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New benchmarking tool will let providers compare data on local authority funding

Just how local authorities split early years funding between private and voluntary nurseries and maintained provision in schools and nursery schools has long been a bone of contention.

As a move towards greater transparency over early years funding, the Department for Education last week launched a new online resource to enable providers to compare the funding they receive for three and four-year-olds with other local authority areas.

It will enable providers, parents and local authorities to see a breakdown by area and type of provider of funding for places, as well as take-up. The data will also be updated in the next few months to include information about two-year-old places.

The Foundation Years Benchmarking tool enables users to view the amount of funding from the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) that local authorities allocate to early years, so that providers can see how funding is split between PVI settings, nursery schools and nursery classes in schools, as well as how much is spent per pupil.

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