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ITEM EX12

EXECUTIVE - 22 JANUARY 2002

THE EARLY YEARS DEVELOPMENT AND CHILDCARE IMPLEMENTATION PLAN 2002/03

Report by Acting Chief Education Officer

Introduction

  1. The Early Years Development and Childcare Strategic Plan 2001-2004 was approved on behalf of the Council in February last year. Local Education Authorities and Early Years Development and Childcare Partnerships (EYDCPs) are also required to submit an annual Implementation Plan and an annual Childcare Audit to the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) for approval. This report seeks the Executive’s approval of proposals for next year’s Implementation Plan, which needs to be submitted to the DfES by 1 February 2002 in order to be approved by April 2002. Substantial funding in the form of external grants is dependent on this approval.

  2. The Implementation Plan (download as .rtf file) highlights achievements against the Strategic Targets and Goals and sets out in more detail the significant areas of need and of activity for the coming year. The Childcare Audit (attached) (download as .rtf file) gives the underpinning data required by the DfES that is also used for local planning purposes. The proposed Implementation Plan, is circulated separately to members and is available for public inspection.

    3. Main Achievements, Targets and Challenges in this year and next

  3. The Implementation Plan 2002/03 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.

    • Continued successful partnership service delivery and support, in particular with voluntary sector umbrella groups and a new Children’s Information Service.

    • Expansion of childcare places and successful bids to the New Opportunities Fund.

    • The initial implementation of the Neighbourhood Nursery Initiative in Oxfordshire.

    • The introduction of the Foundation Stage phase of learning, and the development of quality monitoring, training and curriculum support (Note: Oxfordshire won a National Award for Excellence in 2001/02 for this aspect of its work).

    • Training and Recruitment in early education and childcare.

    • Data collection, planning and information services to parents and providers.

    • Family Support and informal childcare.

    • Managing the transition at local level of childcare regulation functions to Ofsted, and establishing how the retained functions for training, information and support will be delivered.
    • Innovative projects such as Partnership Early Years Units, Sure Start, Early Excellence and Forest Schools. (Oxfordshire was runner up for a national award for Excellence for developing ‘Seamless Services’ in 2001/02)

  1. The Plan sets out targets and business objectives for next year in all the areas highlighted above. As stated in the Introduction to the Plan, 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.

    • Recruitment of 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.

    • The expansion of 3 and 4 year old places and implementation of foundation stage - especially lack of available capital funds and increased demand for support from qualified teachers and are Special Educational Needs Co-Ordinators (SENCOs).

    • Quality Assurance of local early education and childcare provision and national recognition of quality assurance and common standards recognisable to parents.

    • ‘Learning 3 – 5’: the Council’s proposed five point strategy for implementation of the Foundation Stage including consultation on possible changes to the County Admissions Policy for four year olds into Primary Schools.

    • The change to new political management arrangements for the LEA.

    • The establishment of the Integrated Unit for Early Years and Childcare, currently managed though Social Services and Education, under a single management structure within Lifelong Learning in the Education Department.

    • Links with the new Learning and Skills Council with regard to targets for training and qualifications for early years and childcare staff.

    • The national and county strategy for family support and children’s fund and strategic links between the EYDCP, the Children’s Strategic Partnership and recently reorganised Primary Health Care Trusts.

    • Involvement of employers and ethnic minorities as key members of the EYDCP and its subgroups.

    • Links to other Partnerships – Local Strategic Partnership, District Councils and neighbouring EYDCPs.

Priorities for the County Council

  1. 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 and the implementation of the County Council’s 5 point strategy for the implementation of the Foundation Stage. A separate report to this meeting gives more detail on the former, and the latter is currently the subject of public discussion as approved by the Executive on 13 November 2001.

  2. The County Council’s statutory duties are being expanded to include the provision of support and monitoring of the quality of all publicly funded early years education, including that provided by the private, voluntary and independent sectors. Nationally £50 million additional funding has been included in Local Authorities Standard Spending Assessments, to enable them to meet the ambitious targets for involvement of a qualified teacher and area SENCO in every setting receiving early years grant for the education of 3 and 4 year olds. In Oxfordshire this applies to approximately 326 settings, over and above nursery and reception providers within the maintained sector.

    3. Consultation and Approval

  3. The proposals set out in the 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. All Plans must be finally approved by the EYDCP as well as by the LEA before submission to the Department for Education and Skills. The proposed Implementation Plan for 2002/03 is being put before the EYDCP on January 23 and must be submitted to the DfES by February 1 2002.

    4. Financial and Staffing Implications

  4. 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. These are detailed in the Implementation Plan, and there are no new staffing implications for the County Council other than those needed to meet the new statutory duties for support to providers of publicly funded education in the private, voluntary and independent sectors.

  5. In order to meet these targets the County will need to employ an additional 11 full time equivalent posts (in the Advisory and Improvement Branch and the Services to Pupils Branches), to undertake direct work with providers located within the five Divisions. The total cost of these posts, including on costs and additional training provision and supply cover for providers is £493,000. This sum has been put forward in the County’s Policy and Budget Plans as an unavoidable pressure to be met from additional SSA which, nationally, the Government has included in local authorities’ Revenue Support Grants to enable these targets to be met.

    6. RECOMMENDATIONS

  6. The Executive is RECOMMENDED to:

          1. approve the contents and format of the Childcare Audit 2001;

          2. subject to (c) below, approve the proposals for the Early Years Development and Childcare Implementation Plan for 2002/03;

          3. authorise the Executive Member for Children & Young People to approve, on behalf of the Executive, any changes requested as a result of discussion at the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership meeting on 23 January;

          4. authorise the creation of the new posts described in the report, subject to confirmation of funding through the budget setting process.

 

 

ROY SMITH
Acting Chief Education Officer

Background Papers: Nil

Contact Officer: Annie Davy Tel: (01865) 815493

January 2002

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