2021-2022 P1 Deferral Rates & Related Questions - East Ayrshire
Dear East Ayrshire Council,
Please accept this email as a Freedom of Information request. I am sending this request to all 32 Scottish local authorities.
Please could the Council provide:
1) The total number of requests received to date for the Council to provide discretionary funding for a further year of early learning and childcare (nursery/ childminder etc) for children whose fifth birthdays have will fall between the day after the school start date in August 2021 and 31st Dec 2021.
2) A breakdown of the total number in 1. above by requests for
a) continued funding in private/voluntary settings and
b) continued funding in council run settings and
c) continued funding for split placements where a child attends both a private/voluntary and a council run setting.
3) In relation to question 2, please provide the number of places the Council has agreed to provide continued funding for in
a) private/voluntary settings and
b) council run settings and
c) split placements where a child attends both a private/voluntary and a council run setting.
4. How many of the children applying have a December birthday?
5a. How many appeals (challenges if there is no official appeals process) did the Council receive against the Council’s decision not to grant funding?
5b. How many of these appeals/challenges resulted in the initial decision being overturned?
6. How many official complaints has the Council received regarding discretionary deferral funding decisions between Nov 2020 and the date of your response to this FoI request?
7a. How many applications did the Council receive for children to be permitted early entry to primary school to start in Aug 2021 instead of Aug 2022 (for children who will turn five on or after 1st March 2022)?
7b. How many of these early entry applications were approved?
8. Is the Council’s discretionary deferral funding policy currently under review or are there any plans to update it for 2022-2023?
9. How many parents/carers are currently financing a further year of nursery for their child's deferral year themselves in a council-run nursery after the Council refused to fund their request for this?
10a. How many requests did the Council receive for older children* to defer their primary one start till Aug2022?
*(by "older children" I mean those who had already reached the age of five by the school commencement date in August 2021).
10b. How many older children* has the Council permitted to defer their primary one start till Aug 2022?
*(by "older children" I mean those who had already reached the age of five by the school commencement date in August 2021).
11. Has the Council requested to be part of the 2022-2023 expansion of the Scottish Government's pilot scheme to fund a further year of ELC for all mid-Aug to 31 Dec born children deferring their p1 start before the law is rolled out nationally from Aug 2023?
12a. Please provide SIMD deciles for all applications received as per the total number provided in your response to question 1.
12b. Please provide SIMD deciles for all applications granted as per the total number provided in your response to question 3.
12c. Does the Council take the SIMD decile of applicants into consideration when deciding whether to authorise a discretionary deferral ELC funding application?
Yours faithfully,
Patricia Anderson
Thank you for contacting East Ayrshire Council. This is an automated
response to advise you that your email has been received.
Due to the situation regarding Coronavirus (COVID-19) resources within the
Council are being prioritised and it may take longer, than the standard
timescale of responding within 20 workings days, to reply to your freedom
of information request. Your request will be responded to in due course
unless you inform us that you have withdrawn your request at this
time.
If your enquiry concerns any other matter, your email will be passed to
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relevant section for appropriate action to be taken.
Regards,
FOI Team.
CLASSIFICATION: PUBLIC
Request under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002:
I refer to your correspondence dated 26th August 2021 requesting information in relation to P1 deferral rates.
The Council is treating your request as a request under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 and can respond as below.
I trust this information has been of assistance to you and I have attached a leaflet to confirm your rights.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you require any further information.
Kind regards,
Caroline
Caroline Craig
Interim Business Assistant
Education Service
East Ayrshire Council
London Road
KILMARNOCK
KA3 7BU
Please could the Council provide:
1) The total number of requests received to date for the Council to provide discretionary funding for a further year of early learning and childcare (nursery/ childminder etc) for children whose fifth birthdays have will fall between the day after the school start date in August 2021 and 31st Dec 2021 - 35
2) A breakdown of the total number in 1. above by requests for
a) continued funding in private/voluntary settings and - 2
b) continued funding in council run settings and - 33
c) continued funding for split placements where a child attends both a private/voluntary and a council run setting - 0
3) In relation to question 2, please provide the number of places the Council has agreed to provide continued funding for in
a) private/voluntary settings and - 2
b) council run settings and - 33
c) split placements where a child attends both a private/voluntary and a council run setting - 0
4. How many of the children applying have a December birthday? - 9
5a. How many appeals (challenges if there is no official appeals process) did the Council receive against the Council’s decision not to grant funding? - 0
5b. How many of these appeals/challenges resulted in the initial decision being overturned? N/A
6. How many official complaints has the Council received regarding discretionary deferral funding decisions between Nov 2020 and the date of your response to this FoI request? - 0
7a. How many applications did the Council receive for children to be permitted early entry to primary school to start in Aug 2021 instead of Aug 2022 (for children who will turn five on or after 1st March 2022)? - 0
7b. How many of these early entry applications were approved? N/A
8. Is the Council’s discretionary deferral funding policy currently under review or are there any plans to update it for 2022-2023? No
9. How many parents/carers are currently financing a further year of nursery for their child's deferral year themselves in a council-run nursery after the Council refused to fund their request for this? - 0
10a. How many requests did the Council receive for older children* to defer their primary one start till Aug2022? - 7
*(by "older children" I mean those who had already reached the age of five by the school commencement date in August 2021).
