Archived decisions

Contact: Maggie Macdonald, Head of Corporate Unit, Early Education & Childcare, Ext 3872

1 Summary

1.1 This report outlines Hampshire's Sure Start Strategic Plan 2004-2006 for consideration by the Members of the Education Policy Review Committee, prior to its implementation from 1 April 2004. A full copy of the Plan is available in the Members' room and at http://www.hants.gov.uk/childcare/ssplanmenu.html.

1.2 This decision supports Aim 1 of the Corporate Strategy (Maximising life opportunities) by supporting the development of community based childcare and the provision of early education for all three and four year old children.

1.3 It supports Aim 3 of the Corporate Strategy (Achieving economic prosperity) by helping to provide communities with job opportunities and training and aiding and supporting the development of small businesses.

1.4 It supports Aim 4 of the Corporate Strategy (Building stronger and safer communities) by helping children to engage with constructive out of school activities as a model for positive use of future leisure time.

1.5 It supports Aim 5 of the Corporate Strategy (Improving services) by linking the development of new childcare facilities to the needs of local communities and having in place systems for checking the quality of early education and childcare provision.

1.6 It supports Aim 6 of the Corporate Strategy ( Developing Councillors and Staff) by stating, where appropriate, the type of training staff may require to meet the objectives of the Sure Start Strategic Plan.

2 Strategic Implications

2.1 The County Council has a statutory duty to ensure that there are good quality early education places for all children from the age of three years.

2.2 The County Council has a statutory duty to ensure the provision of a children's information service.

2.3 The targets contained within the Sure Start Strategic Plan for 2004-2006 include work in relation to two Early Years Best Value Performance Indicators. Best Value 192a, which requires early education practitioners to have access to four days training per year and Best Value 192b, which requires there to be a ratio of one qualified teacher involved with every ten early education settings.

3 Background

3.1 The Government, through the National Childcare Strategy, Sure Start Local Programmes, the Neighbourhood Nursery Initiative and the development of Children's Centres, aims to ensure that there is accessible, good quality out of school childcare provision for school aged children. Also, that there are accessible, good quality integrated services for young children and their families, which included early education, childcare, family support, training and child health services. As acknowledged in the Sure Start planning guidance, quality childcare and early years education help ensure that children get the best possible start in life, which brings personal, social and economic benefits. Childcare also unlocks the opportunity of employment and training for parents, which helps to reduce child poverty and increase the prosperity of individual families. Local communities benefit from these new childcare facilities, which offer employment and work based training. Society as a whole benefits because providing informal learning and play opportunities for children and young people help to reduce disaffection.

3.2 Since the launch of the National Childcare Strategy in 1997, Members had given their support to and approval of previous strategic plans about the work of the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership. This latest plan has not been constructed in isolation but is built upon the achievements and work developed within previous plans. The Sure Start Strategic Plan no longer needs formal approval by the Sure Start Unit at the Department for Education and Skills.

4 Hampshire's Sure Start Strategic Plan 2004-2006

4.1 Hampshire's Sure Start Strategic Plan was drafted following a planning day on 28 November 2003 for all members of the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership. This work has been progressed through the Partnership sub groups by the officers of the Early Education and Childcare Unit. The full Partnership gave its support to the draft Strategic Plan at its meeting on 3 March 2004.

4.2 The Strategic Plan 2004-2006 is presented under four key headings:

· integrated services for young children and their families

· the foundation stage of education

· creating and sustaining childcare

· developing the workforce.

Within those four headings there are fourteen separate annexes each of which has a progress review from the previous Strategic Plan for 2001-2004, a service definition and proposed developments, an operational plan, a financial plan and success criteria. The annexes are set out in the table below:

Annexe	Title	Key Area
1	Free early education for three and four year olds	Foundation stage of education
2	The core offer for Children's Centres	Integrated services for young children and their families
3	Sure Start local programmes	Integrated services for young children and their families
4	Maintained nursery schools and playgroups	Foundation stage of education
5	Definition of childcare places	Creating and sustaining childcare
6	Out of school and extended schools	Creating and sustaining childcare
7	Childminders	Creating and sustaining childcare
8	Sustainability	Creating and sustaining childcare
9	Tax credits and Jobcentre Plus	Creating and sustaining childcare
10	Children's Information Service	Creating and sustaining childcare
11	Area based SENCOs and inclusion	Foundation stage of education
12	Childcare and early years recruitment and retention	Developing the workforce
13	Childcare and early years training	Developing the workforce
14	Funding arrangements	All

4.3 The Local Education Authority has responsibility for ensuring the implementation of the plan in collaboration with other organisations in the private, voluntary and public sectors. The delivery of the Strategic Plan will be monitored by the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership, the Children and Young People's Strategic Partnership and Members of the Early Years Advisory Group.

4.4 New childcare places targets for 2004-2006, supported by the General Sure Start grant funds:

Category	Target number of new places: disadvantaged areas	Target number of new places: other areas
Revenue funded childcare places	2,465	4,524
Playgroup conversion: capital funded	335	235
Children's Centres	117
Total new childcare places	2,938	4,759
Out of school places: capital funded	662

5 Financial implications

5.1 The overall total funding in the General Sure Start Grant for Hampshire is £14,301,922. Of this £2,328,363 is ring fenced for the following:

· SEN and inclusion (children with special needs and disabled children) £1,037,998

· Children's Centres (revenue) £209,759

· Children's Centres (capital) £791,106

· Support childminder scheme £289,500

5.2 The total amount of funding in the General Sure Start Grant that is not ring fenced is £11,973, 559. This comprises the following:

Delivery support fund	£3,986,019
Children's Information Service	£613,695
Workforce development (recruitment and training)	£3,396,291
Nursery schools development	£55,113
Extended schools	£53,000
New childcare places (revenue) other areas	£1,546,012
New childcare places (revenue) disadvantage areas	£1,582,157
New childcare places (capital for out of school)	£220,500
New childcare places (capital for playgroup conversion) disadvantaged areas	£390,500
New childcare places (capital for playgroup conversion) other areas	£130,273

6 The work of the Early Years and Childcare Unit continues to expand as recognition of the importance of the investment in good quality early education and childcare increases. Hampshire's Sure Start Strategic Plan 2004-2006 builds upon the successes of previous plans and responds to the challenges of the Green Paper - Every Child Matters, though an integrated and collaborative approach by all those with an interest in improving the quality, range and sufficiency of early education and childcare.

Recommendations

1 That the Executive Member for education be advised that the Hampshire Sure Start Strategic Plan 2004-2006 be approved.

Section 100D - Local Government Act 1972 - background documents

The following documents discuss facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and have been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of this report.

NB: the list excludes:

2 published works.

Documents which disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the Act.

(Quote list of documents here: either "none" if 1 or 2 above apply; or list the relevant letters, memos, etc and their location).