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Please be reminded to ensure all information submitted via the provider portal is accurate.
Where consent is given for an EYPP check, these checks are completed prior to processing provider funding payments each month. Checks are undertaken using the Department for Education (DfE) eligibility checking engine which integrates with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and HMRC to verify eligibility.
To minimise the risk of errors:
- Enter family details accurately
- Record each parent as separate entries where applicable
- Avoid special characters (e.g. umlauts, slashes, or any special characters), as these can interfere with the system processing and result in inaccurate eligibility outcomes.
The local authority continues to work towards the government ambition for all primary school age children, who want it, to be able to access wraparound provision.
If you are interested in either expanding your current wraparound offer or creating new provision, please email the Sufficiency Team for further information: CS.SufficiencyService@derbyshire.gov.uk.
The school-age childcare (SAC) guidance for schools and academy trusts has been published and is available here: School-age childcare guidance for schools - GOV.UK.
The SAC guidance for schools and academy trusts replaces the National Wraparound Childcare Programme Guidance for schools and academy trusts.
The Department for Education is developing a new set of digital tools on the Best Start in Life website, designed to make it easier for parents to find and understand childcare options.
These new tools are currently being trialled with families while further improvements are made, with a national rollout planned later this year.
What’s being introduced
Three new tools are currently being developed to support families:
- Childcare Entitlement Checker – helping parents understand what funded support they may be eligible for
- Childcare Cost Estimator – providing typical childcare costs by region and type
- “Find a Provider” tool – allowing parents to search for local childcare providers
The “Find a Provider” tool is particularly important for providers, as it is designed to increase visibility of childcare options and help families connect directly with services in their area.
Why this matters to you
The information shown to parents in the new search tool will come from a combination of national datasets, including the Ofsted Early Years Register, School Census / Get Information About Schools, and Local Authority Family Information Service (FIS) records.
This means that the details you provide through FIS will directly influence how your setting is presented to parents.
If your information is incomplete or out of date, families may miss key details about your provision.
We strongly encourage all providers to review and update their FIS listings to ensure they accurately describe your provision, clearly set out the age ranges you cater for, include your opening days and hours (including term-time and/or holiday availability), and highlight any unique features of your setting so that it reflects the full range of what you offer.
We are currently seeing increased demand from parents for wraparound care (before and after school), holiday childcare, and school pick-up and drop-off services. If you offer any of these, it is especially important that this is clearly detailed in your FIS record.
Parents using the new search tool are likely to filter and search based on these needs, so making this information visible could significantly increase enquiries to your setting.
You can update your Family Information Service record at any time via the Forms tab in the Provider Portal. Step-by-step guidance on how to do this is available on Schoolsnet: https://schoolsnet.derbyshire.gov.uk/site-elements/documents/family-hub/funding-and-contracts/updating-provider-details-on-families-information-service.pdf
What happens next
The “Find a Provider” tool is currently being trialled, with plans to expand nationally by the end of the year. We will keep you updated as this progresses and ahead of any local rollout.
In the meantime, this is a valuable opportunity to review your listing and ensure your information is accurate, up to date, and fully reflects your offer.
You can update your Family Information Service record at any time via the Forms tab in the Provider Portal. Step-by-step guidance on how to do this is available on Schoolsnet: https://schoolsnet.derbyshire.gov.uk/site-elements/documents/family-hub/funding-and-contracts/updating-provider-details-on-families-information-service.pdf
Business support materials are available on the Foundation Years webpage. The tools can be accessed using the following link: Setting up an Early Years provider business - Foundation Years.
This provides practical support around the running of an early years provider business, bringing together guidance on business planning, finance, marketing and human resources in an Early Years context.
The page signposts key national guidance, and highlights the importance of understanding local provider agreements, funding rules and consumer law when delivering childcare.
It also brings together a range of practical business support tools and includes a business planning template, cashflow tools, occupancy calculators and marketing plans to support sustainability and growth.
The provider portal is currently open until 28 June 2026.
Please ensure data is submitted accurately and all children’s hours are included, as outlined on the child’s completed parent/carer declaration form.
