In a letter sent to all local authorities, the DCSF has outlined new details of the application process they must follow if they wish to become pathfinders.
In the letter, signed by Ann Gross, director of Early Years Extended Services and SEN Group and Stephen Kingdom, head of the School Funding Unit, local authorities are told that they will need to complete and return an application form to the DCSF by 31 January.
The letter says that local authorities will be notified of the outcome of their application by 15 February, which means that childcare settings in pathfinder areas would have less than two months' notice of any changes to their funding.
It adds that second-wave pathfinders will need to apply to the secretary of state for additional arrangements to be made under the School Finance (England) Regulations 2008 in order to disapply certain regulations.
These include regulation 13, which says that budgets cannot be recalculated after 31 March; under the EYSFF, local authorities will be able to recalculate budgets during or after an academic year according to actual attendance.
The pathfinder application form asks local authorities how they have consulted with providers on the EYSFF and what its financial impact will be on maintained provision and the PVI sector. It asks whether the introduction of the EYSFF will directly lead to the closure of any provision.
Sian Rees Jones, headteacher of Bognor Regis Nursery School and Children's Centre, said, 'We are waiting to hear whether our local authority is going to apply to become a pathfinder. If the EYSFF is implemented in April in our area, the timescales will be exceptionally tight. If the EYSFF is implemented we will lose £99,000 from our budget in year one and £137,000 in the second year, due to the loss of place funding and because the EYSFF does not take into account variations in our occupancy levels throughout the school year.
'Our nursery school does not fill up until the summer term. These funding cuts would mean that we would no longer be in a position to employ specialist teaching assistants to support our inclusive practice with children who have special educational needs, who make up 22 per cent of our current intake, or who have English as an additional language - another 22 per cent of our intake.'
Megan Pacey, chief executive of Early Education, said, 'It is very helpful that the DCSF has clarified what checks and balances will be applied to those local authority areas who wish to be added as single funding formula pathfinders.
'Since the announcement of the delay to implementing the EYSFF, many nursery schools and classes have continued to worry that local authorities think they are ready to implement the formula from April 2010 as a pathfinder. Local authorities have to show they have consulted with the sector and to detail the financial impact on all parts of the sector. This will help deepen our understanding of how the mechanism will operate and how any negative impact might be managed effectively.'
FURTHER INFORMATION
Read the letter and application at www.dcsf.gov.uk/everychildmatters/earlyyears/localauthorities/ lapractice/entitlement/sffundingresources/sffresources
QUESTIONS FOR COUNCILS
Local authorities must answer these questions if they wish to implement the EYSFF in April:
- What consultation on the single funding formula has taken place with providers (outline who has been consulted, dates of consultation process)?
- Has your Schools Forum supported your application to introduce the single formula from April 2010 (please attach relevant minutes)?
- Does your early years reference group and/or PVI Schools Forum representative support your application to introduce the single formula from April 2010? Please attach evidence of this.
- Approximately how many surplus places are there in maintained nursery schools? Maintained nursery classes?
- What has been done to mitigate losses in providers with surplus places as a result of participation funding?
- What transitional arrangements are you proposing and for how long?
