Patterns of take up of the Early Years entitlements
Patterns of take up of the Early Years entitlements
Eligible 2-, 3- and 4-year-olds can access up to 570 (universal offer) or 1140 hours (eligible families with a valid 30 hours code) of Funded Early Education Entitlement per year, usually taken as 15 or 30 hours per week across 38 weeks of the year for example, term time only.
Patterns of take up available for the early education place
Children can access their funded early education place in 2 ways:
- the universal “term time only” model: 15 hrs per week for 38 weeks per year - up to 15 hours a week for 38 weeks per year, this is a maximum of 190 or 380 hours per term which is 570 or 1140 hours per year
- the stretched or flexible models
Definition of the stretched offer
The stretched offer is for children who only take up their Funded Entitlement for example, they do not access more than 570 or 1140 hours childcare across the year. The stretched offer is not to be confused with spreading a parent’s bill over 12 equal monthly payments, so they pay the same amount each month.
For some families, having to pay during the school holidays can be a barrier to accessing their funded place. The stretched offer is available to enable children to access their entitlement more flexibly, so they can attend all year round without incurring any charges during the school holidays.
The provider will claim funded education entitlement in the following funding blocks across the academic year:
| Term | Funding block | Maximum hours per term |
|---|---|---|
| Autumn term | 1 September to 31 December | 190 or 380 |
| Spring term | 1 January to 30 April | 190 or 380 |
| Summer term | 1 May to 31 August | 190 or 380 |
How to calculate the stretched offer
The provider should calculate how many hours of funded entitlement they want to claim in the current funding block up to a maximum 190 hours per term for the universal offer and 380 hours per term for the extended entitlement for eligible families.
For children who access more than the funded hours, providers can pro-rata the bill over a 12-month period so that parents pay an equal amount each month. This is not the same as “stretching the offer.” Parents should be made aware of how funding is being claimed and applied at the setting prior to their child starting a place at the setting.
Example 1 - Universal 15 hour stretched offer model
In the autumn term, the child will attend the setting for 10 funded hours per week. Between 1 September and 31 December there are 17 weeks.
During the funding block the child will be attending 10 hours a week for 17 weeks. This is equal to 170 hours for the term.
This now needs to be converted to a term time equivalent figure. This is calculated by dividing the total amount by 12.67 weeks.
170 total hours for term divided by 12.67 is 13.42 term time equivalent hours per week.
The provider should round this figure up to the nearest quarter for example, 13.5 hours per week. This would be entered on to the portal as 13.5 hours per week for 12.67 weeks. 13.5 hours per week would also be the figure used when calculating the estimate figure at the start of term.
Example 2 - 30 hours stretched offer model
The provider should calculate how many hours of funded entitlement they want to claim in the current funding block up to a maximum 190 hours per term for the universal offer and 380 hours per term for the extended entitlement for eligible families.
In the autumn term, child wants to use their 30 hours stretched across the term using 22.25 hours a week for 17 weeks in the autumn term.
22.25 a week for 17 weeks equals 378.25 hours during the autumn term funding block.
Total 378.25 divided by 12.67 weeks is equal to 29.86 term time equivalent hours per term.
Rounded up to the nearest quarter, the provider would claim 30 hours per week times 12.67 term weeks on the portal.
Example 3 - stretched offer using extra hours in the school holidays
In the autumn term, the child will attend 10 hours per week but will increase their hours to 30 hours for one week during half term.
Child attends 10 hours a week for 16 weeks and 30 hours for 1 week this is equal to 190 hours during the autumn funding block.
Provider now converts to term time equivalent by dividing by term weeks (12.67 weeks) to get an average weekly amount.
190 total hours for term divided by 12.67 term time week is equal to 15 term time equivalent hours per week.
The provider should enter 15 hours on provider portal for 12.67 weeks in the term. The provider would use the term time equivalent figure when calculating the estimate at the start of the term.
Parent declaration form
The parent declaration form allows parents to tick either the “term time 38 weeks” box or the “stretched offer 48 or 51 weeks” box. Please note that only 1 pattern of attendance can be ticked. This is to ensure that the parent and provider are aware of the total amount of funded entitlement the child will access across a term and hence help avoid any overclaims.
