PAPER B
CHILDREN AND YOUNG PERSON’S COMMITTEE – 28
JANUARY 2004
EARLY YEARS DEVELOPMENT AND CHILD CARE PLAN
2004 - 2006
REPORT OF THE STRATEGIC DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
REASON FOR COMMITTEE CONSIDERATION
To deliberate on the draft plan and recommend
for approval by the Full Council.
ACTION REQUIRED BY THE COMMITTEE
To recommend the plan
for approval by the Full Council.
This is a statutory
plan which has national, local and regional policy objectives. The need to ensure affordable, accessible
childcare impacts on regeneration strategies and the inclusion agenda, and
early education impacts on the potential for improving standards in later
education.
The local authority is required to provide leadership and join up
agendas by bringing local partners together in order to progress Sure Start
delivery. Local authorities must ensure
additional services are delivered as a result of Government funding and take
account of the broad range of issues, including health, education, social
services, planning, neighbourhood renewal, employment and the local labour
market.
This committee considered the strategic guidance in July 2003.
On the Island, the LEA, in consultation with the Early Years
Development and Childcare Partnership, has taken the lead in drawing up this
plan. Partnership working groups have
considered and developed the content for relevant sections of the plan, and a
full range of key partners have been invited to contribute to the plan. Key partners include:
§
The Health
Authority
§
The Primary
Care Trust.
§
The Voluntary
sector
§
The Maintained
school sector
§
Ofsted
§
Learning and
Skills Council
§
Connexions
§
The Children’s
Fund
§
Training
providers
§
Job Centre
The plan sets out to develop links with other initiatives or
strategies:-
·
Children’s
Centres
·
Play Strategy
·
Lifelong
Learning/ Family Learning and Family Support
·
Sure Start Ryde
local programme
·
Children’s
Information Services (FIZ)
·
Integrated
Children’s Services
·
Preventative
Strategy
·
Economic
Regeneration
·
Corporate
Strategies
·
Cultural and
Leisure Services
RELEVANT PLANS,
POLICIES, STRATEGIES AND PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
1)
Green Paper –
Every Child Matters
2)
Island Futures
3)
Children and
Young People’s Strategic Plan
4)
The Local
Preventative Strategy
5)
Other local
Partnership Plans
6)
Best Value
Indicator 192 – Quality of teaching for early years and childcare
services:-
a)
Average days
access to relevant training and development per practitioner
delivering Foundation Stage education; and
b)
Average number
of Qualified Teacher Status teachers per 10 non-maintained
settings.
CONSULTATION
PROCESS
The draft Plan must be consulted upon by a cross
section of relevant organisations and providers. This document was drawn up following consultation with EYDCP
members through the sub-groups and working parties of that organisation.
In addition, it was circulated to a
representative group from schools, pre-schools, out-of-school clubs, SEN
services, childminders, policy makers, EYDCP members, sub-committees and
Partnership officers, with a deadline of comments and amendments by 5th
January 2004. At the end of the
consultation period all requested amendments were absorbed into this
document.
FINANCIAL, LEGAL,
CRIME AND DISORDER IMPLICATIONS
Costs associated with the activities in the plan will be funded from
specific grants, child care grants, and base budget provision.
The approval of the Early Years plan when complete is currently a
statutory requirement under s120 School Standards and Framework Act 1998, and
is one of the small number of plans which form part of the Policy
Framework. This position is likely to
change. The local authority will also
need to ensure that they take steps to adhere to recent key legislation
including the Race Relations (Amendments) Act; the Special Educational Needs
and Disability Discrimination Act 2001.
APPENDICES
ATTACHED
1)
The draft plan.
2)
Summary
for local authorities of the guidance document
2004 – 2006 (N.B. this was also attached to the papers considered by
this committee in July 2003.)
Full guidance from the DfES Sure Start Unit, as considered by this
committee in July 2003.
Contact Point : Rose Ward 823420, e-mail rose.ward@iow.gov.uk.
Director of Education and Community Development