Warm Welcome for Lib Dem Manifesto Pledge to Triple Early Years Funding

The Leader of the Opposition and of the Liberal Democrat Group, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, has warmly welcomed the recent announcement by the Liberal Democrats that they will more than triple investment in the early years pupil premium from £300 to £1000 per child if they form part of the next Government.

The early years pupil premium was announced in March 2014 and is currently worth £300 for every disadvantaged child. Last week Lib Dem Schools Minister David Laws announced that as part of the party’s manifesto this would be increased to £1000.

On hearing the news, Cllr Sykes said:

“By committing this extra money to help the youngest disadvantaged children in society, the Liberal Democrats will ensure that every child gets the best possible start in life, is ready to learn when they start school and so have an opportunity to get on.

As children in early years are only in part time education this represents an equivalent investment higher than the primary school pupil premium, demonstrating the huge importance that Liberal Democrats place on early years education.

This will benefit over 170,000 disadvantaged children from 2015-16”.

Notes

• Increases to the Early Years Pupil Premium will follow the same pattern as the schools Pupil Premium – with the value gradually increasing over the lifetime of the parliament until it reaches £1000 per child. Because children in early years are only in part time education this is an equivalent rate higher than the primary school pupil premium.

• It will pay early years providers an additional amount per year for each eligible child that takes up the full 570 hour entitlement with them.

• The eligible groups will be children from low income families (defined as meeting the criteria for free school meals); children that have been looked after by the local authority for at least one day; have been adopted from care; have left care through special guardianship; and children subject to a child arrangement order setting out with whom the child is to live (formerly known as residence orders).

• As with the schools pupil premium, the Liberal Democrats would not impose restrictions on how providers spend the Early Years Pupil Premium. However, Ofsted will hold providers to account for how they’ve used the money to support their disadvantaged children through the regular inspection process.

• It is estimated that over 170,000 children could benefit from the EYPP in 2015-16 and future years.

• More information on the early years pupil premium is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/early-years-pupil-premium-and-funding-for-2-year-olds
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