Nursery World - NEG distribution 'is unfair'

The Nursery Education Grant distribution system is not delivering fairly to providers, according to the Pre-school Learning Alliance.

Chief executive Steve Alexander told delegates to the Alliance's annualconference in London last week that local authorities' recent costanalyses of the NEG were 'flawed' and 'misleading', and that 'localauthorities may be top-slicing childcare money for other causes.'

Mr Alexander said, 'Unfortunately, still top of our concerns issustainability of provision. There has been a nationwide survey of costs(of the NEG). Our charity had input to the questionnaire that went toauthorities, but emerging evidence suggests that the findings from thiscost analysis are flawed. This is because some local authorities refinedthe questionnaire and ended up asking the wrong question, and indeed maynot be committed to a process that contributes to the Single FundingFormula, as it will inevitably cause more work for themselves.'

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