Agenda item

Report of the Head of Education Commissioning and School Organisation.

This report summarises the Free Early Education entitlements funded by the government for 2, 3 and 4 year olds and outlines the additional entitlements that were announced in March 2022 and will be phased in from April 2024.

The report also proposes a new approach to the allocation of Camden’s Local Inclusion Fund which supports providers to meet the needs of children with emerging special educational needs or disabilities.

Consideration was given to the report of the Head of Education Commissioning and School Organisation.

Debbie Adams, Head of Early Years, introduced the report which covered the following areas: free early education entitlements; the funding formula; Camden Local Inclusion Fund (CLIF); the application process; and the timeline for implementation.

The Chair thanked officers for the report and invited questions and comments from the Forum. The following was discussed:

·       A member stated that CLIF had the potential to target resources more effectively and expand provision, by should be used carefully.

·       A member stated that it was an ongoing concern that there were schools with a significant number of unfilled school spaces. In response, officers stated that schools could consider offering provision to younger children and suggested that if a family enrolled a child at 1 year old, parents would be unlikely to move the child when they reached 2-3 years old, which would stabilise the school intake.

·       In relation to section 3.11 and table 5, a member noted that £12.50 did not cover the costs to care for babies with a staff-to-child ratio of 1:2. The member noted that for every hour of CLIF funding their nursery lost money, which exacerbated by the needs of younger children increasingly requiring more intensive 1:1 support, alongside increasing staff wages, which CLIF does not compensate for; there was a financial disincentive for settings to take children with additional needs. The member added that an advantage of CLIF was that that the paperwork was easier to complete. Officers stated that there was not enough money in the system and funding allocation was a financial balancing act. The Council was required to pass through at least 95% of the funding received by government to providers, and Camden was now able to pass through 97% for children under three. The funding for providers was allocated to local nurseries using a local funding formula and could be used by nurseries flexibly, such as for 1:1 or group-based support. Officers stated that CLIF received funding from the High Needs Block (HNB), and the actual spend on CLIF had increased due to increasing needs but the hourly rates per child had decreased. Officers confirmed they would discuss the HNB contribution to CLIF, including CLIF rates and CLIF demand, at the High Needs Subgroup.

Action By – Director of Education Commissioning and Inclusion

·       A member noted that Private, Voluntary and Independent (PVI) nurseries usually had higher on roll figures because of the more flexible offer to working parents, such as offering hours other than the standard 9am-3.30pm. The member also stated that schools should positively consider enrolling 2 year olds because it was a good opportunity to keep those children when school age, a nursery offer could be explored to be flexible and generate income for a school in a businesslike and sustainable model. Another member said that schools would also have to consider the space and resource implications of extending their provision to young children, and different districts of the borough would have different circumstances and challenges, such as competition with other settings and birth rates. A members noted they did not in theory support the idea of running an education setting as a business but acknowledged the need for sustainable provision in the borough. They added that nursery was early education and not childcare to fit around parents working lives and that there were no guarantees children would stay at the school beyond nursery age.

RESOLVED -

THAT Schools Forum

a)    approve the proposed funding rates for Early Education providers in the borough from April 2024.

b)    approve to consult with Early Education providers on a new approach to the allocation of Camden’s Local Inclusion funding.