Agenda item

(To receive a report from Catherine Stratton, Interim Head of Service – Birth to Five, which provides the Schools Forum with information relating to the local authority's statutory duties under the current DfE guidance and analysis of Lincolnshire's priorities during 2014/15)

Consideration was given to a report from the Interim Head of Service – Birth to Five, which advised the Schools Forum of the local authority's statutory duties under the current DfE guidance and analysis of Lincolnshire's priorities during 2014/15.  The report enabled the Forum to see how Lincolnshire compared to other local authorities; this information would help them inform future discussion about early year's provision.

The Director of Children's Services guided the Forum through the report, making reference to:

·         The quality of providers judged by Ofsted – It was reported that Statistical information released from Ofsted for the period up to July 2013 had demonstrated that 85% of Lincolnshire Early Years providers on 'non-domestic premises' were judged as being good or outstanding.  This figure was 3% above the national average.  It was further highlighted that over a third of Early Years providers on non-domestic premises had improved their Ofsted outcome under the new more rigorous Ofsted framework implemented in November 2013, and of those remaining, a strong majority had held their existing grading.  It was highlighted further that Childminders in Lincolnshire performed slightly below the national average, but their outcomes had shown an improving trend throughout the year;

·         The Early Years Entitlement for 2, 3 and 4 year olds – The Forum were advised that Lincolnshire currently agreed places for 2,264 children, which represented 69% of the total potentially eligible in September.  The number of Early Years providers delivering funded 2 year old places continued to rise and there were currently 260 PVI providers, 103 childminders and 14 school governed providers offering entitlement for 2 year olds in Lincolnshire.  It was noted that the number of 3 and 4 year olds accessing the free entitlement had continued to rise, and that national figures published in June 2012 indicated that 97% of 3 and 4 year old children accessed their free entitlement in Lincolnshire in 2012;

·         Childcare Sufficiency – It was highlighted that a significant number of new childcare places had been developed around the county to support sufficiency needs since September 2012, including places for 2 year olds to support the current 2 year old programme and the roll out of funded education places.  However, in January 2014 the large sufficiency budget to support the development ceased.  This work was now being supported by the Birth to Five Team.  Childminders and Out of School Provision previously supported by commissioned contracts ended in March 2013.  Since the end of the contract, those cohorts of providers had received little direct support.  The Forum noted that currently, the Birth to Five service was reviewing the strategy to provide appropriate levels of information, advice and guidance to those providers as required by statutory duty;

·         Graduate Support – The Forum were advised that the Graduate Support Programme Funding had enabled practitioners to continue with their studies;

·         Partnership Working – It was reported that the service was committed to working in partnership with targeted teams and other agencies across Lincolnshire.  The Forum noted that in several Children's Centres, the Children's Centre Teachers (CCT), working together with Children's Centre Teams had delivered a package of transition support through Linking Education, Partnership and Play (LEAPP) project, to an identified vulnerable group of reception children and their families accessing the schools across the county.  The Birth to Five Service was also working alongside health to look at the obesity issue within early years, to see how to reduce the 25% of children who entered reception overweight;

Information relating to the areas for focus for 2014/15 was detailed on page 32 of the report.

From questions raised the Director of Children's Services advised that research indicated that Early Years provision needed to be classed as good, or outstanding, the authority was committed to deliver the 'Getting to Good' programme.  The authority was also continuing to increase the number of Children accessing 2 year old free entitlement as this seemed to be having an impact as children transitioned into accessing the 3/4 year old offer.

The authority was already improving communication with health with good systems being in place for the most vulnerable. 

RESOLVED

            That the report be noted.