Scottish LAs Discretionary Deferral Funding Stats for 2020-2021

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Patricia Anderson

Dear Shetland Islands 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) for children whose fifth birthdays will fall between the day after the school start date in August 2020 and 31st Dec 2020.

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 2019 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 2020 instead of Aug 2021 (for children who will turn five on or after 1st March 2021)?

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 in the near future?

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?

10. How many older children* has the Council permitted to defer their primary one start till 2021?
*(by "older children" I mean those who had already reached the age of five by the school commencement date in August 2020).

Yours faithfully,

Patricia Anderson

Shetland Islands Council

Ms Anderson

We acknowledge receipt of your request for information.

This is receiving attention, and we will provide you with a response as soon as possible.

Regards, Louise

Louise Adamson
Committee Officer
Governance and Law
Corporate Services Department
Shetland Islands Council
8 North Ness Business Park
LERWICK
Shetland   ZE1 0LZ

Tel:  01595 744555

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Shetland Islands Council

1 Attachment

Good afternoon

 

Please find below our response to your recent Freedom of Information
request.

 

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) for children whose fifth birthdays will fall between
the day after the school start date in August 2020 and 31st Dec 2020.

                28

 

2) A breakdown of the total number in 1. above by requests for

 

a) continued funding in private/voluntary settings and

                3

b) continued funding in council run settings and

                25

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

                3

b) council run settings and

                25

c) split placements where a child attends both a private/voluntary and a
council run setting.

                N/A

 

4. How many of the children applying have a December birthday?

               

                16          

 

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?

 

                None.

 

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 2019 and the date of
your response to this FoI request?

 

                None.

 

7a. How many applications did the Council receive for children to be
permitted early entry to primary school to start in Aug 2020 instead of
Aug 2021 (for children who will turn five on or after 1st March 2021)?

 

                None.

 

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 in the near future?

 

                Not as yet.

 

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?

 

                None.

 

10. How many older children* has the Council permitted to defer their
primary one start till 2021?

 

*(by "older children" I mean those who had already reached the age of five
by the school commencement date in August 2020).

 

                49

 

I trust that this response meets your request. However, if you are
dissatisfied with the way in which the Council has dealt with your request
for information then you may ask the authority to review its actions and
decisions in relation to your request, by submitting a formal appeal. The
process for lodging appeals is set out in the attached leaflet.

 

If you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact
me.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Gayle MacDougall

Admin/Reception

Hayfield House

Lerwick

 

01595 744000

 

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Dear Shetland Islands Council,

Thank you for your response to my recent FoI request. I just want to double-check that the answer provided to Q10. is correct. You said that 49 children who were already age 5 by the school starting date last month have been approved a deferral by the Council and will therefore start school next August having already reached the age of 6. Is this definitely correct as it seems very high and I wonder if the question might have been misinterpreted.

Yours faithfully,

Patricia Anderson

Shetland Islands Council

Hello,

Please accept my apologies - I read the question incorrectly.

None if the deferred entries this year were 5 on or before the school commencement date in August 2020, therefore the answer is 0.

Thank you for checking.

Best wishes,
Dayna

Dear Dayna,

Thanks very much for checking this and getting back to me so quickly. Much appreciated.

Yours faithfully,

Patricia Anderson