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ITEM EX12

EXECUTIVE – 18 MARCH 2003

DEVELOPING THE FOUNDATION STAGE OF LEARNING IN OXFORDSHIRE

Report by Acting Chief Education Officer and Director for Business Support & County Treasurer

1. On 7 January, the Executive approved the introduction of a single main point of admission in September each year to Oxfordshire’s primary schools. This is part of a package of measures aimed at developing the Foundation Stage of Learning in primary schools. The Executive agreed that September admissions should be introduced in either September 2004 or 2005 - the precise timing to be decided in the light of a further report clarifying the financial implications.
2. This report sets out key strategic and financial issues for the Executive to consider prior to confirming a start date for the introduction of a single main point of admission to primary schools.

Strategic Issues

3. The report on 7 January set out a number of strategic factors which point strongly towards the introduction of a single point of admission in September 2004 or 2005. These include:

• Ensuring a universal entitlement to primary education in the Foundation Stage
• Improving the quality of early years provision and the impact on children’s achievement
• Ensuring sufficiency of early years places in the County for 4 and 3 year olds
• Improving organisational arrangements for primary schools, parents and early years settings
• Investing in good quality buildings and facilities
• Stimulating closer partnerships with voluntary and private sector providers
• Meeting children’s special educational needs more effectively
• Developing childcare and ‘extended schools’

4. The implementation of the Foundation Stage proposals was discussed on 29 January by the County’s Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership. The following recommendation to the Executive was agreed:

‘The Early Years Development and Childcare partnership broadly supports the proposed changes to the primary school admissions policy as documented in the report on 3 to 5s Learning, provided the revenue funding proposals for the Foundation Stage are guaranteed

Reservations are expressed about the uncertainty of capital funding to allow the quality standardisation of the scheme to be realised. It is felt that great attention needs to be given to the timing and phasing of any changes, particularly involving capital funding.

Teacher and headteacher training will also be important, as will close partnership working across the range of all existing providers, to ensure flexibility and good communication with parents so that they are fully aware of their entitlement to a place, and so that they can defer the acceptance of a place until their child is five if they wish to do so.’

5. In recent weeks all schools in Oxfordshire have been consulted formally on the County’s proposed admission arrangements to Community and Controlled schools in 2004/05. This year the annual consultation exercise has included a question on the proposed introduction of a single main point of admission to primary schools in September 2004. Of the 116 schools which responded to this question, 103 (89%) support the proposal for a single point of admission in September 2004.
6. Primary Headteachers and Governors have broadly welcomed the County Council’s proposals and the investment in early years provision that is expected to accompany them. However, their representatives point to the fact that the proposals are for half-time provision only. With this in mind, they stress that the proposals should be seen as no more than an interim stage, and that the County Council should introduce a full-time entitlement for four year olds at the earliest opportunity.

Financial Issues

7. The 7 January report set out five measures which need to accompany the introduction of a single point of admission and the development of the Foundation Stage of Learning. These measures were the subject of wide consultation in Autumn 2002. The five measures and their financial implications are set out below. Proposals b) to e) are set out in the order in which they were ranked by those who responded to the ‘3 to 5s Learning’ consultations.

1. introducing a single main point of admission with its associated free school meals entitlement (estimated to cost £177k per annum from April 2004)
2. increasing the age-weighted pupil unit of resource for reception-year five-year olds from £1556 to £2045 per annum (at current rates) to bring it into line with that for younger children in the Foundation Stage (estimated at £580k in 2004/05 and £1m in 2005/06 and beyond)
3. establishing a (revenue-funded) early years investment fund for primary school buildings and facilities to bring them up to the standards set out in the County’s Early Years Unit (EYU) Scheme (estimated at £500-700k per annum over the five year period starting in April 2004)
4. establishing a revenue-funded development fund to support partnership projects involving private and voluntary sector providers and LEA primary schools (estimated at £200-300k per annum over the five year period starting in April 2004)
5. providing additional funds to support young children with special educational needs in private and voluntary sector settings (estimated at £100-200k per annum over the five year period starting in April 2004).
   
   
8. Of the above proposals, item a) and part of item c) have now been included in the budget and medium term financial plan which were voted by Council on February 11. Thus, with regard to 2004/05 – the first year in which the new admissions/Foundation Stage policy might take effect - the current financial position can be set out as follows:

Item	2004/05 Resource estimate (as set out in 7 Jan report)	Approved budget 2004/05	Resource shortfall in 2004/05 (in relation to 7 Jan estimate)	Resource shortfall in 2008/09 (in relation to 7 Jan estimate)
a) Single point of admission and free school meals	£177k	£177k	nil	nil
b) Increase in unit of resource for reception-year five year olds	£580k	nil	£580k	£1000k
c) Early years investment fund for primary school buildings	£500k	nil	£500k	£700k
d) Partnership/ sustainability fund for pre-schools	£200k	£100k	£100k	£200k
e) Support for young children with SEN in PV settings	£100k	nil	£100k	£200k
Totals	£1557k	£277k	£1280k	£2100k

In deciding when and in what way to go ahead with these proposals, the Executive is advised to bear the following points in mind.

