The petition, which can be accessed on the Number 10 Downing Street website, also calls for local authorities to be monitored to ensure that the EYSFF is achieving its purpose of improving fairness and transparency in the way funding is allocated to providers.
From April next year the EYSFF will be used to calculate funding for the free entitlement across all sectors. However, some maintained nursery schools that have been offering free, full-time provision are facing huge budget cuts once the EYSFF is implemented and will only be funded to provide the 15- hour free entitlement, in line with other sectors (News, 7 October).
The petition is part of a wider campaign against the EYSFF by Early Education, which has also published a support kit to assist nursery schools and settings who believe that they may be adversely affected by the changes to their funding.
The support kit includes an impact assessment to help settings work out what effect the EYSFF will have on their provision. It suggests campaigning ideas such as notifying the local media, joining forces with other settings and writing to local MPs.
Megan Pacey, chief executive of Early Education, said, 'This is the second phase of our campaign against the EYSFF, which follows on from the survey we published in September that showed only one in five maintained settings had been notified of their EYSFF base rate (News, 30 September). More and more nursery schools and settings are reporting to us that the single funding formula that is being proposed by their local authority is going to adversely affect those children who have been identified as being vulnerable and at risk, including those with special education needs and their parents who also benefit from this high quality provision.'
She added, 'The support kit we have published includes questions and points that we believe settings need to be asking of those making the decisions over funding. We have also published ideas and resources for settings and parents. Nurseries need to make sure that the local community is aware of what the EYSFF means for their children.'
A spokesperson for the DCSF said, 'While we understand that any change in funding arrangements may lead to some anxiety for providers, we are confident that the fairness and transparency that the EYSFF will bring to the system will produce positive results in the longer term. We continue to urge providers to speak to local authorities who are in the middle of a consultation period about this issue.'
Local authority consultations on the implications of the EYSFF are underway. The DCSF will request progress updates on these from local authorities in November.
- Further information: http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/EarlyYearsSFF
The EYSFF support kit is at www.early-education.org.uk
