| answer text |
<p>Local authorities are responsible for making decisions on statutory proposals to
alter the age range of maintained schools, including by the addition of a nursery.</p><p>
</p><p>Academies wishing to alter their age range must submit an application for a
significant change to the department. In the last 12 months, the department received
over 100 significant change applications to change the age range at an academy. The
current data collection does not break this down further to enable the department
to provide information on the number of schools that have requested to change their
age range to add provision for nursery age children. The department does not collect
data on the average length of time taken to reach a decision as applications can differ
in their complexity.</p><p> </p><p>The department has published revised guidance which
will come into effect from the end of April 2024. The guidance sets out an updated
application process that will allow low risk changes to progress to a decision more
quickly following the necessary checks, which will streamline the application process.
When implemented, the department will also be introducing a new data collection system
to track application information in more detail.</p><p> </p><p>With regards to safeguarding,
schools must continue to have regard to the statutory guidance, ‘Keeping children
safe in education’, which can be found here: <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/64f0a68ea78c5f000dc6f3b2/Keeping_children_safe_in_education_2023.pdf"
target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/64f0a68ea78c5f000dc6f3b2/Keeping_children_safe_in_education_2023.pdf</a>.
All early years settings must follow the Early Years Foundation Stage statutory framework
throughout any transition period.</p><p> </p><p>Local authorities remain responsible
for the continuation of funding, as they are required to ensure sufficiency of childcare
places in their areas. Early years entitlements funding for children in nursery classes
up to reception age would continue until those children moved into reception.</p><p>
</p>
|
|
