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 19 December 2023
Headcount Special – Spring Term 2024
Spring term headcount still is due to take place between 02/01/2024 until 19/01/2024 with the official headcount date being 18/01/2024. Here are just a few pointers to consider this term....
- The web address is https://eastriding.gov.uk
- Please note that the funded rates for the financial year of 2023/2024 they are as follows:
- 2 year funding - £7.37
- 3&4 year funding - £4.90
- The e-Hub will be open from 02/01/2024 and it will remain open until 19/01/2024. During this period you will be able to enter your details and submit your funding for the 10 weeks commencing 08/01/2024 until 22/03/2024.
- Please remember that if you have not already done so within the last 90 days you will need to change your password for the Ehub in order to access the system.
- Please make sure you include all the children who are eligible for 2 year funding or 3/4 year funding at your setting on the week of the headcount.
- Please note - children who attended last term will be carried over to this term but the hours are set to zero. You will need to enter the hours they are attending for this term before clicking 'save' and then 'submit'.
- Any funded children accepted by your setting without checking they are eligible before the start of term (W/C 08/01/2024) will be your responsibility and funding cannot be claimed from the local authority.
- You can make amendments during this 3 week period but you must remember to save the changes and resubmit or the changes won't be applied. If you do need to resubmit, please send an email to earlyyears@eastriding.gov.uk with the details and initials of the child where the information has changed. This ensures the Performance Team know what data to process.
- Please remember to delete any children on the e-Hub who are no longer attending rather than leaving them on for 0 hours.
- You will also need to include any Early Years Pupil Premium information you have collated from your parental agreement forms. This should be added to the 'parent / carer details' tab for each child (This only applies to 3 and 4 year funded children - please see separate Early Years Pupil Premium section below for more information).
- Every term we still receive a number of duplicate claims. If you are aware you have a child who also attends another setting (this should be identified on the parental agreement form), please can you ensure the parents know they are still only entitled to 30 hours a week. The child needs to be attending the setting on the week of the headcount and each setting should only claim the number of funded hours the child is attending as of that week. The Performance Team will be sending duplicate claim emails out which will need to be resolved before the date advised in that email in order to receive the funding. If they are not resolved and the Performance Team are not aware of the resolution, neither party will receive the funding for the individual child.
- It is important that if you are making a nil return (e.g. you offer funded places but have no children currently) you must email theearlyyears@eastriding.gov.uk email to let the Performance Team know.
- After 19/01/2024 the e-Hub will be locked to allow processing and validation of the submitted data. Payments, based on the submitted 18/01/2024 headcount data less any estimates already paid, will be made week commencing 04/03/2024. If applicable, this payment will also include an amount for Early Years Pupil Premium.
2 Year Funding
- All children should have codes issued before 31/12/2023 if they are new to funding and haven’t accessed the funding in previous term, this code when adding the children to headcount can be inputted and the child's details will pull through. (Please note that children living in a neighbouring local authority may not have a code due to differing application processes, as long as you have seen proof they are eligible they can be added to your funding claim). Please refer back to the guidance notes for a quick reminder of how to do this.
Please note: When given a code by a parent please check on the summary screen the date they applied (this is show in this screen), they will also have received a confirmation email on the date of application if you cannot see the date in summary screen screenshot. Also check child's name and DOB matches what they have applied under. A copy of this proof must be retained on the child’s file as per the provider agreement.
The same rules apply:
- Child turns 2 between 01 September – 31 December and has applied before 31 December – Child can start in January
- Child turns 2 between 01 January – 31 March and has applied before 31 March – Child can start in April
- Child turns 2 between 01 April – 31 August and has applied before 31 August – Child can start in September
- Children cannot start accessing the funding until the term after they have applied.
Early Years Pupil Premium (for 3 and 4 year old funded children only)
You should hopefully have collated all the relevant information you need on the parental agreement form.
- Details of parents eligible under the financial criteria should be added to Headcount via the eHub. You will need to enter parent details for ALL children who you believe to be eligible this term, children who were eligible last term will be automatically carried forward. In order to do this you will need to tick the “EYPP” eligibility checker box found in the funding actuals tab under parent/carer details. Once this is submitted the information will be checked and you will be notified of all eligible children. You MUST complete all of the parents details in order to apply for EYPP, if you fail to input the name, national insurance number, Date of Birth or tick the EYPP box, we will not apply for EYPP for that child.
