Spring 2025 headcount task – update

Posted on 9 January 2025 in News and updates

We emailed providers earlier this week to advise that there would be a delay to the issuing of the spring headcount task due to a system upgrade that was required before this can be done.

The upgrade was scheduled for Friday 10th January 2025 but unfortunately some issues have been identified during testing so it will no longer go ahead on this date.

The new proposed date is Monday 20th January 2025 and we are hoping to issue the spring headcount tasks on Tuesday 21st January 2025. Due to the delay, we have had to extend the task deadline from the original Sunday 26th January to Sunday 2nd February 2025.

This will mean that the balancing headcount payments will now be made by Friday 14th March 2025 as they have to be processed 6 weeks after the task deadline (as per our provider agreement).

We have issued the following reports this week:

  • Address checking
  • Under 2s Headcount form
  • 2-Year-Old Headcount form
  • 3- & 4-Year-Old Headcount form

Actions for you to take prior to the tasks being issued:

  • check the ‘address checking report’ and if a child has moved, have the new address details ready to input onto the relevant spring headcount task when it is issued. The address should be the child’s permanent place of residence
  • check the headcount forms. The form will be pre-populated with children that have been added to a previous task and are linked to your setting. If a child is not showing, please add them manually
  • check the working entitlement codes in ‘Review Previous Checks’. If you have temporary codes that have expired, please ask parents for their permanent code, and ensure all working entitlement codes have been checked.  If families are not eligible for spring term you will want to notify them, and send invoices for non-funded time, as soon as possible.

IMPORTANT: please note that there is no change to the spring headcount week. This is still Sunday 12th January to Saturday 18th January 2025.

It is important for us to stress that the upgrade required is due to errors that were identified in Autumn Term. We requested providers check hours claimed for working entitlement children as we knew some providers were having issues claiming for some children.

We will be thoroughly checking autumn term data where claims have been reduced or removed from the working entitlement and ask for providers to check and confirm. If a working entitlement code is not showing in Review Previous Checks, please run a new check but select the child listed (not check new child).

Apologies for any inconvenience that has been caused.

Thank you, EYEF Team