Steering Group for 30 Hours
Free Nursery Entitlement
Thursday, 26th May 2016
10:00 – 12:00
Room 1, Children and Families, Civic Centre
Minutes
Present:
Name / OrganisationEthel Mills / Willows Montessori Nursery
Kate Jarvis / Emmaville Primary
Lindsey Oram / Barley Mow Primary
Emma Briden / St Albans Primary
Alison Hall / Washingwell Primary
Kerrie Hood / Fellside Primary
Christine Ingle / Corpus Christi Primary
Deborah Davies / St Agnes Day Nursery
Julie Fleming / Childminder – Bright Stars
Lesley Deas / The Grove Pre-school
Tanya Wood / Washingwell Pre-school
Andrea Warne / Washingwell Pre-school
Donna Mole / Mulberry Bush Nurseries
Eleanor Borrowdale / Highfield Day Care
Kirsty Carr / Brandling Primary
Gillian Dodds / Service Manager
Jan Batchelor / Childcare Support Lead Officer
Julie Robertshaw / Childcare Support Lead Officer
In attendance:
Carole Smith / FinanceSuzanne Gamble / Legal
Apologies:
Name / ServiceDenise Henry / Bensham Grove Nursery School
Lorraine Lumley / Childminder
Item No. / Agenda Item / Action
1. / Introductions
Everyone was welcomed and thanked for attending the first steering group meeting.
Housekeeping rules were shared.
The purpose of the steering group is to oversee the implementation of the 15 hours of additional free entitlement for eligible 3 and 4 year olds from September 2017.
The agenda was summarised.
2. / Draft Terms of Reference
Draft terms of reference were circulated and discussed briefly. They were re-visited at the end of the meeting to confirm if they are fit for purpose.
3. / Update on 30 Hours
The 30 hour entitlement will be implemented in September 2017. This means that parents of children, who will be starting their three year old entitlement in January 2017, will want to know in advance whether they can have 30 hours with their provider and what the 30 hours would look like across the week.
The Department for Education are currently consulting on draft statutory guidance and a response will be submitted on behalf of the local authority but the government are also keen to hear provider’s views.
Children with working parents will be eligible for the additional 15 hours.
HMRC will be responsible for confirming eligibility but the finer detail of how this will work in practice is not yet known. The draft statutory guidance states that local authorities will have to carry out a check to confirm continuing eligibility at the end of every half term. If a child becomes ineligible, there is likely to be a ‘Grace Period’ of approximately half a term before funding is withdrawn for the additional 15 hours. The universal entitlement of 15 hours will remain.
It is also proposed that parents can access funded hours from 6.00 am until 8.00 pm. There is an emphasis on places being offered more flexibly and increased availability of ‘stretched’ places. (Use of fewer than 15 or 30 hours per week but for more than 38 weeks per year).
There may be a standard national provider agreement, which will replace the current Gateshead provider agreement.
There is also a proposal in the draft statutory guidance to give power to the local authority to ensure providers do not artificially restrict the times during which the existing or extended entitlement can be taken in order to charge parents for additional less standard hours.
Government are likely to put into statutory guidance that providers are paid by the local authority on a monthly basis. Providers are currently paid six times per annum. / Circulate consultation response to steering group
4. / Early Innovator Work
Gateshead has a very mixed economy with approximately 50% of children in school nurseries, 25% in day nurseries, 25% in pre-schools and a small but consistent number of children accessing their entitlement with childminders.
Nationally, there are 8 Early Implementers that will be funded to offer the additional entitlement from September 2016. York is the only authority that will be funded to offer the extended entitlement to all eligible children.
Northumberland is the only other Early Implementer in the North East of England. They have funding for approximately 20% of eligible children with a theme of ‘Rurality’.
Gateshead is one of 25 local authorities with an Early Innovator status. Our nearest innovator colleagues are in Yorkshire.
The role of an innovator is to document issues and barriers and propose innovative solutions that can be shared within Gateshead and beyond.
Gateshead have been asked by the Department for Education to explore the linked themes of flexibility and sufficiency, although inevitably other areas such as SEND will need to be considered. Our delivery plan has been approved by the Department and from this we have developed an action plan.
As can be seen from the delivery plan, we want to build pictures of places available within each locality. Talks are underway with each provider to establish options for expansion.
The number of eligible children are unknown but in the survey which was carried out late last year, 86% of parents said that they would take-up the additional entitlement if it was available now.
