The Government took a significant step towards introducing a Pupil Premium for early years this week, by requiring all local authorities to include a deprivation supplement in their Early Years Single Funding Formula (see News, page 5).
At the same time, the Department for Education confirmed that the EYSFF will be implemented in April 2011, after the year's delay; that the code of practice on the free entitlement will not be suspended and will come into force in September - so no top-up fees; and that the 90 per cent minimum guarantee funding for a local authority's three-year-old population may end.
More money for nursery education for disadvantaged children is, of course, to be welcomed. However, these announcements will leave many providers wondering still about their future. With the code of practice and the extension to 15 hours going ahead in September, considerable numbers of nurseries do not believe that they can make the sums work without top-up fees. There is unlikely to be a significant uplift in hourly rates under the EYSFF.
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