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ITEM SH9(a)

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EXECUTIVE – 21 JANUARY 2003

THE EARLY YEARS DEVELOPMENT AND CHILDCARE IMPLEMENTATION PLAN 2002 – 2003

Report by Acting Chief Education Officer

1. The Early Years Development and Childcare Strategic Plan 2001 – 2004 was approved by the County Council through its Children and Young People’s Sub-Committee in February 2001. Guidance for the next 3 year strategic plan (2004 – 2007) is expected to be received in the Spring 2003.
2. Early Years Development and Childcare Partnerships (EYDCP) are required to submit annual Implementation Plans to highlight achievements against the Strategic Targets and Goals and set out in more detail the significant areas of need and of activity for the coming year. This report seeks the Executive’s approval of next year’s Implementation Plan proposals, which accompany the report. The report has been submitted first to the Learning & Culture and Social & Health Care Scrutiny Committees and their comments are circulated separately.
3. The Plan needs to be approved by the Local Authority and the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership and submitted to the DfES by 1 February 2003. Substantial funding in the form of external grants is dependent on this approval.

Main Achievements, Targets and Challenges in this year and next

4. The EYDCP Implementation Plan 2003/04 sets out the main achievements against strategic targets. In particular it gives detail in the following areas;

• Expansion of places for publicly funded education for 3 year olds. The participation rate (BVPI headcount figures) has increased from 17% (Spring 2001) to 41.3% (Spring 2002). Early indications are that the Spring 2003 figure will show a further substantial increase in the participation rate.
• Expansion of childcare places and successful bids to the New Opportunities Fund. Over the last 2 years Oxfordshire has successfully bid for over one million pounds to create over two thousand new childcare places.
• The initial implementation of the Neighbourhood Nursery Initiative and partnership work with the Co-operative Society to create affordable daycare in areas of disadvantage, and recently successful bids to develop innovative Local Authority managed schemes in Oxford City and Banbury.
• Training and Recruitment in early education and childcare. The County Council has attracted European Social Funds of £176,399 (Oct 2002 – March 2004) to develop training provision within the County and $40,900 (Oct 2002 – June 2003) to implement a childcare recruitment campaign.
• Innovative projects such as Partnership Early Years Units, Sure Start, and Early Excellence Centres

5. The Implementation Plan for 2003/2004 gives a detailed progress report on targets and business objectives for 2002/03 as well as setting further milestones for 2003/04. There are many opportunities and challenges. In some cases, these may be potential obstacles to achieving the targets set out on the Plan. In other cases they should provide particularly strong impetus to the work of the Partnership. These include:

• Implementation of the next phase of ‘ Learning 3 – 5’: the County’s five point strategy for implementation of the Foundation Stage including the proposed changes to the County Admissions Policy for four year olds into Primary Schools
• Recruitment of sufficient suitably trained and qualified staff at all levels
• Demand for and sustainability of childcare in disadvantaged areas - especially childminders, Neighbourhood Nurseries and Out of School Care
• Development of new partnership provision for early education and childcare on school sites, and support for voluntary providers to access capital funds for appropriate accommodation
• increased demand for support from qualified teachers and for children with special educational needs.
• Quality Assurance of local early education and childcare provision and national recognition of quality assurance and common standards recognisable to parents.
• The national and County strategy for family support and Children’s Fund and strategic links between the EYDCP and other multi-agency strategic partnerships for Children’s Services such as the Children’s Programme Board.
• Involvement of employers and ethnic minorities as key members of the EYDCP and its subgroups
• Links to other Partnerships – Local Strategic Partnership, local District and City Councils and neighbouring EYDCPs

6. As far as the County Council is concerned, perhaps the most significant targets of the Implementation Plan for the coming year are concerned with the expansion of funded places for 3 year olds, its statutory duty to ensure sufficiency of places, and the implementation of the County Council’s 5 point strategy for the Foundation Stage. This last point is dealt with in a separate report to the 7 January Executive.
7. Proposals in this year’s plan reflect the County’s success at bidding for new funding to develop innovative schemes for integrated early years and childcare. These proposals are the basis of separate report to the 10 December Executive. Childcare is an under-developed sector within the national and local economy, which can contribute significantly to sustaining our prosperity. It can contribute to the County Council’s priorities on many other levels as well. It can help people to fulfil their potential by providing increased opportunities for children's play and learning, and by enabling more parents to return to work or study. Childcare can help the County Council to safeguard communities, by providing safe places for young people to go after school and in the holidays when their parents are at work, rather than relying on ad hoc or 'latch key' arrangements.

Consultation and Approval

8. The proposals set out in the EYDCP Annual Implementation Plan have been developed in consultation with the multi-agency Task Groups of the EYDCP and the Divisional Early Years Divisional Liaison Panels. Subject to consideration of the views of the Learning & Culture and Social & Health Care Scrutiny Committees, as well as the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership, the Executive is invited to approve the annual Implementation Plan for 2003/04, which will thereafter be submitted to the EYDCP on 29 January for approval also, for submission to the DfES by 1 February.

Financial and Staff Implications

9. The majority of costs for the infrastructure to support new early years and childcare services are met from direct grants such as the Childcare Grant and standards funds, and these are detailed in the Implementation Plan. The financial implications of the next phase of the County’s strategy for implementing the Foundation Stage of Learning are set out in the separate report to the Executive on 7 January 2003.
10. There are no additional staffing implications for the County Council for 2003/2004 other than those within new County Council managed Neighbourhood Nurseries and childcare, reported separately to the Executive on 10 December 2002.

1. subject to consideration of the views of the Learning & Culture and Social & Health Care Scrutiny Committees and the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership, to approve the proposals set out in the Early Years Development and Childcare Implementation Plan for 2003/04; and
2. to authorise the Acting Chief Education Officer, in consultation with the Executive Members for Children & Young People and Community Care & Health, to consider and agree any changes requested as a result of discussion at the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership meeting on 29 January.

ROY SMITH
Acting Chief Education Office

Background Papers: 3 – 5s Learning – County Council’s consultation documents September 2002

Contact Officer: Annie Davy, Tel 01865 815493

November 2002

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