Agenda item

The Rotherham Schools Forum considered a report and received a presentation from Mrs. A. Chambers (RMBC Early Years and Childcare Service) about the Early Education National Funding Formula for 3 years’ and 4 years’ old children.

The report stated that all 3 and 4 year olds are entitled to 15 hours per week of early education for 38 weeks per year, from any Ofsted registered early years provider such as private day nurseries, pre-schools and childminders (Private, Voluntary, Independent) and by academy and maintained schools.   The funding provided by the Department for Education for this purpose, to Local Authorities, is based on historical spending allocations and there is wide variation in the funding provided to Local Authorities and thus to providers.   In addition, from September 2017 working parents will be entitled to a further 15 hours of childcare per week, making a total of 30 hours early education and childcare per week for 38 weeks per year.

The Department for Education is seeking to develop a national funding formula which provides fair and transparent funding to all Local Authorities and has consulted on this proposal during the period from 11 August until 22 September, 2016. The outcome of the consultation process may not be announced until mid-December 2016.

The Schools Forum discussed various issues arising from the report and the presentation:-

: the intended fair, efficient and effective distribution of funding;

: sharing information with primary schools and with early years’ education providers;

: base rate funding of core costs; additional needs funding (eg: relating to receipt of disability living allowance); area cost adjustment (eg: general labour market measure);

: the impact of the increasing cost of business rates upon the area cost adjustment;

: the proposed national rate, within this funding formula, as well as the individual local authority rate for Rotherham; the initial rate introduced in April 2017 is likely to remain unchanged for three or four financial years;

: the use of local authority supplements (eg: deprivation; rural or sparse populations); whether other supplements are necessary;

: the Inclusion Fund for children with special educational needs; this matter will be considered by the High Needs Sub-Group;

: the proposed transitional arrangements and the intention for the new funding formula to be introduced in the Rotherham Local Authority, in full, in April 2017; notification to all providers;

: the Early Education Working Group is to develop the hourly rate and supplements for the 2017/18 financial year, using feedback from the consultation;

: the funding is likely to be self-contained and virement to and from other funding blocks will not be permitted; however, this specific issue is not mentioned within the consultation documents.

Agreed:- (1) That the contents of the report and presentation, now submitted, about the proposed Early Education National Funding Formula be noted.

(2) That the outcome of the Department for Education’s consultation process on this proposal be reported to the meeting of the Rotherham Schools Forum to be held on 13 January, 2017.

(3) That the presentation slides be distributed to all members of the Rotherham Schools Forum.