Big drop in attendance adds to sector’s funding concerns

02 February 2021

News

Cotswold Montessori School had to close for two weeks

The pandemic has led to fewer funded children on roll as well as a decline in registrations from fee-paying parents, putting some settings in financial peril. By Annette Rawstrone

Last-minute Government guidance clarifying the spring census to determine early years entitlement funding may have been a welcome reprieve for many in the early years sector, but concern remains because the number of registered children has plummeted due to the pandemic.

Providers, who had the security of autumn term funding being based on January 2020 attendance, had been informed by local authorities that children not currently attending due to coronavirus would not be allowed to be included in the headcount for the spring funding.

This has been rectified by Department for Education (DfE) guidance clarifying that ‘where a child is reasonably expected to attend Early Years provision and that provision is made available to them by the provider, their expected hours should be recorded in the Early Years Census’.

But it is cold comfort to nurseries that have significantly fewer funded children registered than normal, who can only hope that take-up of places rises and then funding will be increased – but only up to a maximum of 85 per cent of pre-pandemic attendance rates (see box).

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