Wraparound childcare - Find a freedom of information request

1) I would like to see what the money the government issued to Lincs County Council in 2023 to help with the set up of wraparound childcare has been spent on.

2) If this has not been spent then where is it and what is the plan to get the monies distributed to the schools in the area to set up the provision for wraparound care.

3) I would also like a copy of the plan to increase wrap around childcare sufficiency in South Holland.

4) How many spaces are there currently over the county for wrap around care (inc other provisions as well as schools), and how many schools provide the wraparound care themselves.

5) How many children/parents are unable to get the wraparound care that they require. How many spaces are we short across the county.

6) How many requests for wraparound care have the schools in the county received since September 2023.

7) A copy of all the communication that has been sent to parents about the fact that they can request wraparound care from their schools in 2023 to present.

8) How many schools requested the funding for wrap around care provisions to set this up.

9) A copy of the communication that has been sent to schools to inform them that they need a wraparound provision by September 2026, and that the provision needs to be available for the needs of the parents and the local community.

10) A copy of the communication that schools and there wraparound provisions have to discuss place availability for wrap around care.

I can confirm that the information requested is held by Lincolnshire County Council. I have detailed below the information that is being released to you.

1)46 schools/providers have been funded so far in Lincolnshire, to create or expand capacity and/or opening hours. South Holland is identified to receive £152,175 creating/expanding 107 places.

2) The local authority has a Wraparound Programme team who are currently working with all schools and childcare providers in Lincolnshire, to meet the governments ambition that by 2026, all parents and carers of primary school-aged children who need it will be able to access term time childcare in their local area from 8am – 6pm.

3) The DfE wraparound programme funding and efforts are focused on provision where demand and supply suggest likelihood of sustainability is high, and provision that is low risk should be prioritised for support ahead of testing and innovation. South Holland is a complex area of the county with small rural schools and some areas have a lower demand for childcare.

The local authority is working with schools and other local childcare providers to assess whether it would be sustainable to establish new standalone clubs for a small number of children or where it may be more sustainable to expand existing provision or recruit childminders.

We are working on a variety of solutions to support any gaps. The Wraparound team has recently been in contact with Honey Pots Nursery.

They are currently going through a recruitment process to support them to increase the places they are able to offer to families. Increasing their number of staff will enable them to do this.

They currently operate from 7:30am-6pm and are working on this expansion as a priority. The team have also recently been in contact with the Head at Weston Hills and are working with them to conduct an up-to-date assessment for the school community need for wraparound provision.

They are not currently aware of any other parents that are unable to access provision at present. We will be working with them and the provider to engage in a consultation in the area to consider what additional places are needed.

The local authority is considerate of existing childcare in all areas of the county and do not wish to destabilise existing provision.

We are also ensuring that provision funded through the programme is affordable to parents, as far as is reasonably practical. The cost of provision is benchmarked against that of other childcare in the area. Provision should be affordable to parents in a way that drives up and sustains demand but also supports providers to charge fees that maintain the financial viability of their businesses.

We are currently working with lots of schools in the area to try and meet the growing demand for wraparound childcare, including currently working with Moulton Chapel and Cowbit to create full wrapround provision. Availability is increasing when benchmarked against the sufficiency assessment in 2023 and we continue to do everything possible to ensure all areas of Lincolnshire have an appropriate supply of childcare to meet demands.

4). - Breakfast

177 – School Run

244 – PVI Run

- After School

146 – School Run

265 – PVI Run

5) Our delivery plan includes 3,500 places to be created.

6) The local authority does not manage individual requests to schools. Schools manage these requests. The local authority has received 2 requests directly from parents seeking wraparoud provision, in different areas of the county.

7) The local authority is working with all schools to ensure they understand their duty under the right to request:

Responding to requests for wraparound childcare - GOV.UK All schools will share this information differently and we are currently working with schools to get a consistent approach to how this information is shared.

8) Schools have been identified by the local authority to participate in the wraparound programme. Over 100 schools were identified as previously having no access to breakfast or after school provision or limited access that did not meet the 8am-6pm timeframe.

9) There are several forms of communication the local authority has used with schools. We have actively engaged with schools through the Head Teacher Briefings and Bulletins sent through the schools news channels. Further marketing and engagement will be taking places through the next financial year.

10) All schools have developed their own communications with parents and this will differ across the county.

Many schools work with Private, Voluntary and Independent Providers to offer the wraparound childcare.

The wraparound team will be doing more targeted approaches with schools this year to consider how this information is added to their websites and how information is disseminated to parents.