Nursery funding means-testing delayed

Monday 28 November 2016

Controversial plans to introduce means-testing for free nursery education is to be postponed for a year, so that workable systems can be implemented.

Under the proposals, families with a household income of more than £100,000 a year will no longer be eligible for free nursery education in either the public or private sector. Families earning between £85,000 and £100,000 will receive a portion of the free hours.

Education Minister Deputy Rod Bryans defended the delay, insisting he is very much in favour of means-testing, but more consultation was required.

He said: “Since the States debate there have been discussions with the Early Years Childhood Partnership (EYCP), which includes representatives of private nurseries. We will be working together on a broader strategy for the future of early years but are also discussing the immediate funding problem.

“The budget for the Nursery Education Fund has been exceeded previously but we have been able to cover the shortfall from other parts of the department’s finances. This will not be possible in future without affecting other education services and schools, so we still need to introduce means-testing.

“However, it has become clear that adding school nurseries makes the implementation of means-testing more complicated because it involves two separate systems of administration. I have decided to delay the introduction for one year because of the extra work required and to allow for consultation with head teachers.”

Chief Education Officer Justin Donovan said: “Early years education is an absolutely vital part of a child’s development and our aim is for as many children as possible to access high quality nursery. Broader discussions about how the Island achieves this are ongoing and in the meantime we also have to balance the books and ensure the NEF works within budget allocated to it.”

The States assembly decided in September to approve means-testing of the nursery grant, under which £3,914 per child is paid to private nurseries to provide 20 hours of free education during term time for a year. The States also decided that parents who use nursery education in States primary schools should also be means-tested.