To receive an update on Early Years Sufficiency. 

The Cabinet Member for Children’s Services – Councillor Bye, Director of Children’s Services – Nancy Meehan and the Divisional Director Education (Special Education Needs and Disability (SEND) Services) – Hannah Baker provided an overview of the submitted report regarding Early Years Sufficiency Update and responded to questions.  Key points included:

·      the Council had successfully met demand arising from the expansion of childcare entitlements, with sufficient early years places available across Torbay;

·      average occupancy across settings was 94%, indicating strong take-up of places and no significant over-capacity despite falling birth rates;

·      recruitment and retention of the early years workforce remained a challenge, with ongoing work taking place with education providers and partners to support the sector;

·      twelve capital projects had created around 110 additional childcare places, with further expansion planned through a second phase of funding for two-year-old provision;

·      demand for places for younger children had helped offset the impact of declining birth rates and maintain occupancy levels; and

·      parental choice and the operating models of some providers continued to influence occupancy levels, with increasing flexibility being developed to better meet the needs of working families.

Members asked questions in respect of the following:

·      what response rate was anticipated from the proposed termly parent and provider surveys;

·      whether any trends or feedback had emerged from responses received to date;

·      whether the validation data for childcare entitlement codes showed if families were accessing their full entitlement or only part of it;

·      what additional information could be gathered through future engagement activities;

·      when the additional childcare places would become available and how they would be allocated;

·      whether the new places had already been allocated;

·      what work was taking place with care experienced young people as part of recruitment initiatives with educational partners;

·      how many schools currently offered nursery provision and how many did not;

·      what data was available comparing outcomes for children attending different types of early years provision prior to starting primary school (written response to be provided);

·      whether feedback and success rates from the work with South Devon College were available (written response to be provided);

·      how many providers operated on a term-time only basis (written response to be provided);

·      what action was taken where some providers had waiting lists while others had vacant places; and

·      how parental choice and changing delivery models within schools were influencing the childcare market.

The following responses were received:

·      the move to termly surveys represented a new approach, as surveys had previously been undertaken annually.  The aim was to achieve a response rate of over 80% to provide robust and timely data, although actual response rates were not yet known;

·      feedback received through the surveys would be reviewed over the summer period;

·      some families used their full childcare entitlement while others used only part of their allocation.  Data was collected on usage levels, although the reasons for varying levels of take-up were not always known;

·      additional information was gathered through engagement events where possible, although care needed to be taken to ensure surveys remained accessible and not overly complex;

·      delivery timescales for the additional places depended on the scale of capital works required by individual providers.  All 110 new places were expected to be available by the start of the next academic year.  However, some providers had already allocated their additional places;

·      engagement with care experienced young people had not yet formed part of the recruitment work but this was planned for the future;

·      several schools were exploring nursery provision as a result of falling birth rates and available capacity within school sites;

·      when considering proposals for additional school-based nursery provision, assessments had been undertaken to ensure schools had sufficient capacity and were performing well;

·      Good Level of Development (GLD) data was reported by cohort rather than provider type.  Recent data showed a 7% increase in GLD outcomes, and further analysis would be undertaken as additional information became available (written response to be provided); and

·      where providers had unfilled places, officers met with them to review their offer and provide advice on potential changes that could improve occupancy and better meet parental demand.

Resolved:

That the Children and Young People’s Overview and Scrutiny Sub-Board note the Early Years Sufficiency Update report.