Nursery World - Rethink on grant

Early years and childcare organisations have broadly welcomed the Government's consultation on funding for early years education, which includes plans for more flexible funding of the free nursery education entitlement. These include options to bring funding systems for maintained and PVI settings more in line so local authorities can fit the market to parents'

These include options to bring funding systems for maintained and PVI settings more in line so local authorities can fit the market to parents'

childcare needs.

There are also proposals to increase the role of the early years sector in decision-making at local authority level with more representation on schools forums.

Speaking about the commitment to increasing the free entitlement to 15 hours, children's minister Beverley Hughes said, 'We need to make sure the funding arrangements can allow parents to take advantage of this increased flexibility.'

The consultation sets out how local authorities currently distribute funding for early years to maintained and PVI providers and puts forward a number of options towards a 'unified early years funding system'.

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