The purpose of EYPP is to improve the educational outcomes of socio-economically disadvantaged children who are eligible for free early years entitlements in an early years setting.
Eligibility
Children are eligible for EYPP if they receive at least one hour of free early years entitlements provision and their parent or carer receives one or more of the following benefits:
- Income Support
- income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
- income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- support under part 6 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
- the guaranteed element of Pension Credit
- Child Tax Credit if the parent or carer is not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and has an annual gross income of less than £16,190
- Working Tax Credit run-on, which is paid for 4 weeks after a claimant stops qualifying for Working Tax Credit
- Universal Credit, if the parent or carer’s annual net household income is less than £7,400, not including any benefits.
If the child was formerly looked after by a local authority in England or Wales through adoption, a special guardianship order or a child arrangements order, they are also eligible.
See below for age ranges and EYPP entitlement:
Identifying eligible children and application
Early years settings are encouraged to ask parents/carers to complete a declaration form when a child first starts to gather all the information required to carry out an EYPP check including the parent’s consent (a copy of which should be kept by the provider).
The setting can then add all the relevant details to the child’s funding claim to enable an EYPP check to be carried out by the Local Authority.
How early years provider will receive EYPP funding
If a child is eligible for EYPP, the funding will be included within their early entitlement funding and an EYPP flag will be visible on the child’s claim including how much EYPP they have attracted.
EYPP is awarded per funded hour x set hourly rate for that academic year.
How to use EYPP
Early years settings should use EYPP alongside any other available funding streams or support to deliver interventions that improve outcomes for disadvantaged children.
Early years settings should ensure EYPP funding is used to improve educational outcomes for disadvantaged children by spending on activities, staff training and resources that specifically impact educational outcomes for disadvantaged children. They should plan EYPP spending based on consideration of well-evidenced approaches such as professional development for staff, which may benefit all children while providing the greatest benefit to disadvantaged children.
Recommended spending approaches are set out in the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) Guide to the Early Years Pupil Premium. This offers practical, evidence-informed advice for setting leaders on maximising the use of EYPP in their context.
Early years settings should spend EYPP funding in full within the academic year for which it has been allocated.