Full roll-out of the extended entitlements by September 2025 for working parents with a child aged 9 months to 4 years. Continued delivery of the 2-year-old entitlement for disadvantaged children and universal entitlement for 3 and 4-year-olds.
AUTUMN TERM 2024
By the end of this term you will:
- understand the level of take up of the new expanded entitlements during the Autumn term (at both an LA- level and a sub-LA level) and how these impact on your overall childcare sufficiency. You will also need to understand the impact on the provision of places for disadvantaged two-year-olds specifically.
- have agreed your 2025/26 EY Block allocations and be aware of the actions required to enable you to announce your hourly funding rates to providers as soon as possible in the spring.
- have a communications plan in place for regular promotion and marketing of the free entitlements to parents and partners.
- begun to consider the actions you are taking to support workforce recruitment and retention.
be clear on the timescales for completion of your capital projects and how these may impact on your sufficiency.
Autumn Term Required Returns
SPRING TERM 2025
By the end of this term you will:
- have agreed and announced hourly funding rates for 2025/26 and confirmed the overall allocation of the Early Years block.
- be clear on your overall childcare sufficiency assessment for the September expansion. Clearly identify the areas where the most place creation is required and any barriers that exist to achieving sufficiency in those areas.
- have developed a comprehensive recruitment and retention strategy to support your sufficiency requirement focusing on the workforce need to ensure sufficiency as the entitlements expand.
- implemented any plans to ensure continued access to, and take up of, the disadvantaged two-year-old offer.
- be confident that IT systems are ready for the introduction of the new expanded entitlements in September 25.
Spring Term Required Returns
SUMMER TERM 2025
By the end of this term you will:
- have a clear understanding of your childcare sufficiency position when the new expanded entitlements roll out in September.
- review the creation of required new childcare places to ensure that the required recruitment of staff is being achieved.
Identify any work required to address those areas where concerns remain over recruitment. - understand the impact on the roll out of the new entitlements on disadvantaged two-year-old families and have actions in place if needed.
- have developed and delivered a communication strategy to parents and partners in relation to the new expanded offers.
- be confident that providers in your area are passing on the Free Entitlements in accordance with the code of practice.
- have a plan in place for quality monitoring and Continuous Professional Development and training support provision for September 2025 and onwards.
Summer Term Required Returns