Early education funding audits
EEF audits are carried out to confirm:
- Accuracy of funding claims
- Adherence to the Herefordshire Provider Agreement
- Parents are able to access their child's funded entitlement without having to pay any additional fees
The following criteria will be used to prioritise when an EEF audit is carried out:
- Settings where the EEF team, schools finance team or early years team have concerns from visits, phone calls or repeated problems with funding claims and/or payments
- Settings that have been highlighted by phone calls from parents and carers
- At random, based on the capacity of the EEF team
If you have been selected for an EEF audit, you will need to present the following information:
- Copies of registers (daily attendance sheets) for the audited term
- Copies of all parent declaration forms for the audited term
- Copies of all parental invoices/bills/statements for a period within the audited term
- Details of the way in which providers offer the funded entitlement, which should include
- A copy of the fee structure
- A copy of a registration form/contract
- Any funding related information used by the provider for parents and carers
Removal of the early education funding
Funding may be removed in line with the early education funding policy if the provision:
- Are judged by Ofsted as 'Requires Improvement', 'Inadequate' or 'Not Met'
- Fail to supply adequate information to complete an EEF audit
- Do not adhere to the Early education and childcare: statutory guidance for local authorities and/or the Herefordshire Provider Agreement
- Fail to complete the annual Early Years Census
- Fail to complete DfE information surveys throughout the year
- Fail to complete compulsory Early Years surveys throughout the year
Removal of funding process
If a provider is judged to be 'Requires Improvement', 'Inadequate' or 'Not Met' by Ofsted:
- The Early Years Lead Improvement Advisor will complete an EEF sufficiency assessment. Based on the results, a recommendation will be shared with the Early Years Sufficiency Team and the Head of Learning and Achievement for approval
- Notice of the decision will be given to the provider within four weeks of the Ofsted inspection judgement being published
- Funding will cease from half-term or the end of term, depending on the number of weeks remaining in the period, ensuring that at least 6 (calendar) weeks' notice is given
- Families of funded children attending the setting will be contacted by the EEF team to notify them of the decision
Termination policy
Herefordshire complies with Department for Education Early education and childcare: statutory guidance for local authorities and as such meets both the requirements and the recommendations of this guidance.
We, therefore, fund places where the provider meets the quality requirements and is willing to accept the local authority funding requirements.
We may withdraw a provider from the Childcare Directory if they are not willing to accept the local authority funding requirements, or they do not meet the quality requirements and there are sufficient places elsewhere, which meet the needs of the children and families.