Alliance comments on additional EYPP funding for councils

13th February 2015

Commenting on DfE plans to give additional £1.5 million in funding to local authorities to help them prepare for the introduction of the Early Years Pupil Premium, Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Pre-school Learning Alliance, said:

“The early years pupil premium is an important first step in ensuring that children from disadvantaged backgrounds are given the support they deserve, and so it is vital that the initiative is underpinned by effective local systems that ensure the efficient distribution of funding. As such, we welcome the announcement of additional funding to help local councils prepare for the introduction of the scheme.

“Many providers involved in the EYPP pilots have fed back that the process of identifying eligible parents can be lengthy and complex, and so we would urge local authorities to considering using at least some of this additional funding to support providers in tackling this problem, as this will be vital to the long-term success of the scheme.

“We hope that the Department for Education will continue to work with local councils to ensure both they and local providers continue to be adequately supported to deliver the scheme going forward.”

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Notes for editors

  1. The Pre-school Learning Alliance is the largest voluntary sector provider of quality affordable childcare and education in England.
  2. Through direct provision and its membership of 14,000 nurseries, sessional pre-schools and parent and toddler groups, the Alliance supports over 800,000 children and their families in England. The Alliance also develops and runs family learning programmes, offers information and advice, runs acclaimed training and accreditation programmes and campaigns to influence early years policy and practice.
  3. For information about the Pre-school Learning Alliance, visit our website:

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