Did Devon County give Free Government Childcare funding to for 2,3 and 4 year old and which Ofsted registered inadequate settings did they not from June 2019 to date?
We can confirm that, in the case of all settings, when a setting is judged inadequate by Ofsted they cannot take on any new funded 2/3/4 year old children until they have been re -inspected by Ofsted. They can continue to receive funding for the children currently attending if the parents wish to continue to use the setting. There are no restrictions if a parent fully funds the place themselves.
The Local Authority has a duty to ensure that they deliver all funded hours according to the statutory guidance i.e. Early education and childcare – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) . Within the document it states that when it comes to early years provision, evidence shows that higher quality provision has greater developmental benefits for children, particularly for the most disadvantaged children, leading to better outcomes. The guidance also states we should only fund places for two-, three- and four-year-old children at any provider judged ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted and that Local authorities are not required to fund places at providers who do not meet the quality standards set out, but may choose to do so to ensure sufficiency of free places.
In relation to this there have been occasions when Devon County Council would have funded an inadequate provider but only where there is a sufficiency need identified through the audits and local knowledge and where the provider is actively working with the Early Years and Childcare Service to drive improvements and are showing sustained improvements
Could I see a copy of the Post Ofsted Action Plan policy dated 2018?
The Early Years ONE Devon process which refers to Post Ofsted Action Plans has been updated since 2018 and can be viewed here: Early Years One Process