1. Early Years The Current Landscape in Birmingham
Lindsey Trivett
Head of Early Years, Childcare and Children’s Centres

2. Birmingham facts
Birmingham is the largest UK city outside of London with an estimated population of over 1.12 million as of 2016.
The city has also grown at a faster rate than the national average. It is estimated to have grown by 4.7% between 2011 and 2016 alone.
Birmingham is one of the youngest cities in Europe with around 46% of the population aged under 30.
Birmingham has significant pockets of deprivation across the city. According to the 2015 Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD), Birmingham is ranked the sixth most deprived local authority district in relative rankings. The income deprivation affecting children index (IDACI) ranks Birmingham 15th nationally.

3. Children and families in Birmingham
There are approximately 86,000 children under five in Birmingham
Half of all children under five in Birmingham live in the 10% most deprived areas of England (Index of Multiple Deprivation).
62% of children under five come from black and minority ethnic backgrounds, compared with 47% of Birmingham’s population as a whole and 20% of England’s population in 2011
Over a quarter (27%) of children under sixteen in Birmingham live in low income families. This compares with 23% for our statistical neighbours and 17% for England as a whole.
44% of primary pupils in the city have a first language which is not English.

4. Early Years Provision in Birmingham
1,379 private, voluntary and independent (PVI) childcare providers in Birmingham.
551 PVIs are delivering EEE places (inc. Childminders).
27 Maintained Nursery Schools and 173 Nursery classes managed by school governing bodies in Birmingham.
Over the past 12 months, 123 new providers have opened and 171 have closed (predominantly childminders).
There are more than 33,000 under 5 childcare places available in Birmingham; 23,420 in PVI and 9,623 in maintained settings.
209 out of school clubs and 234 holiday Playschemes registered in Birmingham.
Children’s Centre provision has recently been recommissioned and is delivered across the 10 districts, with 22 hub centres and a number of outreach venues.

5. Quality of Early Years Provision

6. The Early Years Team
37 FTE in total +
BCC Day Nurseries staff

7. The Early Years Estate
There are up to 230 council buildings in use or available for delivery of early years services:
30 Children’s centre buildings (including the BCC day nurseries);
27 Maintained Nursery Schools;
And 173 schools which provide nursery classes (not all are LA maintained and some are now Academies).
The current landscape that Early Years is operating within is complex and has inter-dependencies and variables that all overlap leading to changes in one area having a significant impact on others.

8. Children’s Centres
Transforming the way Early Years Services are delivered was identified through the Lord Warner Review as an area requiring improvement.
In Oct 2015, the Council became responsible for 0-5 year old health services (mainly health visitors). This provided an opportunity for synergy with the Early Years’ service and a joint commissioning approach was developed.
In April 2017 following a procurement process the contract for the Early Years Health and Wellbeing Service was awarded to Birmingham Community Healthcare Foundation Trust in partnership with Barnardos, Spurgeons, St Pauls Community Trust and Springfield Project.
In Jan 2018 – Birmingham Forward Steps was launched.
Children's Centres reduced from 63 individual contracts over 29 Ofsted registered centres delivered in 16 localities - to 1 contract over 22 centres in 10 Districts.

9. Council-run Day Nurseries
The council has 14 children’s day nurseries that are part of the Early Years, Childcare and Children’s Centres service.
DN run as a traded-service with fee income expected to fully cover all operational costs - run with financial deficits over the last four years with a current budget pressure to the Council of £750,000 pa.
Currently being reviewed looking at 3 options:-
Continue to run any that can become self-sustaining and close remaining;
Close all 14 and dispose of buildings to the market;
Continue to operate IF the council is the provider of last resort in areas of sufficiency needs.

10. Early Education in Birmingham
Sufficiency Assessment March 2018 – Small oversupply for the whole city – some pockets with gaps.
Historical local practice of funding full-time places ceased in Sept 17. Some schools now reporting vacancies.
Series of briefings and bitesize workshops during June/July 2018 for all providers with some school and childminder specific sessions.
30 hour take up is good and provider working group meeting on a termly basis.
Targeting 2 year old participation through working with Children’s Centres.
Development of online Headcount portal ongoing – looking to incorporate Sufficiency data collection (vacancies etc).
Future developments planned around termly rolling admissions.
Working with schools is a key priority.

11. Take up of Early Years Education Entitlement
Term/Year
No. 2 year olds eligible
Total accessing EEE
% eligible 2 year old children accessing EEE
Eligible 3 and 4 year olds
% eligible 3 and 4 year old children accessing EEE
Spring 2018
8,851
5,519
62%
22,920
20,717
90%
Autumn 2017
9,000
6,140
68%
17,161
16,308
95%
Summer 2017
9,121
5,668
27,606
24,609
89%
Spring 2017
9,114
5,717
63%
23,513
21,484
91%
Autumn 2016
9,288
6,373
69%
17,678
16,309
92%
Summer 2016
9,569
5,551
58%
28,009
24,806

12. 30 Hour EEE Take up

13. Working with Schools – Partnerships with PVI’s
Case Study
Working with Schools – Partnerships with PVI’s

14. Working with Primary Schools
A recurring issue - falling admission numbers for nursery-aged children in schools.
2 year old targeted entitlement leads to parents engaging earlier and not moving children at age 3 to school.
Schools hesitant to admit 2 year olds – lack of experience and higher costs associated to 1:4 ratio .
PVIs report lack of suitable premises to develop additional provision.
Solution – Partnership arrangement with PVIs.
Working with Education Asset Management to build in Early Years provision when looking at Basic Need and development of school places.

15. Case Study: Primary School in Erdington
Growing 3-form entry primary school. Expanded to 3-forms in KS1 in Sept 15 and will be 3-forms fully by Sept 21.
3 on-site PVI providers offering early years and out of school childcare in a building adjacent to the school owned by the LA. Building due to be decommissioned as at end of useful life.
Current PVI provision feeds into the school Reception class – 30 children in Sept 17. Children from the school attend the OOSC.
LA commitment to replace the old building with a modular purpose-built 50 place nursery unit.

16. Case Study: Primary School in Erdington
Early Years and Education Infrastructure teams worked together with the school to develop a Specification document.
Specification will be advertised on the Find It in Birmingham website run by the Council.
The school will lead a commissioning process to select a new PVI provider to run the new provision.
The Primary School Governing Board seeks to accommodate an established childcare provider currently judged Good or Outstanding by Ofsted to deliver high quality: Full Day care, Out of School and Holiday Childcare in accordance with the Ofsted Statutory Framework of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) 2017 from 7am – 6pm as required.

17. Case Study: Primary School in Erdington
School Governing Board may extend access to additional space (for before and afterschool care) within the school site.
The provider will be required to enter into a building lease agreement.
The provider will be expected to work in partnership with the school and its Governing Board to deliver a seamless service for children and their families.
The provider will be required to work collaboratively with the Primary School and Early Years Lead. Requirements include-
Attend termly partnership update meetings with the Primary School representatives and these meeting are to include an overview of the settings continued sustainability.
Ensure effective processes are in place with regards to children’s transition into school and school readiness.
Raise awareness of safeguarding concerns with the School’s Designated Safeguarding Lead.
Share Ofsted inspection outcomes

18. Case Study: Primary School in Erdington
The Early Years team will assist the school in undertaking the assessment of tender submissions.
The school maintains control over the quality of the provision on-site.
An income will be received for the lease of the building.
The school will not have the cost liability of running the early years and childcare provision.
2 other schools are preparing to follow the same process.

19. Questions?
Questions?