Meeting documents

To consider this report.

The Committee considered this report that provided an update (requested by the previous Committee in 2016) on the capital projects that were submitted to the Education Funding and Skills Agency (EFSA) to support sufficiency of places for the new requirement to deliver 30 hours a week funded places for 3 and 4 years old from 1 September 2017. This had been brought about by the Childcare Act 2016 that discharged a duty to Local Authorities to secure sufficient places for the extended entitlement of 30 hours childcare for eligible working parents of 3 and 4 year olds.

It was explained that the capital funding and support strategies to the early years sector aimed to help create sufficient childcare places  for the 30 hours extended entitlement for 3 and 4 year olds in Somerset and supported the 7 programmes in the Somerset’s Children and Young People’s Plan 2016-19.

Members heard, by way of a background, that expressions of interest had been sought from the early year’s sector and applications were scored against the EFSA criteria set out in the application guidance. Somerset had then submitted 6 projects for consideration by the EFSA and all 6 projects had been approved with total capital funding awarded to Somerset of £1,515,027.31.

The six projects put forward scored the highest scores at shortlisting and were most likely to meet the tight timeframe to be ready to deliver 30 hour spaces in September 2017.  The final six projects were a combination of both Local Authority led bids and private providers and an update about each of the projects was provided in section 4 of the report.

There was a brief discussion about the estimated sufficiency of places and the overall supply and demand estimates and it was reported that by the end of last May, some 280 providers out of 496 that would accept the extra entitlement had registered as offering 30 hours spaces, 56% of providers and approximately 3902 spaces. The figure had subsequently risen to 69% of providers with 4,271 spaces and it was explained that offering spaces was not mandatory and providers could voluntarily register online with the Council. This meant there may be more providers offering spaces and proactive exercises to establish the extent of further spaces would be carried out during June and July 2017.   

The Chairman thanked Officers for the update and the report was accepted.