10b. How many older children* has the Council permitted to defer their primary one start till Aug 2022? - 7
*(by "older children" I mean those who had already reached the age of five by the school commencement date in August 2021).
11. Has the Council requested to be part of the 2022-2023 expansion of the Scottish Government's pilot scheme to fund a further year of ELC for all mid-Aug to 31 Dec born children deferring their p1 start before the law is rolled out nationally from Aug 2023? - No
12a. Please provide SIMD deciles for all applications received as per the total number provided in your response to question 1.
1 x Decile 1
13 x Decile 2
2 x Decile 3
3 x Decile 4
2 x Decile 5
1 x Decile 6
2 x Decile 7
3 x Decile 8
5 x Decile 9
3 x Decile not found
12b. Please provide SIMD deciles for all applications granted as per the total number provided in your response to question 3.
a) 1 x Decile 2
1 x Decile 8
b) 1 x Decile 1
12 x Decile 2
2 x Decile 3
3 x Decile 4
2 x Decile 5
1 x Decile 6
2 x Decile 7
2 x Decile 8
5 x Decile 9
3 x Decile not found
12c. Does the Council take the SIMD decile of applicants into consideration when deciding whether to authorise a discretionary deferral ELC funding application? No
Dear East Ayrshire Council,
Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.
I am writing to request an internal review of East Ayrshire Council's handling of my FOI request '2021-2022 P1 Deferral Rates & Related Questions - East Ayrshire'. A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/2...
I would be very grateful if you could review your responses to questions 12a and 12b. My understanding is that the number of applicants for each decile in both questions should be identical as East Ayrshire Council funded all applications received (as per your responses to questions 1-3). However there is a one digit discrepancy for deciles 2 and 8 between these two questions. I think the data provided in question 12a is correct (decile 2= 13, decile 8 = 3) as when added to all the other data provided in question 12a this totals 35 which correlates with the numbers provided in questions 1-3. Can you confirm that the data provided in question 12a is correct and should be the same for question 12b?
Yours faithfully,
Patricia Anderson
Thank you for contacting East Ayrshire Council. This is an automated
response to advise you that your email has been received.
Due to the situation regarding Coronavirus (COVID-19) resources within the
Council are being prioritised and it may take longer, than the standard
timescale of responding within 20 workings days, to reply to your freedom
of information request. Your request will be responded to in due course
unless you inform us that you have withdrawn your request at this
time.
If your enquiry concerns any other matter, your email will be passed to
the
relevant section for appropriate action to be taken.
Regards,
FOI Team.
CLASSIFICATION: OFFICIAL
Dear Patricia,
Thank you for your email. I can confirm that I have carried out a review of your request and the response provided to you on 10th September 2021.
I can confirm that the figures provided to you for questions 12a. and 12b. are correct as follows:
12a. Please provide SIMD deciles for all applications received as per the total number provided in your response to question 1.
1 x Decile 1
13 x Decile 2
2 x Decile 3
3 x Decile 4
2 x Decile 5
1 x Decile 6
2 x Decile 7
3 x Decile 8
5 x Decile 9
3 x Decile not found
12b. Please provide SIMD deciles for all applications granted as per the total number provided in your response to question 3.
a) 1 x Decile 2
1 x Decile 8
b) 1 x Decile 1
12 x Decile 2
2 x Decile 3
3 x Decile 4
2 x Decile 5
1 x Decile 6
2 x Decile 7
2 x Decile 8
5 x Decile 9
3 x Decile not found
The applicants for both 12a and 12b add up to 35.
The applicants for decile 2 =
12a. 13
12b. 13
The applicants for decile 8 =
12a. 3
12b. 3
The answers in question 12b are broken into private/voluntary settings and Local Authority settings (as per question 3). When added together 12a is correct and 12b would be the same. It appears that you have not added in the figures provided for the private/voluntary settings at question 12b. hence the one digit difference in your calculations.
I trust that this is of assistance to you. I have again attached a leaflet to confirm your rights.
Kind regards
Donna Phelps
Solicitor (Information Governance)
East Ayrshire Council
Council Headquarters
London Road
Kilmarnock
KA3 7BU
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