Adopted children, Children under a Special Guardianship Order and Children who are looked after by another Local Authority
- These children must not be added to the e-Hub as it only checks financial eligibility. Please contact FISH by telephone with the child's name, address, date of birth and parents name to apply for EYPP.
Census
- Please remember to tick the “present during census” box on the funding details tab in the 'actuals' screen if the child is present with you in January 2024.
- The Early Years Census is now open for all providers to complete please ensure this is done by 19thJanuary 2024. The Census form can be found on the E-Hub under the Forms tab. Please complete the 2024 Early Years Census for FEE providers only.
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Extended Entitlement
- Please remember that parents that received an eligible code on or before 31/12/2023 or were able to successfully reconfirm on or before this date, can be accepted for 30 hours funding. If you accept a child without checking they are eligible for the extended entitlement, we will not be responsible for covering this funding and responsibility will fall back on yourself and/or parent to cover costs.
- For children who are accessing the extended entitlement, you will need to input this into the correct field within the child’s ‘funding’ tab. For all children who are accessing any of their extended entitlement you will also need to complete the parent’s details and tick the consent to 30h box in the same tab. This allows you to perform an eligibility check on the child before you can submit any extended entitlement claims. The eligibility check box is the blue box on the funding tab. This will need pressing before you can save the child's details.
- If, due to technical issues with the 30 hours application process, parents have not yet received a code, but have received confirmation of eligibility, please contact FISH with the child’s details, parent’s details and funding details. You will also need to provide evidence that the child is eligible for the extended entitlement (such as a screenshot of the parent’s application showing eligibility) which shows that they were trying to apply/reconfirm prior to 31/12/2023.
You can find more detailed instructions in the Guidance notes for accessing the e-Hub and completing the headcount, which can be found on the FISH website on the 'Working with children – Childcare settings offering free early education' ‘What is the e-Hub and what is headcount?' section.
What can be used as evidence?
- Parents who have applied digitally, whose application is pending a decision from HMRC, known as “amber cases”, will have received a message in their childcare account mailbox indicating that HMRC are looking into their application. The date that this message was received is shown on the main page of the secure message inbox in the childcare account. A parent could show the provider this inbox to indicate when their initial application was made.
- Other evidence such as screen shots of the HMRC account showing eligibility or emails from the HMRC showing eligibility or acknowledging technical difficulties may also be accepted.
Eligibility Code errors
- When inputting an eligibility code at headcount, if you receive the error: 'Eligibility for extended hours was not obtained. You will only be able to claim for universal hours' - This means that you have inputted the Child's Date of Birth, Parents National Insurance Number or Eligibility Code incorrectly, please try again. We have in recent months seen this when a parent has not reconfirmed their code before the grace period expiry date.
- If you are receiving the error: 'You need to do an eligibility check before you can save extended hours' - This means that you have not clicked on the '30 Hours Free Childcare' blue button on the funding details tab. For guidance on how to do this, please see the E-Hub guidance notes which can be found on the FISH website
Disability Access Funding (DAF)
- All 3 and 4-year-olds, taking their funded early education entitlement at your setting, who are in receipt of child Disability Living Allowance (DLA) in their own right could be eligible for DAF.
- Childcare providers will need to complete the Disability Access Form found on the Working with Children page on the FISH website. This form will then need to be sent to FISH along with the child’s DLA award letter. You must have sent in this application before headcount closes on 19/01/2024.
- At Headcount, within the child’s details tab, there is a “nominated for DAF” Yes/No option, stating that the particular child is eligible for DAF. You should select “Yes” for any children that you have already completed a DAF application form for.
- If you select this option but have not already submitted an application form and proof of DLA, you will not be paid DAF for the child.
- If the child is not eligible for DAF please select “NO”, last term we had a number of children who had been ticked as being eligible falsely.
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Early Years Sufficiency Survey - 2024 Funding Entitlement
As a range of new entitlements for 2-year-old children (April 24) and 9-month-old children upwards (Sept 24) are being introduced. This survey is to support the local authority in its legal duty in ensuring a sufficient number of early years entitlement places will be available across all local areas. The local authority has already undertaken its normal annual sufficiency planning and data sets outlining estimated take up rates of the new entitlements have recently been provided by the Department of Education (DfE). Completing this survey will further enable the local authority to effectively assess the geographical areas where the greatest demand for new places will be and any associated considerations in relation to the existing early years entitlements. Closing date: Friday 26th January 2024
https://consultation.eastriding.gov.uk/s/EarlyYearsSufficiencySurvey-2024FundingEntitlement/
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