Errors in the distribution of Nursery Grant
Errors in the distribution of Nursery Grant | |
There appears to be in an incredible mess with the distribution of the Nursery Grant this year. This year is likely to be worse than last. The DfES have never made it easy for them but, it's clear from the evidence, that there are multiple errors. The Early Years Partnership have understandably accepted County Council's professional advice, the County Council has full responsibility for the funds. However, all the effort seems to have gone into a fruitless 'negotiation' with the DfES to get another £215,000 rather than distributing what we've got in a well validated and efficient manner.
There are three ways the system is deficient or in error:
The discredited 'postcode system' is NOT the only, and certainly not the BEST, way of meeting the Government's criteria for distributing the £3.134million to parents of 3 year olds.
Northants have used the same method as us (perhaps without the errors) and are having immense problems this year - which they tell me they are yet to 'go public on'.
Other county councils (eg Dorset CC) have administered the Nursery Grant rather more equitably using a range of criteria and spreading the pain far more evenly across all areas whilst at the same time addressing deprivation.
Our method targets the few Playgroups in the 19 wards chosen to take the full hit across the whole county. Some of them will suffer badly if more children cannot be found to fill places left vacant by parents who cannot afford to pay up to £15 per week per child.
We are required to use the best data available when deciding who pays and who does not. The Leicestershire's Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership Strategy Implementation Plan 2001/2 says that the fund will be 'targeted at areas of greatest disadvantage using the DETR's [2000] Multiple Deprivation Index'. This was published by the DETR on 22nd August 2000. We have carelessly and misguidedly used 1991 (ILC) data when we could, and should, have used last year's Index. Having said that, even using old data 2 of the 19 wards (Birstall Netherhall and Stonehill) are wrongly included (Nos 89 and 110 in the ILC list, respectively).
If we had used an up to date Index, no less than 10 of the 19 wards not have been selected! The errors are obvious to anyone who knows Leicestershire and has information about how the system is devised. For example, people in Birstall know that the Stonehill area (No 61 in the latest Index) is not as affluent as Greengate (No 4 in affluence across in the whole County), yet the former was chosen for charging, not the latter. All the Deprivation statistics (78Kb) are available on this site.With other errors it is estimated that over 50% of those being asked to pay should not be asked to pay.
The Spring 2002 post code list (106Kb) is, at best, unreliable. In Loughborough 6% of the postcodes are wrongly classified. At the present time County Hall are unable to tell me where the postcode data comes from but there are inconsistent errors on new housing estates, errors where postcodes cross wards or where streets cross wards - and several unexplained errors.
The system is entirely opaque to parents and to playgroup leaders who cannot identify errors for themselves, yet the system seems to rely on parents reporting errors.
County Hall staff have told providers (ie Playgroups) to tell parents to contact them with any complaints or contact staff themselves.
We are not dealing with small change. This is a budget of over £3 million. The errors alone have no financial effect on the authority. However there is a colossal impact on individuals and on the providers (playgroups and nurseries). We do not know how conservatively the projected funding has been costed. For example, the money provided is supposed to fund 2,638 places. Whilst we exceeded this by 569 places in the Summer Term, we have not been told by how many places the selection of the 19 wards in the Spring Term is estimated to reduce our figure. We have been told that £215,000 would be needed to fund all 3 Year Year Olds who are likely to ask for places (strictly speaking their parents ask, of course!)
More poor parents are likely to pull out, rather than pay, if poorer wards are selected. Places cost up to £15 per week - which is a significant amount to lose from a low family budget.
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Last updated 12 November 2001