This article has been brought to you by Slough Borough Council's Interim Workforce Development and Sufficiency Coordinator for Children and Families, Clare Thompson on behalf of Slough Borough Council's Associate Director for Children and Families Michael Jarrett. This is for the attention of all schools and Early Years settings.
We have received additional supporting documentation for both Early Years and Schools Census. For the Early Years Census, this guidance is to be used as an addition to the guidance already available on gov.uk regarding Early Years Census 2021 found here: Early Years Census 2021: Early Years Census 2021: guide - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
As announced on the 4th January 2021, Early Years provision should remain open to all children to attend their expected hours where this is operational viable to do so.
The Early Years Census 2021 is intended to reflect the provision made available to parents/guardians and a provider’s usual expected attendance in census week commencing on the 18th January 2021.
In summary, where a child is reasonably expected to attend EY provision, and the provision is made available by the provider, their expected hours should be recorded in the Early Years Census. This applies to nursery classes of schools, maintained nursery schools, PVIs, Children’s Centres and childminders.
The intention is to ensure parity of approach to counting of funded entitlements across both the School Census and the Early Years Census. Where a provider is counting a child on the census, the place must be genuinely ‘available’: this means a provider must not count a child where they have furloughed the staff who would be required to deliver the child’s place.
If a setting chooses not to open to all i.e. to close or only offer places to key worker or vulnerable children only, they should not make a return in the census for any child who is not being offered a place. However, if a setting is temporarily closed, for example for staff infections or isolation periods, the census should be completed with the number of children who are on roll.
Please contact the Early Years Division on 01753 476554 or earlyyears@slough.gov.uk if you would like to discuss further.