Implementing EYPP successfully
Providing this additional funding in the early years has the potential to give children from disadvantaged backgrounds the best start in life and narrow the attainment gap. What will make a difference to young children’s lives? The following information and resources will support leaders and managers in making the best choices to make the biggest difference.
It is not the Government but Ofsted that will hold providers to account for how the EYPP has been used to support disadvantaged children. This will be done through the regular inspection process. It will be Ofsted's task to monitor the impact of funding. The effective use and impact of the EYPP will be assessed under the Ofsted inspection leadership and management judgement.
Evidence and research
How the EYPP is spent will determine whether it makes a difference
The aim of the EYPP is to raise attainment among disadvantaged children. It provides additional funding to early years providers for disadvantaged children to ensure they benefit from the same educational opportunities as children from wealthier families. If the EYPP is to succeed in achieving its ambitious aims, the choices that early years providers make in spending the funding are of vital importance. Providers need to adopt an evidence based approach.
It is clear that different ways of spending the funding can have very different impacts on children’s attainment and even when a decision to implement a particular strategy has been made there are a wide variety of factors which will determine its impact.
Educational research can help early year’s providers to get the maximum ‘value for money’ both in terms of making an initial choice between different strategies and also in implementing a strategy effectively.
The following sections aim to support early years providers in spending the EYPP to ensure maximum impact.
Early Years Pupil Premium Toolkit:
The Education Endowment Foundation has published a toolkit for providers to gain the maximum benefits from the Early Years Pupil Premium. The toolkit aims to capture the maximum possible benefit from the Premium by focusing efforts where it will make the most difference.
Action planning
Providers will need to be able to evidence to Ofsted inspectors during inspection how they are spending the EYPP funding and what impact it is having; developing an action plan/action plans will support providers in doing this.
Top Tips for action planning
A flowchart to support effective action planning is available and an action planning grid template has been produced so that you can amend and adapt it to suit your needs. Columns/rows/headings are all flexible – to help you decide on the layout of your action plan.
Example action plans
The following example action plans are not perfect examples and are intended as a supportive guide when completing the action plan format.
Each example has an accompanying commentary on why the funding was allocated how it was.
Katie EYPP action plan and commentary
Child’s needs
Katie began nursery during the summer term. It is evident that although she is settling fairly well and likes playing with other children, her concentration span is short for her age. She struggles with sharing toys and equipment and quickly becomes distressed at times of change within the daily routine.
Discussion with parent/family
Katie’s mum is a young parent. She says that Katie is very active and gets upset easily when she doesn’t get what she wants. She plays best with her older cousins at her Nan’s house. Nan (maternal grandmother) supports Katie’s mum a lot at home. Mum and Nan are open to receiving support.
Staff development
Katie’s key person has expressed that she needs help with finding strategies to support Katie’s emotions and behaviour, which are beginning to impact on other children. The Nursery SENDCo, has recently attended training on Emotion Coaching as part of her new additional role as Designated key person for children in care. She has talked about the training at a staff meeting, explaining that it would also benefit children other than those in Care. Katie’s key person is keen to learn more and thinks it will help her to care for Katie. Additionally, any practical ideas and principles learnt will benefit other children now and in the future.
The prime areas
Leaders at nursery believe that the best use of EYPP money is to equip Katie’s key person to help Katie’s PSE Development (making relationships and managing feelings and behaviour). Being calm and having increased well- being levels will help with concentration and playing co-operatively with others.
The home learning environment
A joint approach with Katie’s family will be most effective. Time for discussion about Emotion Coaching and shared resources will facilitate this. Mum has already talked about how much Katie likes Paw Patrol.
Transition
Using money for making a visual timetable, emotion thermometer/puppets and a calm box will provide practical help where it is currently most needed, for example in managing change.
Charlie EYPP action plan and commentary
Child’s needs
At nursery, Charlie is forming a good attachment with his key person, but often becomes very anxious in a busy environment with other children. He sometimes seeks out a quiet spot to hide in and needs a lot of reassurance. Charlie is naturally curious and loves discovering new things. He likes playing outside and is interested in nature, mini beasts and growing things. Physically, Charlie lacks confidence in taking risks and can feel unsteady and nervous on the large play equipment.
Staff development/Transition
Using EYPP money to buy time for Charlie’s key person to attend and cascade “Attachment and Trauma” training will help her support Charlie’s emotional development during this and future times of transition and will also benefit other children.
Carer Engagement/Home Learning Environment
Charlie has settled in well with his new foster carers who have begun sending in pictures of him digging and playing outside in the vegetable plot in their garden. This is his favourite thing to do and it helps to alleviate his anxiety. The carers are keen to support Charlie at nursery. They had an idea of bringing in more photos and garden produce to show the other children. This was to build Charlie’s confidence and open up the way for forming friendships. Charlie’s key person felt that links between home and the setting would be strengthened further by making a joint photobook called “Charlie’s Garden”.
Widening children’s life experience
Building on the carer’s visit, it was decided that Charlie and a small group of children could make soup using the vegetables and create their own herb/vegetable garden at nursery. Increasing ratios for four sessions of one hour would enable Charlie’s key person to work with Charlie and one or two others to create the growing space. Some money could be used to buy plants for the potting shed and additional tools for the existing mud kitchen.
The prime areas
The garden area would provide a learning environment to help well-being and facilitate relationship building, and talking to share experiences and ideas. Existing materials could be refreshed to make a den next to the garden. This would be a “safe place” for Charlie to hide in and manage his anxious feelings with key person support. It would also create an ideal space to promote conversation with one or two others. Physically, gardening would help Charlie practice squatting and balancing and fine motor skills. In a smaller group he would have time and space to gradually build up his confidence on the large play equipment.