9. Item a) is a direct consequence of introducing a single point of admission funded for half-time attendance and free school meals entitlement. The arguments for funding this item in full have already been accepted by The Executive and by the County Council.
10. While, technically, a single point of admission Could be introduced without item b), its inclusion has to be seen as a fundamental part of the early admissions package. On educational grounds, a single point of admission could not be recommended without it. Because of the timing of the financial year relative to the academic year, this is a measure which can be phased in over two financial years without any detriment to the quality of provision in the classroom. The cost would have to be split with seven twelfths falling in year 1 (£580k) and five twelfths in year 2 (£420k)
11. As for item c), a single point of admission – provided it is for half-time attendance only – can be introduced without it. On quality grounds, however, this is not recommended. Improvements to primary school buildings and facilities need to be seen as a key part of the Foundation Stage package. This is best addressed through a commitment to a medium to long-term investment programme which is carefully planned to address key priorities such as sufficiency of places, rural isolation and social need. The establishment of an investment fund can be used to ‘lever in’ contributions from primary schools’ own devolved budgets and from external sources too. The level at which such a fund should be set is flexible to some extent, but it should bear a realistic relationship to the scale of the needs that have been identified. These were outlined in some detail in the report on 7^th January. The estimate of £500k in 2004/05 rising in £50k steps to £700k in 2008/09 is seen as a modest but adequate response to addressing the needs identified.
12. Item d) is not technically a requirement arising from the introduction of a single point of admission. However, it is essential if the County Council is to deal fully with the wider consequences of introducing the new admissions policy. Many of the young children entering primary schools will continue to come from private and voluntary sector settings. The County Council has an overall duty to ensure good quality provision in these settings and to encourage primary schools to work closely with them. The level at which a partnership/sustainability fund for pre-schools should be set is to some extent flexible. However, the sum of £100k now approved for 2004/05 is not considered sufficient to meet the considerable scale of current demands. The estimate of an additional £100k in 2004/05 rising in 50k steps to a ceiling of £300k in 2006/07 is therefore seen as a prudent and adequate response to these demands.
13. Finally, item e) is not a technical requirement for the introduction of a single point of admission. For the children affected by these proposals, it is, however, considered to be an important part of the overall educational and resource package. Its impact will be felt particularly strongly in private and voluntary sector settings where children with SEN often have difficulty in accessing County Council resources. The level at which such a resource should be set is to some extent flexible. The estimate of £100k in 2004/05 rising in £25k steps to £200k in 2008/09 is seen as a reasonable way of addressing this need.

2004 or 2005?

14. As the above analysis shows, the additional cost of the quality and partnership measures needed to accompany the introduction of a single main point of admission to primary schools in September 2004 is expected to be £1.28m in 2004/5. There would be a further increase of £0.55m in 2005/06 and smaller increases in the three years following.
15. If the introduction of the policy were deferred to September 2005, these budget increases could either be delayed completely for one year or they could be spread out over six years rather than five.
16. The alternatives would be:

- to introduce the policy in 2004 or 2005 and to phase in the additional expenditure in a slightly more end-loaded way

- to introduce the policy in 2004 or 2005 with a significantly lower level of resourcing. (This would not be recommended on educational grounds), or

- to abandon its introduction completely for the time being.

Financial Context for 2004/05

17. Available resources for growth in 2004/05 are very limited. the Medium Term Financial Plan agreed by Council in February has a contingency fund of £11m but also an efficiency target of £3m which will give Council Tax increase of 9%. Learning & Culture already has significant bids to consider against the contingency sum including £2.3m off stopped standards funds and £0.4m growth to school budgets for Key Stage 3. Additionally in 2003/04 there was pressure to put resources into this programme area in order to meet the 'Schools budget' passport requirement. The Education Formula Spending Share for 2003/04 was protected by £4.7m of dampening which is unlikely to be in place for 2004/05. It is feasible, therefore, that the passport requirement for 2004/05 will be met with the addition of minimal real terms growth over and above inflation and commitments already in the plan.

Recommendations

18. The Executive is RECOMMENDED:

1. to confirm the introduction of a single main point of admission in September of each year to Oxfordshire primary schools starting in September 2004 on the basis of the financial provision already made in the course of the budget approval process for 2003/04, and to commend this change to the Governors of Aided and Foundation primary schools in the County;
2. to confirm the accompanying measures within the agreed financial provision in relation to:

• free school meals entitlement
• primary schools’ discretion to offer full-time places, subject to local consultation

• the right of parents to defer their child’s admission to primary school in the reception year and the preparation of specific guidance for parents on this issue

• the preparation of further guidance concerning small schools

• the agreement of special local arrangements to safeguard the position of Nursery Schools
• the carrying out of transport assessments in the case of any schemes involving new buildings as approved by the Executive on 7 January;

c. to consider the financial implications set out in the report of the following measures aimed at implementing the Foundation Stage of Learning for young children in Oxfordshire:

• increasing the age-related pupil unit of resource for reception-year five year olds
• establishing an early years investment fund for primary school buildings;
• increasing the partnership/sustainability fund for pre-schools;
• providing additional funds specifically for pre-school children with special educational needs;

d. to agree that the proposed early years investment fund for primary school buildings should be considered in the disposition of any excess capital receipts that may become available ;

e. to ask the officers to carry out detailed work on a scheme for establishing an early years investment fund for primary school buildings starting in 2004/05 and to report back on proposals for this in October 2003

ROY SMITH
Acting Chief Education Officer

CHRIS GRAY
Director for Business Support & County Treasurer

Background Papers: none

Contact Officers: Rick Harmes, Principal Education Officer, Lifelong Learning, Tel: 01865 810626

Matt Bowmer, Acting Head of Education Finance, Tel: 01865 815474

March 2003

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