The need for five working groups has been identitied:-
1. TRANSITIONS – It is inevitable that there will be more transitions for children, on either a daily, weekly or termly basis. The group will work on some recommended practice standards. There is to be a relaxation in the types of organisation that can be funded.
2. ADMISSIONS – Mainly an issue for schools but sessional providers may also need to consider and update their policy. Clear and transparent criteria will be needed as justification for the children that are not offered a place.
3. CAPITAL AND REVENUE FUNDING – An expression of interest has been submitted for capital but there will be further rounds before we know if we will get any money. There will also be changes in revenue funding. Gateshead’s Early Years Single Funding Formula will be replaced from September 2017 with a National Early Years Funding Formula. The Government intends to consult on the blocks of the formula later this year and then have a second consultation on the weightings to be attached to each block of the formula. Further detail is needed before this sub-group can begin its work.
4. MARKETING/MESSAGES FOR PARENTS – Aim to keep parents informed of developments to avoid providers and the local authority having parents making contact and wanting information before it is known. The group will work with the support of the communications team.
5. SCHOOL PROCESSES – The portal, currently used by the private, voluntary and independent providers, may need to be used by schools to allow timely collection of the information necessary to check continued eligibility. Further detail is needed before this sub-group can begin its work.
Small groups were formed to consider the representation required for the Transitions, Admissions and Marketing sub-groups. How do we recruit the required representatives? How large should each group be? When should the group’s work begin and end? What are the main tasks for the group?
After discussion, the following points were suggested:-
TRANSITIONS
8 people, initially from within the Steering Group, then recruit further if necessary.
Will need to consider holiday provision and after school provision, and take on board possible safeguarding, welfare and child protection issues.
Most important is ensuring effective communication between providers, the documentation and planning required, including for children with additional needs.
ADMISSIONS
5 head teachers, 3 PVI.
Ask for volunteers from the Steering Group first, and then look further.
Work to be finished by December 2016.
MARKETING
Important that all sectors are involved also with geographic representation.
It was recognised that there is an element of competition between providers from a business point of view.
Gathering information is a challenge. A representative could go out and gather the information.
Preparations will need to be made for the film – where, who, how, what, etc.
Use of social media.
Engage with or brief bigger employers.
Share minutes of meetings with all providers.
The representatives in attendance were asked to indicate which of the workgroups they would be willing to join. A list was created and can be viewed at the end of the minutes.
5. / Communication with Providers
The Early Learning and Childcare News will continue to be circulated and will feature updates on 30-hour developments and a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) section will be introduced.
Updates will also be given at termly clusters for childminders, pre-schools and day nurseries and out of school clubs.
Headteachers will feedback to their clusters. / Circulate current DfE FAQs for LAs to steering group
6. / Communication with Parents
The Communications Team have been briefed about the new entitlement and are preparing an over-arching strategy. There is a delay in the production of the strategy due to the lead officer moving to a new post.
7. / DfE Consultation with Parents
As part of our Early Innovator work, the Department for Education require us to consult with parents. They have provided us with a survey which we will be going on Survey Monkey and publicised by the local authority’s communication team.
It would be helpful if providers could highlight the survey to their parents, e.g. via newsletters, word of mouth, etc.
Completed surveys will be collated and a regional response will be sent to the Department. The deadline for this is the 22nd July.
Unless there is a very high return rate from a particular locality, the results are likely to be inconclusive and not particularly helpful for place planning purposes. / Circulate DfE questionnaire to steering group.
8. / Discussion of Terms of Reference
Draft terms of reference were re-visited and all agreed that they were fit for purpose.
9. / AOB
There was no other business.
10. / Date of next meeting
Next meeting of steering group 10:00 on Thursday 13th October 2016.
Meetings of sub-groups to be arranged earlier.
ADMISSIONS WORK GROUP
Kirsty Carr
Kerrie Hood
Donna Mole
Andrea Warne
Lesley Deas
Debbie Davies
Avril Armstrong ?
+ out of school club/ holiday provision representative
TRANSITIONS WORK GROUP
Denise Henry (chair)
Christine Ingle
Alison Hall
Emma Bridon
Kelly Everett
Donna Mole
Andrea Warne
Julie Fleming
Ethel Mills
Elaine Trotter – Childcare Support Officer (safeguarding and welfare requirements)
MARKETING WORK GROUP
Tanya Wood
Ethel Mills
2