Issue - meetings

Forward Plan Ref: 2021/186

Contact: Sarah Fogden, Finance Business Partner Tel: 07557 082613

Report by Director for Children’s Services (CA10).

The local authority is required to set a funding formula for 2- year old and for 3 and 4 year old provision.

Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to: -

a)           Pass the funding increase received by Oxfordshire onto providers in full and approve the 2022-23 Early Years funding formula for 3 and 4- year old provision with an underlying hourly rate of £4.35 (excluding the Deprivation supplement, SEN Inclusion Fund and Contingency).

b)           Pass the funding increase received by Oxfordshire onto providers in full and approve the 2022-23 Early Years funding formula for 2- year old provision at an hourly rate of £5.89.

Recommendations agreed

Cabinet was asked to agree to set a funding formula for 2- year old and for 3 and 4 year old provision.

Councillor Liz Brighouse, Cabinet Member for Children, Education and Young People’s Services, introduced the report.  The proposed increase in funding would be implemented for early years provision right across the county in nursery schools, classes and other settings.

There were issues around funding but also with sufficiency of provision as the pandemic had diminished provision.  The proposal had already been approved at the Schools Forum.

Councillor Calum Miller, Cabinet Member for Finance, added that managing uncertain school numbers had always been a challenge but that there was provision to take forward funding from future years if the census showed higher numbers than anticipated.  He was content that this was prudently managed from a financial point of view.

The Chair put the recommendations.

RESOLVED to:

a)           Pass the funding increase received by Oxfordshire onto providers in full and approve the 2022-23 Early Years funding formula for 3 and 4- year old provision with an underlying hourly rate of £4.35 (excluding the Deprivation supplement, SEN Inclusion Fund and Contingency).

b)           Pass the funding increase received by Oxfordshire onto providers in full and approve the 2022-23 Early Years funding formula for 2- year old provision at an hourly rate of £5.89.