The threat to nursery schools and the extent to which different areas are ready to implement the formula was revealed by representatives from Hertfordshire, Birmingham and Sheffield local authorities who gave evidence at the Children, Schools and Families Select Committee last week, where children’s minister Dawn Primarolo confirmed the delay of the funding formula until April 2011.
The committee heard about issues with funding based on participation rather than places.
All of the local authorities present said they would not be able to preserve their maintained nursery schools without taking funding from the schools budget.
COUNCILS' EVIDENCE
In Birmingham they had earmarked a ‘safety net’ fund for two years to protect their 25 nursery schools, which would suffer with cuts to their hours from full-time to part-time based on funding through take-up rather than places.
Lesley Adams, head of integrated services for children and families at Birmingham, told the committee that because the funding was also based on deprivation factors, some nursery schools which are not in deprived areas would lose out because some of the funding will go to the PVI nurseries.
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