IMPORTANT: Please be reminded of the importance of accurate data being submitted onto the provider portal, as inaccurate data will not pull through eligibility.
DEADLINE AND PAYMENT IMPACT
If you do not submit your information by this deadline, you will not receive your funding during the normal payment timescale. Financial Services cannot make bespoke payments where submissions have been missed.
JUNE ‘ADJUSTMENTS’
The portal is also open until 28 June 2026 for ‘Adjustments’ submissions to enable you to include any changes which occurred during the June 2026 period.
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’. 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.gov;
cs.enquiries.schools@derbyshire.gov.uk and an Officer will contact you.
Due to the volume of queries being received, please allow the Officer time to respond, ensuring you include your name, name of the setting, contact details and relevant information to your query.
There continues to be a number of providers either missing funding deadlines or submitting inaccurate claims on the provider portal.
Please ensure the following:
✔ Accuracy of Funding Claims
All claims must reflect the information recorded on the Parent/Carer Declaration Form. Inaccurate submissions may result in incorrect payments or delays.
✔ Submit Term-Time Hours Only
Please ensure you submit all claims as term-time hours.
✔ Meet All Funding Deadlines
Term-time hours must be submitted by the deadlines published on the Funding Calendar. Failure to submit accurate claims on time may lead to delayed, inaccurate, or withheld funding payments.
✔ Check Claims After Every Submission Period
We strongly remind providers to check that all submitted hours are correct. You can follow the step-by-step instructions in ‘View Payments and Previous Claims’, available on SchoolsNet under Funding and Contracts via the following link:
Funding and contracts.
Providers must verify all HMRC eligibility codes before offering a funded place to any child.
Eligibility Start Dates:
A code must have a valid start date for the relevant term:
- 31 December – Spring term (from 1 January)
- 31 March – Summer term (from 1 April)
- 31 August – Autumn term (from 1 September)
If parents do not apply by the deadline (e.g. 31 August 2026), the child cannot access funding for the following term (autumn 2026).
Checks for existing children:
Regularly check and reconfirm codes for existing children to ensure continued eligibility.
Provider Portal Eligibility Checks:
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A yellow shield, on the check results, indicates a matched code, but does not confirm it is valid for the term. Providers must check the code’s start and end date to ensure it is valid for the term they wish to claim funding for.
This prevents parents receiving unexpected charges for unfunded childcare.
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Parent Support:
For application or reconfirmation issues, parents should contact:
📞 HMRC Childcare Service Helpline: 0300 123 4097
The DfE are currently monitoring take-up of funded places for families eligible for the early learning for 2-year-old funding. Therefore, please ensure you check whether families are eligible under this criteria in the first instance. This will ensure the correct funding is being claimed on the provider portal and data is recorded accurately for the DfE.
IMPORTANT: Submitting Claims for Children Eligible for BOTH Funding Types
Some families may be eligible for both:
- Early Learning for 2‑Year‑Old funding, and
- Working Family Entitlement (HMRC 11‑digit code)
In these cases:
- The early learning for 2‑Year‑Old funding MUST be recorded first.
- Remaining hours should then be entered under Expanded Hours.
This ensures the correct allocation of funding and accurate reporting for DfE monitoring.
The screenshot below, illustrates how the hours should be entered for families eligible for both the early learning for 2-year-old funding and the working family entitlement (HMRC 11-digit code):
IMPORTANT: Please note that for children who are solely in receipt of working family hours, these hours should be entered as expanded hours only.
IMPORTANT: 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 email 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 remember to access the SchoolsNet - Funding and contracts tile where you will find a suite of step-by-step guidance and information to help you submit funding data on to the provider portal.
Local authority notification:
Should you need to close your provision due to flooding, illness, snow, or an unforeseen circumstance, please ensure you notify the funding team via the relevant e-mail in-box:
CS.enquiries.childminders@derbyshire.gov.uk
CS.enquiries.groupcare@derbyshire.gov.uk
CS.enquiries.schools@derbyshire.gov.uk
Along with the Quality team via: CS.EYS@derbyshire.gov.uk
Ofsted notification:
For closures of three days or more please be reminded that there is also a requirement to notify Ofsted.
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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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