PLAC Funding for Early Years

Extra funding for your early years provider 2024-2025

If your child is in early years education, your early years provider could be eligible for extra funding to help support your child.

Early years pupil premium

Your child's early years education provider could get up to £388 per year to help with your child's education. This will be paid direct to your provider.

Children between the ages of 3 and 4 may be eligible for the Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP). This is pre-school support for early years providers to improve the education they provide for disadvantaged 3 and 4 year olds (but not 4 year-olds in reception class at school) in England, who are previously looked-after children through an adoption order, a Special Guardianship Order, a Child Arrangements Order, or the child's parent/carer is in receipt of a qualifying benefit. Early years providers are any organisation that offers education for children aged under 5, including nurseries and childminders.

The funding goes directly to registered early years providers that offer children the free early education entitlement. EYPP amounts to £342 (60p per hour) per child per year where a child attends for the full 570 hours.

To claim the funding the child's eligibility for EYPP should be declared. The establishment will need to see supporting evidence (e.g. a copy of the SGO), and will complete the application on behalf of the parent/carer.

Further information, including on support in early years, is available in a guide commissioned by the Department for Education for parents and carers on the education of adopted and permanently placed children. It is available at https://www.adoptionuk.org/meeting-the-needs-of-adopted-and-permanently-placed-children.

Who can apply

You can apply for early years pupil premium if:

your child is aged 9 months to 2 years
your child is 3 or 4 and you get 15 hours free childcare

You must also get at least one of the following:

Income Support
income-based Jobseeker's Allowance
income-related Employment and Support Allowance
support under part six of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
the guaranteed element of State Pension Credit
Child Tax Credit (provided you are not also entitled to Working Tax Credit) and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190
Working Tax Credit run-on, which is paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
Universal Credit - your household income must be less than £7,400 a year after tax not including any benefits you get

You may also get early years pupil premium if your child is currently being looked after by a local authority in England or Wales or if your child has left care in England or Wales through:

adoption
special guardianship order
a child arrangements order

How to apply

To apply for early years pupil premium speak to your childcare provider or local council.

Disability access fund

Your child's early years provider could get £910 or more per year to help with their education and support.

This will be paid direct to your early years provider.

You can apply to get disability access funding if your child receives Disability Living Allowance for children and one of the following:

You do not need to use all of your hours to be eligible for disability access funding.

To apply for disability access funding speak to your childcare provider or local council.

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