Today is census day – a triannual event in which all school-based nurseries and private, voluntary and independent settings must return data on the number of children for whom they want to claim early years entitlement funding for the next school term.
In previous censuses, the DfE based future funding levels for 15- and 30-hours of funded places on the number of children on-roll at a setting.
However, in the current lockdown the department changed its requirement stating that providers could only make a claim for a child who was currently being offered a place, and therefore provision had to be open to enable that place to be available.
The situation has forced nurseries in schools across the country that closed as a result of the pandemic to reopen this week at the last minute.
School-based nurseries have been particularly affected by the census requirements, as many shut their doors following orders for all schools to close on 5 January.
On 8 January the DfE clarified that school nurseries must be open, in line with guidance for PVI settings and childminders.
(Last week, the DfE confirmed that for PVI providers, children not currently attending an early years setting due to coronavirus, but that are registered with one, should be included in next week’s early years census.)
Others that remain closed have lobbied the DfE relentlessly over the past two weeks for a return to the old policy, alongside trade unions, local authorities and other national organisations.
Late last night, the DfE issued a statement to the school leaders union NAHT suggesting it would offer a top-up fund to nursery classes and school nurseries to cover any gaps in funding as a result of today’s census.
It said, ‘While the census count will be the default indicator to determine the funding, there is the capacity to provide top-up funding if necessary, to ensure that providers receive funding for every child that attends.’
Nursery World has asked the DfE for further clarification as to how this top-up fund will work in practice.
In the London Borough of Haringey, Belmont Infants School head teacher Fiona Crean opened her nursery for keyworker and vulnerable children.
But she had been unable to organise provision for all children in a Covid-safe way, which required separating children into bubbles across several rooms with additional staff.
However, because the school currently has broken central heating in the early years block, she would not have been able to open the nursery today to all children in any case.
Because of this, today the nursery was only able to open for five children for whom she can claim funding. But the remaining 41 children on roll must be omitted from the census return, meaning the school could lose an estimated £47,000 next term.
‘Last week I was thinking I would have to ask every parent to bring his or her child on site at some point just to register that they wanted the place, even if they didn’t want them on site due to [the Government’s] "keep your children at home" message,’ said Ms Crean.
‘I am pleased there has been some acknowledgement of the financial implications and support by the DfE, but it is very late as census day is today – we needed to know two weeks ago.’
Other school nurseries in the borough opened today, after asking parents to notify them if they would want a place for their child, even if in practice they intended to keep the child at home.
A communication sent by the schools stated that the DfE’s approach was putting them 'in the difficult position of having to balance the health and safety of children, parents and staff against the future financial viability of the nursery class'.
NAHT director of policy James Bowen said the DfE had put school leaders ‘in a really difficult position’ and forced an awful lot ‘to increase numbers in their nurseries.’
‘We have been constantly lobbing the DfE to say to schools and nurseries, you can count all the children on the roll, even if they are temporarily not attending,’ he said.
‘The Government has said to us they are now recognising that the census will not necessarily give an accurate picture of attendance in [school] nurseries because of the current situation.
‘There was an obvious and simple solution in all of this,’ he continued. ‘They haven’t done that, but at least there is some hope this top-up funding might kick-in, and that [school] nurseries will be able to be protected financially.’
‘We’re now keen to understand the details of how that work, and how quickly schools can access that.’
The DfE was contacted for a response.
- DfE census guidance
