Information Being Asked For

[Guest]

We have been inundated with letters last week requesting information from our LEA. They are asking

1. Registration numbers and floor space

2 Total Hours accessed over the 12.5. Postcodes of children attending

3. Salaries of manager, EYP, Nursery Nurses and assistants ,admin relating only to the NEG?????

4 Detailed weekly costs only to do with 3-4 years ie waste, rates, resources.

 

At end of November is this not a bit worrying?

I cannot see what the salary of my admin asst has to do with the Single Formula

Are schools being asked for this detailed information only to do with the formula. I would like to know what the formula is before we give it. By the way they want it by Wednesday this week

[Cait]

Oh crikey! That seems a bit much - wouldn't it be better for them to come out and have a chat! You seem be being asked for a lot of confidential stuff here too! Wonder if we should all 'be prepared' for the same onslaught! Thanks for the warning!

[HappyMaz]

My immediate reaction would be to say I'm on holiday - my to do list is long enough as it is!

 

I'd have thought the question about registration numbers and floor space would be about welfare requirements rather than the single funding formula. We have to provide information about the total hours attended of each child claiming the NEG on our funding forms so our Borough would have all this information anyway (and they're pretty good at supplying paperwork pre-populated with the information they already hold about our setting).

 

I would agree that it is somewhat late in the day to be collecting data that will affect the single funding formula. I think salaries of staff whatever their role will be pretty integral to the single funding formula though - after all if you work in a setting where you employ an admin person, an EYP or a cleaner or whatever your costs will be higher than a setting where a volunteer committee does the admin etc. Or if like me you're the owner and EYP but you do everything else 'out of hours'.

 

We were asked to provide this kind of data way back in the early stages when our Borough started thinking about how the flexible entitlement was going to work, but it was voluntary. I know that many groups refused to provide it - have these letters made it clear that you have to provide it?

 

So what are you going to do?

 

Maz

[Guest]

We were asked for all this info too.

The single funding formula has been more or less decided in our area and the outcome for the PVI sector is not good. Consultations are starting next week for all settings to give their opinions but I do not know if this will make a difference. We have been told the basic rate will be less per hour than settings receive now with increments to settings that meet certain criteria such as flexibility of provision, hours of opening, using electronic forms of communication etc. We answered all the questions but not many others did. The information helps to establish the minimum rate that settings need to run.

[Panders]

[quote name='Adbenaja' post='224920' date='Oct 26 2009, 13:41'

We have been told the basic rate will be less per hour than settings receive now with increments to settings that meet certain criteria such as flexibility of provision, hours of opening, using electronic forms of communication etc. We answered all the questions but not many others did. The information helps to establish the minimum rate that settings need to run.

 

 

Let us bear in mind that this is the minimum needed - let us hope that there will be a way we can use our own criteria to top up the basic rate again rather than just having government or local authorities suggesting their own reasons as to why one setting should receive more than another

Edited October 26, 2009 by Panders

[Cait]

it's hardly levelling the playing field, is it!!

[Deb]

They may need postcodes to work out the amount your setting will get for deprivation because there is a scale (cannot remember the name) which uses the postcodes to work out the level of deprivation in each area.

 

I asked the question at our consultation about they worked out that the grant was set at the right amount given that many settings don't pay staff for training or not all of it, how can they say that our costs are covered by the NEG when most staff subsidize parents in this and many other ways.

[HappyMaz]

They may need postcodes to work out the amount your setting will get for deprivation because there is a scale (cannot remember the name) which uses the postcodes to work out the level of deprivation in each area.

Of course that's it - silly me!

 

As to your point about training, that is very valid too - and I'm sure we were told that LAs will have the right to deduct an amount from the NEG to cover the cost of providing training.

 

Am looking forward to my meeting with mounting trepidation!

 

Maz

[lynned55]

We were asked for all this information last year I think. I would be worrying that you LA are asking for all this info so late in the day. But I would provide it if you can, I worked on that the more infor they had about our outgoings etc the more they would realise how difficult it is to exist on funding.

Do they need to know individuals salaries? Can you not just say 1 manager, 1 admin worker, 1 deputy 2 assistants = XXX per year/session etc?

We have been told that we will get 3.47 per hour per child (same as we get now) with £447 for admin per year for PVI settings. Settings that have a L4 Manager will get + £750 per year; L5 will get + £5000 & L6 + £6000 extra per year. This was stressed to us however that these payments would only be for a Manager/Leader who is counted within the ratios. L3's get nothing, nor do any other staff.

Deprivation will be another factor. Huge row over this but we were told this is a government directive and is set in stone. Deprivation will be based on children’s postcodes on something called the ACORN scale? They have promised to look at trying to do something for groups that have gained an Outstanding in their OFSTED or have done a QA award. And that is that really. Final figures wil be given to us in March next year but we were told to work on the 3.47 per child. I t also starts being paid from April 2010. So far we dont seem to have been given any additional ccriteria for 3 hour funding. So as we already do 3 hours and charge parents for the additional 30 minutes if they are funded then we will be around 3pence per day worse off per child and will def have to increase our fees to be in line with the funding. Although by April of next year all will be funded anyway.