Delivering the early years entitlements
All 3 and 4-year-olds and the most vulnerable 2-year-olds are entitled to 570 hours funded early years education a year. This is delivered as 15 hours a week over 38 weeks (school term time) but can be taken as a stretched offer with fewer hours a week over more weeks per year. In addition, eligible 3 and 4-year-olds of working parents are entitled to a further 15 hours a week. This gives them a 30 hour a week entitlement, or 1,140 hours a year.
From April 2024, working parents of 2-year-olds are entitled to 15 hours a week of funded early years education. This is under the childcare reforms.
This will expand to:
- children aged nine months in September 2024, and
- 30 hours for working parents of children from nine months to school age by September 2025
Early years entitlements take-up rates
As of July 2024, 604 providers were registered to offer the Early Years Entitlements (EYE) 15 hours or 30 hours for eligible 2, 3 and 4-year-olds.
Lincolnshire currently has a higher take-up of 2-year-old funded places compared to regional and national statistics.
2-year-old take-up
| Take-up | National | Regional | Lincolnshire |
|---|---|---|---|
| Disadvantage take-up | 73.9% | 69.7% | 76.3% |
| Working parent take-up | 90% | 91% | 92% |
The Statistical First Release (SFR) is taken from the January census collected each year. The take-up of the entitlement increases throughout the academic year. By the end of the spring term, data shows that more 2-year-olds are accessing places.
| District | Spring 2024 numbers of children in places | Spring 2024 percentage taken based on eligibility |
|---|---|---|
| Boston | 163 | 64% |
| East Lindsey | 293 | 78% |
| Lincoln | 280 | 91% |
| North Kesteven | 171 | 106% |
| South Holland | 142 | 63% |
| South Kesteven | 273 | 104% |
| West Lindsey | 171 | 81% |
| Lincolnshire | 1,600 | 84% |
3 and 4-year-old take-up
- National: 93.7%
- Regional: 93.2%
- Lincolnshire: 90.8%
The outreach work for 2-year-old funding has been successful in ensuring high take up. This year we have invested in mirroring this success and conducting outreach work for 3 and 4-year-olds. The aims will be to promote the universal 3 and 4-year-old offer across the county.
This will help us:
- ensure the take-up rate remains high
- understand the reason why parents have chosen not to take up their entitlement and then address them. These could be:
- costs of childcare
- SEND needs
- availability of childcare
- parental choice
| Entitlement | Autumn 2023 | Spring 2024 | Summer 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Universal | 6,968 | 9,057 | 10,538 |
| Extended | 3,742 | 4,958 | 5,828 |
The above table shows that approximately 50% of parents of 3 and 4-year-olds are entitled to the extended offer for working families. This criteria has been applied to the methodology for calculating places needed for the new entitlements for working families.