Pre-school group action plan (justification for one year’s EYPP funding)
What will the EYPP money be spent on?
We decided to invest a large proportion of the year’s money for training two Forest school Practitioners at level 3 and level 2. Some money was spent on resources.
Why have you chosen this?
We carefully considered how best to use EYPP funding for the 6 eligible children in the setting. We wanted to provide something over and above the experiences routinely offered as part of the Pre- School curriculum. Children already had access to social communication groups and we felt that they would benefit from widening their current experience. Inspired by a 3iii Event facilitated by the Local Authority, we were impressed by the holistic approach, ethos and proven impact on children’s outcomes for learning provided by Forest Schools. This was something worthwhile that worked!
We consulted with children’s parents, sharing with them a Forest School Handbook. We asked whether they would like their children to form a small group and take part in a pilot project of additional weekly outdoor activities. This would eventually grow into Forest school, as staff gained the required qualifications. All Parents were keen to participate. (One family, whose daughter had very specific needs, wanted her EYPP money to contribute to helping her access the indoor curriculum. Pre- School Leader and the SENDCO agreed that a bespoke individual EYPP plan would be best, including new resources tailored to her requirements).
How much will it cost?
Training £1,198 and resources £341.56
How will it benefit the EYPP children? How will it benefit the setting?
By upskilling staff in this way, the EYPP funded children will immediately benefit as part of the training programme, and then once qualified, actual Forest school can then be offered to a wider group of 3 and 4 year olds. The quality and breadth of the Pre School curriculum will improve, along with children’s holistic development and learning outcomes.
Additional resources will also be purchased to enable a broader range of experiences for the children. (Use of some of these will need supervision by a qualified, Forest school practitioner).
How will we know this has made a difference?
By using Forest school Child observation forms, photos and videos, listening to children and parents. By measuring improved outcomes on Individual Progress trackers and Cohort tracker.
Effective interventions
The following national and local case studies aim to identify and share good practice in spending the EYPP. These together with links to useful websites, articles and information aim to support early year’s providers in making the best spending choices possible and implementing strategies effectively.
Early Years Pupil Premium Case Studies
4Children, in their strategic role for early years and childcare through The Children’s Partnership were asked by the Department for Education to launch a call for evidence on the Early Years Pupil Premium, seeking for providers to identify and share good practice around meeting the needs of disadvantaged children and improving outcomes. This call for evidence resulted in a number of case studies and examples.
Early Education EYPP Project: Learning together about learning
A DfE funded project to support the introduction of the EYPP. Visit the Learning Together About Learning Project Website for hints, tips and useful resources to support practitioners.
A free booklet is also available which contains lots of useful information to support providers in allocating EYPP funding.
Practical tips on allocating Early Years Pupil Premium Funding Opens new window
Spending Choices
Here are some ways in which Leicestershire settings have chosen to spend their EYPP funding:
Raising Achievement - Making the best spending choices
The following EYPP Market Place Event presentation will support providers in deciding how to spend the EYPP.
Possible ideas for spending the EYPP funding include:
Supporting Communication and Language Development - Case Studies
These case studies have been developed to demonstrate just some of the ways early years providers might use children’s Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP) entitlement to support Communication and Language Development. Both case studies include the use of a ‘Child Monitoring Tool’ and a ‘Child Monitoring Tool Action Plan’, available on the ECAT pages, to support the process of: assess, plan, do, review (also used as part of the Graduated Approach).
The Child Monitoring Tool (CMT) and CMT Action Plan especially will support practitioners and leaders and managers, to easily share information with Ofsted (who will be holding providers accountable for the use of EYPP) regarding what support has been implemented for individual children and how it has helped them make progress from their ‘starting point’.
Partnership working with parents and agencies can be supported using these documents. Both case studies also refer to well-established strategies available via the ECAT section of our website and the Early Intervention toolkit.
Supporting Children in Care
All children who are currently in care and attend your setting are eligible to receive the Early Years Pupil Premium.
Support for allocating EYPP when children are meeting learning and development age related expectations
Tracking progress
The DfE are clear that providers will be expected to evidence outcomes as a result of the funding allocated and this will be assessed as part of the OfSTED inspection. Providers will need to track the progress of individual children so that impact can be monitored, evaluated and clearly demonstrated.
OfSTED are clear that monitoring the EYPP will form part of their existing inspection framework.
Evidencing impact
You need to be able to provide an inspector with a clear trail of evidence consisting of the following:
- Eligible children’s starting points
- Children’s learning and development needs
- Funding allocated to each child
- How the funding was spent and why
- What you did to support the child
- Any changes you made to the actions you planned
- What impact the funding has had on the child’s learning and development
Consider if you are ready to have a conversation with the Ofsted inspector around the above points. The following tips and the questions that Ofsted might ask below may help you:
Questions that Ofsted might ask
- Who are your EYPP children?
- What are they like as a group/cohort?
- What kind of support do they need?
- What is preventing them from achieving as well as their peers?
- What funding did you receive for them?
- Tell me how you spent the funding? Why?
- How do you know this was the most effective way of supporting the child/family?
- Tell me about their starting points and how you found out this information?
- Tell me how you monitor the progress of your EYPP children?
- What was/has been the IMPACT of the interventions you put in place?
- How is the quality/effectiveness of the interventions monitored?
- Have you made any changes to planned interventions? Why?
- What was successful?
- What was less successful?
- What might you do differently next time/in the future?
- What improvements do you have planned? What are you going to do first?