Getting Started - Early Years Settings and EYPP
This page will help early years settings with points to consider and top tips on getting started with Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP) for three and four year olds. Here we will provide advice on eligibility, how to claim, using EYPP and much more:
Identifying eligibility....
Points to consider:
- gather the necessary info and permission at induction via the parent declaration and privacy notice form which needs to be completed for all children accessing any form of funded places.
- settings could get all families to complete relevant sections of the above form so EYPP eligibility can be checked against all three and four year olds. The setting could also just identify specific families that could be eligible for EYPP and only those families would complete the EYPP section of the parent declaration form. A setting can decide which is the most appropriate way to obtain information so EYPP eligibility can be checked for families.
Top tips:
- families who were eligible for Think 2 funding (through the economic criterion) could become eligible for EYPP from the term after a child turns three years old unless family circumstances changed, but it should be noted the Universal Credit threshold for EYPP does differ slightly from Think2.
- families could also become eligible for EYPP from any point they meet the criteria and the child is aged three or four years.
- EYPP is paid against the universal funded hours only - 15 hours per week over 38 weeks or 570 hours across the year.
- settings must provide all parents/carers with the forms in advance (see above), highlighting the importance of providing their own date of birth and national insurance number. EYPP cannot be claimed without it
- check forms are correctly filled in and signed when they are returned to settings to avoid any delay
Identifying a need....
Points to consider
- the child
- the setting/pooling-evidence based approaches
Top tips
- identify any possible trends. Do some children have the same/similar needs? Could some funding be pooled?
- EYPP might enable you to refine what you are already doing for some children and put further strategies in place.
- where families have children in school claiming Pupil Premium consider how you can work with the school and perhaps provide a joined-up approach for the family.
- be creative, think about the whole child, access to the setting-transport, hot meals uniform, wider life experiences and transitions.
Liaise and work with parents
Points to consider
- brief awareness of funding, its purpose and flexibility
- how will it benefit their child in the setting?
Top tips
- discussing the criteria for EYPP with parents/carers when you distribute forms will give you an indication of who may potentially qualify.
- explain the extra funding comes to the setting and can be used to support the child/family in various ways.
- promote the extra funding as a positive bonus with a ‘Don’t let your child miss out’ approach.
- arrange any displays demonstrating how your setting has spent EYPP funding previously will help parents/carers to see the benefits.
Action planning
Points to consider
- what do we hope to achieve? What do we need -training, resources, experience? Who will be responsible/ involved?
Top tips
- use supervisions to discuss the needs of children eligible for EYPP and the roles and responsibilities of practitioners in planning and providing the support and strategies planned. Include EYPP planning in the settings development plan.
- use practice observations and supervisions to identify professional development needs of practitioners.
- ensure action plans include opportunities for review and show if and why changes to strategies need to be made.
- ensure plans outline how you will support home learning and parental engagement in children’s learning.
Applying for EYPP and understanding eligibility confirmation and payments
Points to consider
- understanding the process
Top tips
- settings will need to complete a paper application form for families who could receive EYPP through the non-economic criterion i.e. looked after child, left care or children under a special guardianship or child arrangement order. Full information on how claims are submitted can be on our EYPP overview.
- look out for notifications from the EEF Team via the EY Portal and act on task requests quickly.
- when submitting claims via the EY Portal for children potentially eligible through the economic criterion, ensure the Carers section is populated with the parent information and National Insurance number obtained on the parent declaration form.
- confirmation of EYPP eligibility usually takes 2-4 weeks after the start of the term if the child was added to the interim/ forecast task. This will be visible by the initial P next to the child’s name in the setting’s EY Portal claim and statements.
- for eligible children who start at a setting after the term begins, EYPP will be paid later in that term if the child is added to the actual headcount.
Impact and evidence
Points to consider
- consider how you will evidence impact when making decisions about how to utilise funding
- how will impact be measured?
- how impact can be recorded in a simple, meaningful way?
Top tips
- ensure your assessment procedures enable you to record progress against the identified need to show that EYPP funding has supported progress.
- it’s difficult to be sure that any impact is due to the EYPP funding and the way it was spent, but by making sure you record why have you chosen to spend the funding in this way you can evidence your intent.
- ensure discussions that focus on learning and development of EYPP children take place in a range of contexts e.g. supervisions, staff meetings, with other professionals involved, parents.
- using EYPP for continual professional development will have a lasting impact.