无码天堂

By Rachel Lawler

 

The Department for Education has opened a on proposed changes to the application fee and annual fee paid to Ofsted by early years providers on Ofsted鈥檚 Early Years Register.

 

The consultation is proposing changes to the application fee and annual fee due to come into force in April 2020.

 

It is also seeking views on the principles that should 鈥渦nderpin a revised Early Years Register fee model鈥� which will be introduced in April 2021.

 

 

The proposed new fees, suggested in the consultation, are:

 

Band	Childcare category	Current fee rate (set in 2010)	Proposed application and annual fee from April 2020	Increase
Band 1	Childminders	拢35	拢43	+拢8
Band 2	Sessional providers	拢35	拢43	+拢8
-	Sessional providers subject to transitional arrangements	拢50	拢61	+拢11
Band 3	Full day care providers	拢220	拢269	+拢49

 

Opened today, the consultation is looking for views on a revised fee model that will tier prices depending on the type of provider registering.

 

The consultation opened today and will be gathering views until 10am on 9 October 2019.

 

Anyone interested in early education and childcare, including local authorities, sector representatives and professional bodies based in England, are invited to submit their views.

 

Neil Leitch, chief executive of the 无码天堂, said that the increased fees should be accompanied by an increase in funding for the early years sector. He said: 鈥淚t鈥檚 not surprising to hear that Ofsted want to increase registration fees - there鈥檚 no doubt that running costs will have increased in line with inflation in recent years. And it鈥檚 good to hear proposals that will tier prices depending on provider type.

 

鈥淏ut it is staggering that after years of the government denying any negative impact of rising costs on providers, including dismissing those struggling as 鈥渙utliers鈥�, they鈥檙e now asking the sector to swallow yet another increase to their outgoings.

 

鈥淚t is appalling that thousands of providers have closed their doors and many thousands more are scraping by on funding rates calculated on operating costs from seven years ago.

 

鈥淚f the government can admit that Ofsted need a fee increase to keep pace with inflation then it鈥檚 beyond time they looked again at early years funding. That means not only an urgent increase in funding levels but also a commitment to review them annually 鈥� anything less would reek of double standards and consign many more providers to closure.鈥