Question reference: S5W-33917
- Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 8 December 2020
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Current status: Answered by Maree Todd on 21 December 2020
Question
To ask the Scottish Government when the legislation that guarantees an extra year’s childcare funding for all parents who defer their child’s school start will be implemented across all of Scotland.
Answer
On the 2 October 2019, I confirmed that the Scottish Government would introduce legislation in this parliamentary session to entitle all children whose school start is deferred to access funded early learning and childcare in their deferred year.
The legislation required, an affirmative Scottish Statutory Instrument (SSI) under the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014, was laid on 7 December 2020. The SSI is called The Provision of Early Learning and Childcare (Specified Children) (Scotland) Amendment Order 2020, and will come into force on 1 August 2023.
Our overriding objective is to ensure that we roll out 1140 hours of funded early learning and childcare to all eligible children as soon as possible, and therefore we have set a realistic timetable for full implementation of extended eligibility for children who defer.
To progress the implementation of this policy ahead of August 2023, the Scottish Government and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) have agreed a Joint Implementation Plan under which five local authorities will pilot early implementation of this obligation in 2021-22. The Scottish Government has committed £3 million to support this early implementation.
The Joint Implementation Plan has been published at https://www.gov.scot/publications/funded-early-learning-and-childcare-places-joint-implementation-plan/ .I informed Parliament of this approach in the answer to question S5W-34053 on 16 December 2020. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx