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As you will be aware, the first stage of the expansion will enable eligible working parents of 2-year-olds to access 15 hours of funded childcare from Monday, 15 April 2024, when the summer term starts.
Working family entitlement 2-year-old codes (issued by HMRC) are 11-digits long and most will start with 50, like the existing 3/4-year-old codes. It has been designed this way so that children will keep these 11-digit codes for when they turn 3 and 4. Some parents may have 11-digit HMRC codes that do not start with 50 (please see below). Provided they are in date, they are also valid for the “expanded” entitlement.
These codes can be checked via the existing Eligibility Checker on your provider portal (even when the portal is closed).
Please be reminded that the provider portal will open 23 March until 21 April 2024 for the submission of April / May actuals funding claims – this will include claims for the new eligible working parents of 2-year-olds.
The existing 2-year-old funding will remain. Although the government calls this ‘disadvantaged’ 2-year-old funding, the local authority refers to this as ‘assessment-based’ 2-year-old funding. These codes are issued by local authorities, not HMRC. Derbyshire’s codes are 6-digits long with a mixture of letters and numbers, but other local authorities’ codes may vary.
For your information - HMRC 11-digit eligibility codes:
- Extended and expanded funding eligibility codes usually start with 50.
- A temporary eligibility code will start with 11.
- For children in foster care, 30 hours eligibility codes usually start with 40.
Please be reminded that parents must have applied for their HMRC working family code, the term prior to which they wish to access the extended entitlement funding:
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Apply for code before
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Eligible to start
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31 March
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Summer Term (after Easter Holidays)
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31 August
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Autumn Term (September)
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31 December
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Spring Term (January)
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The local authority does not have discretionary funds to secure additional funded hours where the parent has applied or reconfirmed after the 31 March, 31 August or 31 December deadline dates, nor for codes issued after the relevant dates listed in the Statutory Guidance.
Please note: It is imperative that providers check that all codes (for both new and existing parents) are valid on the provider portal before offering a place to the child in order to avoid parents being issued with an unexpected invoice for childcare that the provider initially agreed would be funded.
If a parent has questions about their application or difficulties with applying or reconfirming their code, they will need to contact the HMRC helpline on telephone: 0300 123 4097.
April / May Actuals
The provider portal will be open from 23 March – 21 April 2024 for the submission of April / May actuals.
Please ensure data is submitted accurately on to the system and all children’s hours are included.
If you do not submit your information by this deadline, you will not receive your funding during the normal payment timescale. Financial Services are not able to make bespoke payments where submissions have been missed.
Once all the information has been submitted, please remember to click ‘Send Claim’. You will see a green tick when your claim has been submitted.
If you experience any difficulties in submitting your data, please refer to the useful guidance information on the SchoolsNet - Funding and contracts tile in the first instance. If you continue to experience difficulties, please e-mail cs.enquiries.groupcare@derbyshire.gov.uk; cs.enquiries.childminders@derbyshire.uk; cs.enquiries.schools@derbyshire.gov.uk and an Officer will make contact with you. Due to the volume of queries being received, please allow the Officer time to respond.
March Adjustments
The provider portal will also be open from 23 March until 21 April 2024 for providers to submit ‘Adjustments’ to the March Actuals.
Important: can we please remind providers that ‘Adjustments’ submissions are for children who increase/decrease their hours or start/leave a provision following the closure of Actuals. Adjustments should not be used as an alternative to Actuals.
Once all the information has been submitted, please remember to click ‘Send Claim’.
Ethnicity Options
When submitting children’s data on the provider portal, please be reminded to include the correct ethnicity option on the ‘child details’ tab, for each child.
Where a parent has not completed this on their FE1 form, please choose the relevant option from
the dropdown list on the portal.
Early years providers are reminded that they can claim an enhancement to the hourly funding rate for children eligible for Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP) to support their development, learning and care.
From April 2024, EYPP will be extended to all eligible funding streams.
Economic
The economic criteria is similar to the criteria used for children who would receive free school meals. Economic EYPP applications are to be submitted through the Provider Portal using the information gathered on your FE1 form, as laid out in your provider agreement. Full economic. The full economic criteria can be found here: Get extra funding for your early years provider - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Non-Economic
The non-economic criteria apply to a child who has left care through:
- a special guardianship order
- a child arrangements order
- an adoption order
To claim the funding for any children within your setting who have left care, providers will need to request a copy of the relevant Order from the family. Once the documentation is received from the parent, it should be forwarded to the relevant email address below, along with the setting’s details, highlighting it is evidence for EYPP:
cs.enquiries.childminders@derbyshire.gov.uk
cs.enquiries.groupcare@derbyshire.gov.uk
cs.enquiries.schools@derbyshire.gov.uk
Children in the care of the local authority
Providers should contact the local authority who have legal responsibility for the child to make a claim. For any children attending your setting who are currently in the care of Derbyshire County Council please email our virtual school at virtualschool@derbyshire.gov.uk to submit your application.
