For the past 18 months I have been a representative of the private sector on early years working groups in two of the local authorities in which my day nurseries sit, to discuss the Early Years Single Funding Formula. I have spent between two and three hours at each meeting; the meetings were approximately every two months, more frequent as we drew nearer to April 2010.
The early years single funding formula was 'set fair'. We hoped to level the minefield of Nursery Education Grant, the payment for 2.5 hours per day, five days per week, 38 weeks per year, to all children the term after their third birthday. Hopefully the formula would remove the differences between maintained sector, day nurseries, childminders and pre-schools.
But the reality is very different.
In some local authorities the mechanism to discuss the development of a single funding formula wasn't there and some LAs found they were falling very far behind in their preparations for implementation from April 2010. How fortunate for those LAs that the Government decided to listen to their anxieties and, before Christmas 2009, announced via letter to all LAs that it would postpone the implementation.
How infuriating for those of us who have been preparing and working in partnership with our local authorities to be ready.
The process has been a long and at times exceedingly frustrating one, with many differences of opinion as to what should be used in the calculations of the formula. The key, however, is that it has been a process that has been entered into by all parties, PVI and maintained, with a commitment to making it work. While each sector has had to make some sacrifices in the areas where Children's Place is based, we have arrived at a formula and were ready to roll it out in April 2010.
So, what happened? How could a number of local authorities dictate to the Government how to proceed (or not) with a system that for some PVI providers could prove a lifeline to survival? There had been a clear steer from Government from 2008 that this process would be happening in 2010.
I am left wondering what was the point of all the meetings, what now for funding nursery education within settings and when might we see an end to the inequalities of a system that operates in two entirely different ways for PVI and maintained sectors - one counts 'bums on seats' and one counts 'places available', even if not full.
We are now facing an election and possibly a change of Government. Is there any point in getting involved in the plans for 2011, I ask myself?
- Next month's business development column (15 April) will be written by Sarah Steel, managing director of the Old Station nursery group