The early years pupil premium (EYPP) is designed to narrow the attainment gap between young children from low-income families and their peers by improving the facilities, equipment, and learning experiences to benefit the growth and development of eligible children.
All children aged 9 months to 4 years old who meet the eligibility criteria will benefit from the funding. It will be paid to early years providers on an hourly rate basis, linked to claimed hours for eligible children. From April 2024, the annual value for a 15-hour place over a full year will be just under £388, or 68p per hour.
Any provider registered to offer funded early years places will receive the EYPP if they have entitled children.
Parents/carers will need to complete a parent/carer agreement form (view documents for parents and carers) to provide consent for a check to be run by us. Eligible parents/carers will trigger a payment direct to the childcare setting.
Eligibility criteria
Children are eligible if they are 9 months to 4 years old and receiving government-funded entitlement in any OFSTED-registered childcare provider, and their parents/carers are in receipt of at least one of the following benefits:
- Universal Credit – where the household income must be less than £7,400 a year after tax, not including any benefits they receive
- Income Support
- Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
- The guaranteed element of State Pension Credit
- Child Tax Credit, providing they do not also receive Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190
- Working Tax Credit run-on – paid for 4 weeks after they stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
Or if they have been:
- Looked after by the local authority for at least one day
- Adopted from care in the local authority
- Left care through special guardianship and are subject to a child arrangement order (formerly known as residence orders) in Central Bedfordshire