Infrastructure Investment Plan 2015: progress report 2017

Early Learning And Childcare

Expand provision of funded Early Learning and Childcare ( ELC)

Expand provision of funded Early Learning and Childcare ( ELC) entitlement for 3-4 year olds and eligible 2 year olds from 600 to 1,140 hours per year from 2020. Capital funded programme by the Scottish Government from 2017-18 to 2020-21 with £30 million provided in 2017-18 and a further £150 million of funding announced for the next phase of capacity building for the expansion. The Scottish Futures Trust is supporting the Scottish Government with the infrastructure elements of the ELC expansion, building on their support for the Scotland’s Schools for the Future Programme.

Award letters were sent to local authorities in March 2017 with initial individual allocations plus criteria governing spend. Local authorities were asked to accept their allocations. Any capital not accepted was then redistributed across the local authorities who indicated that they could accept more than their initial allocation. Final capital allocation award letters were issued in May 2017. Local authorities developed expansion plans for delivering 1,140 hours (these were submitted on 29 September 2017). Authorities were asked to prepare plans on the basis that £400 million of capital is available nationally over the next 3 years.

Local authority action plans and supporting finance templates were assessed. Revised financial template issued in January 2018 with completed templates received on 2 March 2018. The Scottish Government is working with COSLA (Convention of Scottish Local Authorities) and local authorities to agree the quantum of the multi-year revenue and capital funding package for the expansion. Details of the multi-year funding package are to be set out by the end of April 2018. Further work is planned with COSLA and local authorities on the distribution of the additional capital funding for the expansion.