Early Years Funded Entitlement – Payment Consultation

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Local Authorities are expected to regularly review how they pay providers to ensure that it continues to meet the needs of all providers in their area.

As a provider of Early Years Funded Entitlement (EYFE) in West Sussex, your input is invaluable as we explore potential enhancements to payment schedules. This consultation comprises a briefing document, a survey, and a Payment Schedules Modelling tool.

The purpose of this consultation is to explore alternative payment schedules. Please note that the figures and timelines provided are preliminary, and subject to change.

Stage One of this consultation concluded on 2 August 2024. You can view the results of this survey here.

Stage Two concluded on 8 December 2024. This survey explored the possibility of offering providers two choices of how to be paid.

The Stage Two briefing video can be viewed below. The content of the video is also available as a PDF.


We have also updated the Payment Schedule Modelling Tool. We highly recommend using this to see how the proposed schedules would work for your provision.

The results of the Stage Two survey will be published shortly.

Accessibility statement

If you need this information in another format such as easy read, in large print, on audio or in another language please contact us on 01243 777807 or email family.info.service@westsussex.gov.uk and we will do our best to assist you. If you are deaf or hard of hearing and have an NGT texting app installed on your computer, laptop or smartphone you can contact us on 18001 01243 777807.

We are committed to making this website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018. Please view the West Sussex County Council Accessibility Statement, for further details. Information about the accessibility of Your Voice can be found by clicking on 'Accessibility' which can be found right at the bottom of this page.

We are always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, please contact us at family.info.service@westsussex.gov.uk.

Privacy statement

West Sussex County Council will use this survey to collect some personal data, the processing of which is necessary for the performance of a contract with the data subject or to take steps to enter into a contract, or to contact you if more information is required. This data will be processed in accordance with the 2018 Data Protection Act, the General Data Protection Regulations and any subsequent relevant data and will only be used for the purpose stated. The data we collect will be held securely on computer for a period of up to 1 year before being appropriately destroyed. We will not use the data for any other purpose. West Sussex County Council is registered as Data Controller (Reg. No. Z6413427). For further details and information about our Data Controller, please see the West Sussex County Council Privacy Policy.

Survey web browser compatibility

Please use one of the browsers below when completing the survey to ensure it looks and works as it should. These are:

· Microsoft Edge version 86 and above

· Chrome version 86 and above

· Firefox version 78 and above

· Safari version 14 and above

Local Authorities are expected to regularly review how they pay providers to ensure that it continues to meet the needs of all providers in their area.

As a provider of Early Years Funded Entitlement (EYFE) in West Sussex, your input is invaluable as we explore potential enhancements to payment schedules. This consultation comprises a briefing document, a survey, and a Payment Schedules Modelling tool.

The purpose of this consultation is to explore alternative payment schedules. Please note that the figures and timelines provided are preliminary, and subject to change.

Stage One of this consultation concluded on 2 August 2024. You can view the results of this survey here.

Stage Two concluded on 8 December 2024. This survey explored the possibility of offering providers two choices of how to be paid.

The Stage Two briefing video can be viewed below. The content of the video is also available as a PDF.


We have also updated the Payment Schedule Modelling Tool. We highly recommend using this to see how the proposed schedules would work for your provision.

The results of the Stage Two survey will be published shortly.

Accessibility statement

If you need this information in another format such as easy read, in large print, on audio or in another language please contact us on 01243 777807 or email family.info.service@westsussex.gov.uk and we will do our best to assist you. If you are deaf or hard of hearing and have an NGT texting app installed on your computer, laptop or smartphone you can contact us on 18001 01243 777807.

We are committed to making this website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018. Please view the West Sussex County Council Accessibility Statement, for further details. Information about the accessibility of Your Voice can be found by clicking on 'Accessibility' which can be found right at the bottom of this page.

We are always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, please contact us at family.info.service@westsussex.gov.uk.

Privacy statement

West Sussex County Council will use this survey to collect some personal data, the processing of which is necessary for the performance of a contract with the data subject or to take steps to enter into a contract, or to contact you if more information is required. This data will be processed in accordance with the 2018 Data Protection Act, the General Data Protection Regulations and any subsequent relevant data and will only be used for the purpose stated. The data we collect will be held securely on computer for a period of up to 1 year before being appropriately destroyed. We will not use the data for any other purpose. West Sussex County Council is registered as Data Controller (Reg. No. Z6413427). For further details and information about our Data Controller, please see the West Sussex County Council Privacy Policy.

Survey web browser compatibility

Please use one of the browsers below when completing the survey to ensure it looks and works as it should. These are:

· Microsoft Edge version 86 and above

· Chrome version 86 and above

· Firefox version 78 and above

· Safari version 14 and above

  • Results of initial survey

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    We would like to thank everyone who took the time to participate in the first stage of this consultation, which was open for six weeks from 21 June 2024 and closed on 2 August 2024. The briefing document and Payment Schedules Modelling Tool will continue to be available for you to use.

    We have reviewed your feedback on the three options we presented. As a reminder, these were:

    • two payments per term; one Estimate and one Actuals (Estimates moving to beginning of the term),
    • monthly payments; multiple Estimate payments with a final Actuals payments at the beginning of the final month of the term, and
    • three payments per term; two Estimate payments one Actuals payment.

    In advance of the second stage of the consultation, which is due to launch in October 2024, please read the findings from the initial survey. This includes a breakdown of the responses which may aid you in considering the impact of options for your provision going forward.

    To summarise our preliminary conclusions:

    • Two payments per term was the most popular option, but there is significant demand for monthly payments.
    • There was insufficient support for three payments per term. Consequently, we are unlikely to pursue this further, though we appreciate everyone’s feedback on this option.
    • We are currently exploring the possibility of simultaneously allowing providers to either receive up to two payments per term or monthly payments.

    Whilst participation in the initial survey was optional, we will require a response from all Early Years Funded Entitlement providers for the second part of the consultation. This will ensure we gather the perspectives of all providers. It will also give us an indication of how many providers would choose a particular option. We will communicate in a future newsletter when the second stage of the consultation opens.

    Thank you to those providers who volunteered to be part of a focus group or to participate in a pilot. We will reach out in due course to let you know more.

    Next steps include:

    • Determine viable options for early years and childcare providers to consider.
    • Further consultation regarding options available will take place in October 2024.
    • Outline roles and responsibilities for focus and pilot groups.
    • Work with providers to agree lead-in time and roll out of any changes to payment schedules.

    (Note this article was originally published in the Early Years Funding Special Newsletter on Monday 9 September 2024)

  • End of the first consultation stage

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    We would like to thank everyone who took the time to participate in the first stage of this consultation. This stage of the consultation is now closed. The briefing document and Payment Schedule Modelling Tool will continue to be available.

    What happens next?

    The Early Years Funding Team will analyse your responses and aim to report back in September, both here and via our weekly newsletter. There will then be an opportunity to further share your views as part of the second consultation stage, which we are aiming to begin in October. This second consultation will provide more specific options taking into account your initial feedback and should provide you with a clearer picture of what payment options will be available to you and give another opportunity for you to feedback.

Page last updated: 09 Dec 2024, 09:08 AM