Agenda item

[To receive a presentation outlining future use of Early Years underspend.]

Bill Hague delivered the Early Years Funding - Options for Future Use of Underspend presentation.

It was reported that the out-turn for 2020 – 2021 identified an underspend of £2.36 million which the Department for Education (DfE) were not planning to recoup. A workshop including officers from Early Years and Schools’ Forum members had taken place to formulate plans to maximise the use of this underspend to benefit the Early Years sector.

The presentation outlined the prevailing issues in the Early Years sector, which included reduction in take-up of early years places, which could be attributed to factors such as COVID, Britain’s departure from the EU or cultural differences (for example, in some cultures, children did not join mainstream education until the age of seven).

Inconsistency of availability for 2-year-old settings and places across the City and recruitment and retention of staff also presented challenges.

The two main proposals for the use of the underspend included:

1. Universal promotion of the Early Years Offer in Wolverhampton
2. Early Years Improvement Fund

The first proposal outlined the appointment of a Communications / Marketing Officer and a Sufficiency Officer over a two-year period to lead campaigns promoting the Early Years offer and provide support to all providers across the City, which included attracting quality staff with the promotion of career opportunities in the sector. The second included the creation of a fund to support specific projects aimed at providing new or improved facilities or learning projects focused on physical skills or communication and language skills.

It was suggested that a blended approach of strategic long-term oversight as well as the provision of the immediate support needed for the current cohort.

Concerns had arisen around the impact of COVID and a lack of school readiness and the impact on children’s speech, language and social skills caused by periods of isolation during lockdown at an early stage of development. It was also thought that the reduction of children attending nursery over the pandemic may have contributed to delays identifying special educational needs early on, with a consequential effect of delayed funding for support once children were in school.

Support for parents was called for, particularly around preparing their children for school and it was noted that there had been no COVID recovery funding for early years settings.

It was also suggested that additional funding could be attracted from other sources to bolster training and development in the sector.

It was acknowledged that funding benefitted the children best when passported directly to settings and members expressed appreciation for the pass-through rate offered within Wolverhampton. It was also recognised that planning and appropriate intervention early on may negate pressure further down the line.

Thanks were extended to everyone who had contributed and it was agreed that proposals would be further developed and formalised to present to a future meeting of Schools Forum for approval.

Resolved:

1. That the presentation on the Early Years Funding - Options for Future Use of Underspend be received.

2.    That formalised proposals for the use of the Early Years Underspend would be presented to Schools Forum for approval.