Some three and four-year-olds are eligible for Early Years Pupil Premium. Parents and carers need to complete the relevant paperwork - your nursery manager can help.
What is Early Years Pupil Premium?
Since April 2015, nurseries, schools, childminders, and other childcare providers have been able to claim extra funding through Early Years Pupil Premium to support children's development, learning, and care.
National data and research show that children eligible for free school meals have often achieved less well in the early years. For example, in 2014, 45% of children eligible for free school meals reached the expected level at the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage, compared with 64% of other children. Early Years Pupil Premium gives us extra funding to help close that gap.
How we can use the funding
We can use the extra funding in any way we choose to improve the quality of the early years education we provide for your child. Examples include:
- Additional training for staff on early language.
- Resources to support home learning.
- Investing in partnership working with colleagues in the area to build expertise.
- Supporting staff to develop specialist areas such as speech and language.
How to apply
The money is paid directly to the provider by the local authority. The nursery manager has forms so you can apply for the funding, or can give you the local authority's number to check your eligibility.
Who may be eligible?
Families may be eligible if they are receiving any of the following:
- Income Support
- Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Support from NASS (National Asylum Support Service) under Part 6 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
- The guarantee element of State Pension Credit
- Child Tax Credit (with no Working Tax Credit) with an annual income of no more than £16,190
- Working Tax Credit run-on
- Universal Credit
Why the funding matters
High-quality early education can influence how well a child does at primary and secondary school. We want to make the most of this additional funding so it can make a real difference to your child's learning and development.