Early Years

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Funded Nursery Places for Children-in-Care

Every child aged 2-4 years old is entitled to 15 hours of free childcare from an approved childcare provider. To claim the 15 hours of free childcare contact the nursery provision of your choice to inquire if they have a place available and inform them that the child is looked after. The provision may request supporting evidence that the child is looked after which can be provided by the child’s social worker via email.

Please remember that you may need to pay for extra costs such as nappies, meals or trips. The funding will cease once the child starts reception class or becomes compulsory school age. For further information please click on the link below:

15 hours of free funded childcare for 2-4 year olds.

If you are a foster carer and want to apply for 30 hrs of free childcare you must contact Marcus Reid, Educational Support Officer at Nottingham City Virtual School who will discuss the funding criteria with you.

The criteria is as follows:

  • You must live in England
  • The child is aged 3-4 years old
  • The provider must be approved
  • The foster carer and partner must both be working
  • You will (both) expect to earn a certain amount over the next three months which is equivalent to the national minimum wage for 16 hours a week on average. This is approximately £1853.28.

If you meet the criteria, you will be asked to complete a set of forms. Once the forms have been submitted and agreed you will be provided with a code to be presented to your nursery provider. This will enable you to claim the 30 hours of free childcare. For further information please click on the link below:

3-4 year olds 30 hours of free funded childcare

Early Years Funding for Schools

There are two types of funding available for looked after children attending a nursery provision: Early Years Pupil Premium and Pupil Premium Plus.

Early Years Pupil Premium can be claimed by a nursery through the Government’s online portal. The foster carer or social worker have to make the nursery aware that the child is looked after and the child has to be aged three or four, but not be aged four attending a school’s Reception class. Once the EY Personal Education Plan (PEP) has been quality assured by the Education Support Officer at the Virtual School, the funding will be paid to the provision at the end of each term.

To apply for Pupil Premium Plus the child has to be aged four and be attending a school’s Reception class.  The social worker and designated member of staff have to complete the online version of the PEP (an ePEP) to apply for this funding. Once the ePEP has been quality assured by the Education Support Officer at the Virtual School, the funding will be paid to the child’s school.

Early Years Pupil Premium

What is Early Years Pupil Premium?

Early Years Pupil Premium is a government grant that Early Years providers can apply for via an Online Portal. It can be used to support children in care who are aged three and four in their establishment. It equates to £310 for 2021/22 academic year and nurseries can apply for it three times per year in the autumn, spring and summer terms.

The Virtual School monitors how the Early Years Pupil Premium is used to support looked after children in Early Years provisions. This is done through PEP meetings and the quality assurance of completed PEP forms.

How to apply for EYPP

The nursery or pre-school setting will ask parents to self-declare that their child meets the eligibility for the Early Years Pupil Premium. It is not compulsory, but it helps the provider if parents or foster carers are willing to provide this information. The provider will need to see supporting evidence of the child’s eligibility.

Early Years Pupil Premium can be claimed by the early education provider, via their local authority’s Online Portal, if a child at their setting is accessing free early education up to 15hrs per week and the child is:

– aged 3 or 4 (but not 4 year-olds in reception class at school)

– living in England

– currently a looked after child of the local authority

Click here to access the online portal.

Good examples of how to use EYPP to maximise educational progress can be found in the Early Years Toolkit provided by the Education Endowment Foundation. Please click on the attached link:

Early Years Education Endowment Foundation Early Years Toolkit

The Virtual School have a responsibility for monitoring and ensuring EYPP is being used for the educational benefit of each looked after child. Schools and PVI’s will therefore be required to report on the educational attainment of each looked after child and the intended impact of the funding on the child’s educational outcomes and experience in PEP Meetings. Schools and PVI’s will also be required to report on the impact of any funding received. We will ensure there is a clear and simple way in which schools are to report the impact of the EYPP funding.

Pupil Premium Plus (PPP)

Looked after children in reception are also entitled to Pupil Premium Plus funding. To ensure the school has access to this funding, the child’s social worker must inform the Virtual School as to which school the child is attending and who the designated member of staff is to enable the Virtual School to create an ePEP profile. The designated staff member will be set up with an ePEP profile. A PEP is held each term using the online ePEP portal. Schools can apply for the PPP funding through the ePEP online portal.

Good examples of how to use pupil premium to maximise educational progress can be found in the Early Years Toolkit provided by the Education Endowment Foundation. Please click on the attached link:

Early Years Education Endowment Foundation Early Years Toolkit

The Virtual School are responsible for monitoring and ensuring Pupil Premium Plus is being used for the educational benefit of the looked after child. Schools will therefore be required to report on the educational attainment of that child and the intended impact of the funding on the child’s educational outcomes and experience in Early Years PEP Meetings. Schools will also be required to report on the impact of PPP funding received.