Children in the care of another local authority
Providers will need to contact the relevant Virtual School to find out how to claim EYPP for one of their children. Please contact Derbyshire County Council using the relevant email address above, if there are any issues around this.
The Finance team are continuing to receive numerous claims from providers who tick the ‘Nominated for DAF’ (Disability Access Fund) box on the provider portal for children who are not eligible for this funding.
Important: could we please remind providers that the DAF box should only be ticked for children in receipt of Disability Living Allowance (DLA). The DLA letter must be seen, and a copy must be retained securely by the Provider, prior to this annual funding supplement being paid.
The 9-digit reference number, displayed on the child’s DLA letter, should be included on the FE1 / Parent Declaration Form.
From April 2024 - When claiming DAF on the provider portal, the 9-digit reference number will need to be included on the child’s ‘Notes’ tab. This will confirm that a provider is in receipt of the DLA letter and an annual DAF payment can be processed. If the reference number is not entered, DAF funding will be withheld until DAF eligibility can be confirmed.
 Guidance documentation on the SchoolsNet funding and contracts tile have been updated to reflect this change.
As you will be aware, the stretched funding option is being adjusted to only allow term time funding claims to be submitted via the provider portal from the start of the summer term (15 April 2024) for all new funded children - any new children attending your setting who wish to access their funded hours over the holiday period, will be claimed as term-time hours on the provider portal.
However, providers who are currently submitting stretched funded claims for existing children via the provider portal, will still be able to continue to do so for these children for the remainder of this academic year (until the end of the summer term 2024).
From the start of the autumn term 2024, all funding claims will be submitted on a term-time basis via the provider portal.
Important: Providers can still meet the individual needs of families by delivering the funded hours over the period the provision is open by invoicing accordingly. In short, stretched funding can still be delivered to families; it is just the way it is claimed for that is changing.
Tools / guidance documentation are available on SchoolsNet to support those providers who deliver stretched funded hours via the portal.
We would welcome your feedback regarding the adjustment to the stretched funding option. Please complete the quick feedback form by 5 April 2024.
Whilst undertaking funding compliance checks, the Early Years Finance Team are finding that not all providers are following the procedure for recording child absences.
All providers must keep a record of the dates and reasons for children’s absences for safeguarding and funding purposes. These should be recorded on the Absence Log and signed by the parent/carer upon the child’s return.
Can we please remind all providers of the importance of keeping accurate attendance records, as stated in the following points, as per your signed Agreement:
15.13 Early years’ providers will not be penalised for children’s absences if a record of the absence has been completed and signed by the child’s parent/carer. Failure to complete or maintain accurate absence records may result in funding being reclaimed.
Early years’ providers should follow up absences of funded children, referring to local safeguarding procedures as necessary and retain records of attempts to contact parents/carers during periods of absence.
15.14 Early years’ providers should monitor children’s attendance and absences and identify patterns of missed sessions each term. Early years’ providers should discuss identified patterns of missed sessions with parents/carers to determine the reasons, retaining records of the discussion outcome and amending funding claims as necessary.
15.15 Early years’ providers must notify the Early Years Finance Team of a child’s absence of four weeks or more and the reason for the absence. The local authority will inform the early years’ provider if funding can be claimed for the period or if the place should be withdrawn.
cs.enquiries.childminders@derbyshire.gov.uk
cs.enquiries.groupcare@derbyshire.gov.uk
cs.enquiries.schools@derbyshire.gov.uk
For further guidance via SchoolsNet, please refer to the following link:
Short Term Closures and Child Absences
Where changes occur within the setting for example, change to the provision name, childminder name, address, telephone number, email address, business structure and changes to committee members and / or manager. Please remember to notify Ofsted and the local authority using the following e-mail addresses as any of these changes may require a new Provider Agreement:
Ofsted: enquiries@Ofsted.gov.uk
cs.enquiries.childminders@derbyshire.gov.uk
cs.enquiries.groupcare@derbyshire.gov.uk
cs.enquiries.schools@derbyshire.gov.uk
Please also remember to update your setting's details with the Families Information Service, telephone: email: info.fis@derbyshire.gov.uk
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If you are a contracted provider and would like to receive text reminders when the provider portal is open / closed, please ensure you notify us (and Ofsted of course!) of your mobile number.
Where the local authority has received a mobile number from your setting, this will automatically be included in the ‘Texting’ notifications.
Please let us know via email if you wish to be removed from this Service.
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