51 replies to this topic

[Steve]

Hi people -
The new Code of Practice (2004 - 2005) for Nursery Education Funding is just out!

You can download and view it here if you wish. I can't seem to find it on the Surestart site yet. We will highlight some areas of it when we've read it through properly. If you have trouble downloading it (ie if you can view it but not save it, just right click on the attachment and click 'Save Target As'.

Regards, Steve. :)

Attached Files

•  Codeofpractice_2004_2005.pdf   182.68K   153 downloads

[Helen]

I've just finished reading it and the one thing that stuck out was the reference to Quality Assurance Schemes (para 47), and the recommendation that local authorities should be promoting them actively. I'm still very concerned that they will be thrust upon us all, (or else our nursery education funding will be withdrawn) regardless of how good our Ofsted reports have been.

[hali]

i cant download it.. help please (a new window comes up when i click on download but all it has in it is a red cross)....

any ideas....

[Steve]

I've emailed it to you Hali :)

[bubblejack]

Have just found time to read the 2004/5 code of practise. On reading no.20. on Flexibility and Integration i.e "spreading the 55 sessions over 14 weeks rather than 11".
I phoned Sure Start to ask why my local authority do not follow this. Sure Start advised me to phone my Early Years and ask them why they are not operating this flexibility yet. Apparantly no one else has asked my early years this question and they are now going to have a meeting about it next week. So if your L.A. does not offer this flexibility yet it may be worth phoning them because Sure Start are very keen to promote this.

[LJW]

Bubblejack!
I have made myself quite unpopular with our EYDCP for asking this question! It was also in last year's code of practice. The response locally was this is a loophole they are looking to close by 2005/6. The expectation is that we should deliver 14 weeks as is the duty of a maintained nursery. I still fail to see why. My other bugbear is that it also mentions under the flexibility bit that a parent claiming for less than 5 sessions per week could claim the full 5 and then spread them over the 14 weeks. I said to the EYDCP that this made a lot of sense but they fired a very complicated financial argument at me that I couldn't understand and it would have been inappropriate (read embarrassing) to ask them to explain it more slowly! Still, I haven't given up.........

[Linda McDowell]

In Stockport we now have funding for children who claim less than 5 sessions spread over the extra weeks. So now, if they attend 5 sessions they get 11 weeks but if they only attend say 2 or 3 it is spread over the length of the term.
Linda

[bubblejack]

Lisa keep trying. Enlist the help of Sure Start. They were very helpful and adament that I query this with my EYDCP. She asked me to phone her back if I didn't get a favourable answer. I also queried this last year but went straight to L.A. and they dismissed it so I presummed I had read it incorrectly. Recently I have read posts on here saying that some providers do get this extra funding so I decided to go straight to Sure Start.

[Steve]

Hi all -
Bubblejack is absolutely right - Sure Start are very helpful but they are only able to issue the guidance. It's up to LEAs and EYDCPs to interpret the guidance according to their perceived local requirements. However the Sure Start advice email address is worth using if you think your local authority is being unreasonable. I've lost it for the moment but it's in the last NEF topic I put up. I'll look it out and get back to you.

[Steve]

34nurseryeducation.funding@dfes.gsi.gov.uk :)

Some people might find the other conversation useful - you can find it here.

[Carol]

I have been asking the same question Re: flexibility and Intergration, since last year and my L.A. keep saying it may come into force in the near future!!!

Carol

[LJW]

Hi! Have finally found the time to ring DFES/Surestart and spoke to Victoria Lamb who was extremely helpful. Her e-mail is the one Steve posted earlier. Her phone no is 0207 2734841. She said that they were very keen to encourage LEA's to apply the flexible approach to funding (Page 6, item 20 of the Code of Practice), namely that the grant may be spread over the 14 weeks. I think my LEA's point was that it would be very difficult to administer (so that's what they get paid for........). Linda, you said that in Stockport this system is already in operation. Is it difficult to administer? What do you have to do in the setting?
Lisa

[Linda McDowell]

Hi Lisa
We don't have to actually do anything oursleves. We fill in the forms the LEA send us stating how many sessions each child is attending and they do all the rest!!! We also receive a printed sheet of how much children will get for the number of sessions they attend and the number of weeks we are open.
Linda

[hali]

Hi

I am based in Berkshire and ours is over 12 weeks also. Havnt heard anything about 14weeks!!!!!

[LJW]

Hali
It depends on how many weeks there are in a term - we've just done a 12 weeker and the next is 12 I think, but the Autumn 04 term is a hideous 14 weeks. Added together, that makes the 38 weeks which schools operate in total. Nursery Funding only overs 33 of those 38 weeks - hence my problem!
Hope this is clearer - I shouldn't assume everyone automatically knows what I'm talking about!
Lisa