a survivor Ain’t no mountain high enough
Ministers -some new, some stay and one returns..... Nicky Morgan MP, Secretary of State for Education Responsibilities include: • Early Years • Adoption and child protection • School improvement • Establishment of academies and free schools David Laws MP, Minister of State (schools) Responsibilities include: • Pupil Premium, raising attainment, narrowing the gap • Teachers • School improvement, accountability, inspection • Funding Edward Timpson MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (children and families) Responsibilities include ******** • Adoption, fostering and residential care home reform • Child protection • Special educational needs • Children’s and young people’s services
Sam Gyimah MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (childcare and education) Responsibilities include: • Early Years funding and delivery of free entitlements • Early Years education and EYFS • Childcare availability and market • Childcare workforce, quality and regulation • Wraparound childcare provision Nick Gibb MP, Minister of State (school reform) Responsibilities include: • Qualification and curriculum reform • Behaviour and attendance • Relationship with Ofqual • Overview of all funding Lord Nash, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (schools) Responsibilities include • School organisation • School governance • Department for Education review • Education Funding Agency
The national picture, where are we... • At Jan 14, 97% (1,299,910) of three- and four-year-olds benefitted from a funded place (an increase of 1% on 2013) • Based on figures at May 14, 116,000 two year olds are taking advantage of their new entitlement for Government-funded 15 hours a week • Nearly 80% of childcare providers in England have been judged as good or outstanding by Ofsted – a five per cent increase since 2012 • After 12 years of consistently rising prices, the costs of childcare in England have stabilised for the first time. Once inflation is taken into account childcare costs for the majority of parents have actually fallen 2013 Providers’ Survey, published week commencing 22 nd September, • shows more children in places, a more qualified sector and a better paid sector (albeit from a low base).
Government priorities: Quality • Improving qualifications: – Early Years Teachers – Teach First in the Early Years – Early Years Educators • Improving inspection: – Ofsted sole arbiter of standards, with consistent quality standards. – Ofsted reforms to the Early Years Inspection Framework • Improving registration: – introducing a single, clear set of safeguarding and welfare requirements.
Focus on improving quality for disadvantaged children • Government policy: “school -led, sector- led, self- improving system” • Provision in schools often highest quality in disadvantaged areas/for disadvantaged 3&4 year olds • However… – vast amounts of expertise in other types of provider (especially for younger children) – schools often face physical challenges in expanding – especially into the complexity of early years – also want to offer parents choice ……..so how to do this best? • Up to £5m of new funding available to Teaching Schools Alliances , working in partnership with PVIs, focused on improving EY provision for disadvantaged children through learning from each other and working together.
Government priorities : Availability • Introduction of Childminder agencies (Sept 14): make it simpler for people to become childminders, provide training and support • Making it easier for schools to open nurseries: Enabling schools automatically to accept two-year-olds as well as three-year-olds. Actively encouraging primary schools to open for longer • Simplifying planning rules : Simplifying the regulations and consulting on proposals to relax planning rules so nurseries can expand more easily
Government priorities : Affordability Basic entitlements: • Extension of funded early education for 3 and 4 year olds from 12.5 to 15 hours a week • Tax Free Childcare (Autumn 2015) – 2.5m families up to £2,400 per year per child. Focus on disadvantaged families: • Tax credits and benefits disregards • Introduction of a funded entitlement for two year olds - £760m in 2014-15 • New Early Years Pupil Premium for 3 and 4 year olds - £50m in 2015-16
The Early Years Pupil Premium
Background to EYPP • On 18 March, the Deputy Prime Minister and the Prime Minister announced funding of £50 million in 2015-16 to support disadvantaged three and four year olds through an Early Year Pupil Premium (EYPP) • The EYPP will give all providers of government funded early education extra money for this identified group of children • It will be introduced in April 2015 • The Government consultation on the operation of the EYPP, closed on 22 August attracted considerable interest – over 450 responses which are currently being considered and response due shortly 15
What we know Research informs us that all children can benefit from high quality early years experiences. However: • Disadvantaged three and four year olds are up to 7 percentage points less likely to participate in early education; • In 2013 36% of children eligible for Free School Meal (FSM) achieved a good level of development in the early years foundation stage compared with 55% (gap of nearly 20%); • 82% of early years settings are good or better in the most affluent 20% of areas compared to 68% in the least affluent 20%. 16
Who will be eligible The eligibility criteria mirrors the Schools Pupil Premium. Three and four year olds in any early years setting who: • Meet the criteria for FSM or • Have been looked after by the local authority for at least one day or • Have been adopted from care or • Are subject of a special guardianship and/or child arrangements order. 17
Proposed funding arrangements • £50 million in financial year 2015-16 • Allocated to LAs through the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) and transferred by LAs to providers • A set national amount per child (£300) • Funding will follow the child • Providers will be accountable for how funding is used 18
Checking for eligibility The DfE want LAs to be able to use the Eligibility Checking Service (ECS). • Providers will ask parents to identify if they are eligible and if so to provide their National Insurance Number (LAs won’t have to check all parents) • Providers will pass the NI number to LAs to check on ECS whether parents are in receipt of the relevant benefits to determine eligibility to EYPP • Parents will be given the option to opt out This may require changes to primary legislation. If so, the government will aim to introduce them by April 2015. 19
How will the government ensure that EYPP is used effectively As with the Schools Pupil Premium, the DfE propose the main accountability route will be through Ofsted: • Effective use and impact of the EYPP to be assessed under the leadership and management judgement The DfE will amend the early years and schools census collections so that providers must identify which children in their setting attract EYPP • How will you measure the impact of the EYPP in your circumstances? 20
Effective use of this funding • Evidence of good practices through organisations such as Education Endowment Fund • Peer support – re-focusing role of LAs in supporting Requires Improvement providers, and championing the interests of disadvantaged children • Growing the role of teaching schools in the early years, including supporting early years providers locally Understanding impact at national level • Outcome data • Data on quality and take up • Research on use of funding 21
Discussion topics What type of advice/guidance from the DfE would you find helpful How will you use the extra funding? • How might providers with a small number of eligible children use the funding to best effect? • How might providers with a large number of eligible children use the funding? 22
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