Extra funding for Plymouth children

More than 970 children from low income families in Plymouth attending Early Years providers will be able to take advantage of the Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP) from this April.

It was announced last June by the government that the new EYPP worth £300 per pupil, would help narrow the attainment gap between young children from low-income families and their peers.

From next month Plymouth’s early years providers will be able to access the EYPP to help them support their most disadvantaged children, in addition to the free entitlement of up to 15 hours of early education per week.

Children will qualify if they are 3 or 4 years old, are receiving government-funded early education, and their parents receive benefits used to access eligibility for free school meals.

According to detailed Early Years research which looks at the benefits of early education, children from low-income families are estimated to already be 19 months behind more advantaged peers when they start school. High-quality early education can close this gap and improve results later on in life.

Children who receive good-quality early years education go on to earn around £27,000 more during their career compared to those who don’t, and are also likely to do better at school - the equivalent of 7 GCSE grades at grade B compared to grade C.

Councillor Sue McDonald, Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Public Health said: “ Early years education is so important for our children so I’m really pleased that this extra money will benefit three- and four-year-olds from some of Plymouth’s low-income families to prevent them falling behind before they have even started school.

“I would encourage any parent who meets the criteria to contact us or their local early years provider, so that their child can get the right support at the right time.”

To find out more visit https://www.gov.uk/government/news/disadvantaged-children-to-benefit-fro... or contact the Early Years team on 01752 307450.