The move to a formula based on participation rather than places was delayed until April 2011 in December, following widespread concern that the EYSFF was a threat to maintained nursery schools (News, 9 December 2009).
However, local authorities that wanted to implement the EYSFF this year were told that they could apply to do so via the pathfinder programme.
The 56 local authorities will build on the work of the original nine pilot areas, which intoduced the EYSFF last April.
The pathfinder process has caused controversy in some areas, including Poole, Dorset, where providers from the voluntary sector accused the council of ignoring their concerns about their single funding formula base rate and trying to push the funding changes through via the pathfinder route (News, 11 February 2010). Poole has not been approved as a pathfinder area.
Children's minister Dawn Primarolo said, ‘The EYSFF will enable local authorities to better manage and plan childcare provision to benefit families across their area. Many local authorities are doing excellent work with early years providers to prepare for the new formula, and I’m really pleased that a third of local authorities are ready to implement from 2010. The new formula is not designed to disadvantage maintained nurseries or to enable private nurseries to make large profits. Local authorities have a duty to ensure that provision in their area meets the needs of families, and we will continue to support local authorities which may need extra help. Any childcare providers who have concerns about the impact of the new formula should contact their local authorities to discuss.’
The second wave of pathfinder local authorities are:
Bath and North East Somerset, Bournemouth, Bracknell Forest, Brent, Brighton and Hove, Bromley, Cambridgeshire, Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, Cumbria, Darlington, Devon, Dudley, East Riding of Yorkshire, East Sussex, Enfield, Gateshead, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Harrow, Hartlepool, Herefordshire, Islington, Kingston-upon-Thames, Lancashire, Lewisham, Medway, Middlesborough, Norfolk, North Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Oldham, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Redbridge, Richmond-upon-Thames, Salford, Sheffield, Slough, Solihull, Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Southend, Southampton, Stockport, Stockton, Swindon, Suffolk, Telford and Wrekin, Thurrock, Torbay, Tower Hamlets, Wakefield, Walsall, Warwickshire, Wiltshire.
