Sector warns that two-year-olds scheme needs support

According to the Department for Education, 92,000 of the 130,000 disadvantaged eligible two-year-olds, the equivalent of 70 per cent, have so far taken up the offer, leaving 38,000 available places.

Under the scheme, which was introduced in September, eligible two-year-olds receive 570 hours per year or 15 hours per week of funded early education, which they can take up at any early years setting rated good or outstanding by Ofsted. From next September (2014), the number of two-year-old places will increase to 260,000.

Presenting the figures, the education and childcare minister Elizabeth Truss called on local authorities to pass on the full amount of funding to providers to ensure as many children as possible can access the places.

James Hempsall, director of Hempsall’s, which with Mott Macdonald is supporting the implementation of the two-year-olds programme, said, ‘The number of eligible families presenting themselves to local authorities is growing all the time, at a rate of tens of thousands.

‘Many local authorities are adopting the 2014 criteria early so that even more families can benefit. This will mean that by next September more than double the amount of children will be using their places, more than 200,000. This is great news.’

While early years organisations  have recognised that the figures are a step in the right direction, they have warned that more needs to be done for the scheme to continue to be successful.

The National Day Nurseries Association’s (NDNA) chief executive Purnima Tanuku has said that a ‘sound note of caution’ is needed when it comes to funding the free early education places for two-year-olds.

She explained, ‘At the moment, providers are working within a system that is not fit for purpose. In NDNA’s Spring Business Performance Survey, 50 per cent of nurseries said the funding provided by local authorities does not cover the cost of the place, ultimately making it unsustainable long term.

‘It is essential local authorities take the minister’s comments on board and all parties work together to ensure there is funding and places available for as many children as possible.
 The Pre-School Learning Alliance (PLA) raised the same concern. Neil Leitch, chief executive of the PLA said, ‘At a time when many providers are still underfunded for the three- and four-year-old scheme, it is vital that the Government ensures that the two-year-old places are adequately funded.’

In the past, providers have raised fears that the existing levels of funding they receive through local authorities for the two-year-old entitlement will reduce when the programme expands beyond 2014.

After 2015, local authorities will be funded on a ‘use it or lose it’ basis, with money being withdrawn where children are not taking up the places.

Another challenge, claims the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years (PACEY), is obtaining funding. According to PACEY, childminders are struggling to access funding to deliver the places, which some believe could be because local authorities prefer nurseries to provide places.

A breakdown of figures, by local authority, will be published by the Department for Education next year.

A lack of good and outstanding early years settings to provide the places for the disadvantaged two-year-olds continues to be an issue. Pat Broadhead, professor Emeritus at Leeds Metropolitan University, has raised this concern in Sheffield after the city council withdrew funding from 20 community nurseries in the most deprived areas of the city.

Ms Broadhead, who campaigned with others to prevent the council from removing the funding in July, said, ‘We failed in our campaign and many of these settings have now closed or struggle to survive. Many were good or outstanding. They were well established and trusted by low-income families.

‘The council’s view was that the families could access private settings, but private providers had not established themselves in these communities for several reasons. So where are these two-year-olds going? How are they accessing their entitlement? I doubt that many of them are. Forming trusting relationships takes time, and many available settings will be some distance from the families and virtually inaccessible.’

Sheffield City Council also proposed closing some of its children’s centres because of Government cuts to its budget, with many other local authorities following suit.
Nursery World contacted a number of local authorities about the take up of their two-year-old places. None were able to provide a comment.