Issue - meetings

The Council receives the ring-fenced Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) to fund several education blocks, including the Early Years  block which must be developed into a local Early Years Single Funding Formula (EYSFF).  The contents of the formula are highly regulated by the Department for Education (DfE). 

A new EYSFF for BCP is required for April 2024.  Consultation with the early years sector has taken place and Schools Forum considered the outcome at an extraordinary meeting on 6 February 2024, at which they agreed to recommend the proposed EYSFF to the Council, with no changes. 

The DfE notified local authorities of their funding agreement on 29 November 2023, with substantial changes from 2023-24. A group of provider representatives helped to shape the proposal and indicated that their preference was to avoid consulting with the sector during or just before the Christmas break, which Children’s Services agreed to. 

The governments biggest expansion of childcare entitlements begins this year and the proposed EYSFF includes funding rates for the children of working parents aged 9-36 months for the first time.  These changes, along with a revision to the way children with SEND are funded, introducing a Deprivation Supplement to support our most disadvantaged 9–36-month-old children, a significant uplift in the Council’s central functions and the introduction of a contingency fund formed the proposed EYSFF.

31% of providers engaged with the consultation and were, overall, supportive of the proposed EYSFF.  The consultation response may be seen in Appendix A.

RESOLVED that: -

Cabinet approve the new EYSFF for 2024-25

Voting: Unanimous

Portfolio Holder: Children and Young People

Reason

The recommendation demonstrates a balanced position of the funding available for distribution to the early years sector, support for disadvantaged children and those with additional needs and funding required for central council functions.

The Portfolio Holder for Children and Young People presented a report, a copy of which had been circulated to each Member and a copy of which appears as Appendix 'C' to these Minutes in the Minute Book.

Cabinet was advised that the Council received the ring-fenced Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) to fund several education blocks, including the Early Years block which must be developed into a local Early Years Single Funding Formula (EYSFF), and that the contents of the formula are highly regulated by the Department for Education (DfE). 

Cabinet was informed that a new EYSFF for BCP is required for April 2024, and that consultation with the early years sector had taken place and Schools Forum considered the outcome at an extraordinary meeting on 6 February 2024, at which they agreed to recommend the proposed EYSFF to the Council, with no changes. 

In relation to this Cabinet was advised that the DfE had notified local authorities of their funding agreement on 29 November 2023, with substantial changes from 2023-24, and that a group of provider representatives had helped to shape the proposal and had indicated that their preference was to avoid consulting with the sector during or just before the Christmas break, which Children’s Services agreed to. 

Cabinet was advised that the governments biggest expansion of childcare entitlements had begun this year and that the proposed EYSFF included funding rates for the children of working parents aged 9-36 months for the first time.  In relation to this Cabinet was advised that these changes, along with a revision to the way children with SEND are funded, introducing a Deprivation Supplement to support our most disadvantaged 9–36-month-old children, a significant uplift in the Council’s central functions and the introduction of a contingency fund formed the proposed EYSFF.

Cabinet was informed that 31% of providers engaged with the consultation and were, overall, supportive of the proposed EYSFF, and that the consultation response was appended at Appendix A.

RESOLVED that: -

Cabinet approve the new EYSFF for 2024-25

Voting: Unanimous

Portfolio Holder: Children and Young People

Reason

The recommendation demonstrates a balanced position of the funding available for distribution to the early years sector, support for disadvantaged children and those with additional needs and funding required for central council functions.