Together We Can and We Will Consultation Strategy
| Status | Completed |
|---|---|
| Consultation summary and background | South Lanarkshire Council is committed to providing the highest quality of early years experiences for all our young children. We aim to provide places that meet the needs and demands of both children and their families. We hope to offer a range of provision to allow Parents/Carers to choose the best place for their child and to allocate the places using a system that is fair and transparent to all applicants. In March 2020, due to the on-going COVID 19 pandemic the Scottish Government revoked the entitlement within the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 to 1140 hours of free early learning and childcare per year for eligible 2-5 year olds. We await confirmation of when this will be re-introduced. As a Council we have continued to move forward with the existing provision delivering where possible 1140 hours of free early learning and childcare to the majority of eligible 2-5 year olds within sessions 2020-21. We are now in the process of completing the final phase of our plan of new build nurseries, increasing existing nurseries. Works were halted during lockdown but are now progressing well. We have also increased the number of our funded providers to 108. We will be able to deliver 1140 hours for all eligible 2-5 year olds for session 2021-22. It is important to note that the closing date for applications for session 2021-22 is the end of February 2021. Entitled children can attend either a Local Authority nursery or a funded provider which is in partnership with the Council and places are allocated wherever possible in accordance with Parental choice. Entitled children are: • All 3 or 4 years old. • Children who have been approved for deferred entry to primary school • Two year olds who are (or have been since they turned 2) cared for by the local authority (looked after). • Two year olds who are (or have been since they turned 2) cared for under a kinship care order. • Two year olds from families seeking work households and/or • Two year olds from “Low Income” households in receipt of certain Child Tax and Working Tax Credits When the demand for places within in a particular nursery exceeds the number of places available it is necessary to have a system for deciding on the allocation of places in a transparent and equitable way. This is what the admissions policy will help us to do. The Council has a duty to ensure that all entitled children are prioritised when places are allocated. The admissions policy and procedures help us to gather information on applicants and make decisions on the basis of need. |
| Who are we consulting | Parents, carers, guardians |
| How will findings be used? | To inform the admissions policy |
| End date | 09-Nov-20 |
| Results available | Jan-21 |
| Contact name | Early Years |
| Online survey | https://wh1.snapsurveys.com/s.asp?k=160207600409 |