The Department for Education and Skills' Consultation on School, EarlyYears and 14-16 Funding 2008-11 looks at ways to bring the funding ofvoluntary, private and maintained early years services closertogether.
Proposals include: setting up a standard way of funding maintained,private and voluntary services; using the same method to count pupils inall sectors; and introducing a single formula at local level for fundingthe free childcare entitlement.
Purnima Tanuku, chief executive of the National Day NurseriesAssociation, who proposed such changes for the Children Now Manifesto(Children Now, 28 February-6 March), said the consultation was greatnews for the early years sector. But she urged the Government to issueinterim guidance on providing for next year's free entitlement, in orderthat enough money can be given out by councils.
The charity 4Children said efforts to give early years a voice on localschools forums would give the sector the attention it deserves. And AnneLongfield, its chief executive, added that earmarking early yearsfunding would enable councils to fairly allocate the money for thesector, delivered through the Dedicated Schools Grant.
Sheila Scales, director of Sure Start at the DfES, said: "The 3bnwe give is enough, but distribution issues are important."
The consultation also advises making it easier to share the grant amongworkers to realise the Every Child Matters outcomes.
But Malcolm Trobe, president of the Association of School and CollegeLeaders, recommended improvements: "We do not have an equitable fundingsystem for education across the country and the proposals do not go farenough to achieve this." The consultation runs until 1 June.
- www.dfes.gov.uk
- Additional reporting by Nancy Rowntree.
