Early learning and childcare funding: Primary 1 deferral pilot evaluation

Appendix 2: Information sheets

Evaluation of pilots of funded ELC access for children who defer entry to P1

Information sheet for parents and carers

On behalf of the Scottish Government, Ipsos Scotland (an independent research organisation) is carrying out an evaluation of the pilots of funded ELC (Early Learning and Childcare) for children who defer entry to P1. If you have been passed this leaflet, it is because your child was eligible for an additional funded year of ELC if they deferred entry to P1.

This information leaflet provides information about the research and what taking part would involve. If you have any further questions after reading it, please get in touch using the contact details listed at the end.

The evaluation will look at what went well and what could be improved on in the process of offering parents the option to defer P1 entry, with access to funded ELC. It is being undertaken by Ipsos for the Scottish Government and will help with planning the expansion of the entitlement to funded ELC for children who defer entry into P1 to all local authorities in Scotland.

How can you help?

Ipsos would really like to hear from parents whose children were eligible to access a funded ELC place if they deferred entry to P1 – whether the parent decided to defer their child or not.

Taking part involves a short (around 45 minutes) one-to-one interview with a researcher from Ipsos. If you would like to have a partner or other family member/friend at the interview that is fine. The interview can be carried out by telephone or video call, if you prefer.

It would be at a time to suit you and would be informal and relaxed – you don't need to prepare or have any special knowledge to take part. We want to hear about your experiences and there are no right or wrong answers. We are hoping to speak to people before 15^th November.

The researcher will ask about your experience of the P1 deferral pilot including what information you received about it, whether you decided to defer your child or not, and what helped you to decide.

We understand that decisions about your child(ren) can be a sensitive topic to discuss. You do not have to answer any questions you don't want to, and you will also be able to pause or stop the interview at any point.

Everyone who takes part in an interview will be given £30 as a thank you for giving up their time to speak to us (this can be cash via bank transfer or vouchers for Amazon or Love2Shop). Please note that receiving a bank transfer may sometimes impact on any benefit payments or tax positions, so it is worth checking this before choosing whether you would prefer a voucher or a bank transfer. Receiving an e-voucher will not impact on any benefit payments or tax positions.

Who can take part?

We want to speak to parents and carers who have a child who was born between mid-August and the end of December 2017 (that are now either in P1 or an ELC setting). We do need to make sure we speak to a mix of different types of people, so not everyone will be eligible to take part. If you are interested, we will have a quick chat with you on the phone first to find out a few things about you and give you the chance to ask us any questions you may have.

How will we use the information you provide?

Ipsos will use information from the interviews to write a report for the Scottish Government that will be published but we will not include anything that could identify you/your child. It will not be possible for your local authority or the Scottish Government to know who has taken part in the research or what they have said.

Everything you say will be confidential and your data (e.g. your contact details and notes on your interview) will be stored securely and deleted at the end of the project.

With your permission, the discussions will be audio recorded. Only the research team will have access to the recording and all data will be securely destroyed after completion of the research.

Taking part in the research is completely voluntary. If you agree to take part, you are free to change your mind at any time without giving us a reason.

We have a privacy policy with more information about how we handle your data which you can see here: https://ipsos.uk/p1deferral

Getting in touch

If you have any questions or would like to take part, please contact Ipsos Scotland by:

• emailing UKP1Research@ipsos.com
• calling xxxxxxxxxxx
• or texting xxxxxxxxxxx

If you wish to take part, it would be helpful if you could tell us which local authority area you live in and what phone number we can reach you on. We will give you a quick call to explain more details about the research and answer any questions. We'll also ask you a few questions about yourself to check that you're eligible to take part.

Evaluation of pilots of funded ELC access for children who defer entry to P1

Information sheet for ELC Practitioners

On behalf of the Scottish Government, Ipsos Scotland (an independent research organisation) is carrying out an evaluation of the pilots of funded ELC for children who defer entry to P1. If you have been passed this leaflet, it is because you work in an ELC setting in a pilot LA.

This information leaflet provides information about the research and what taking part would involve. If you have any further questions after reading it, please get in touch using the contact details listed at the end.

The evaluation will look at what went well and what could be improved in the process of offering parents the option to defer P1 entry with access to funded ELC. It is being undertaken by Ipsos for the Scottish Government and will help with planning for when the entitlement to funded ELC for children who defer entry into P1 is expanded to include all local authorities in Scotland.

How can you help?

Ipsos would really like to hear from ELC practitioners working in local authority nurseries (in the pilot local authority areas) to understand how things have been working in practice.

Taking part in this research involves an online discussion with around four other ELC practitioners from pilot local authorities, facilitated by a member of the Ipsos research team. To allow practitioners from different local authorities to take part, we have decided to run the workshop virtually using the online platform Zoom, rather than face-to-face. It will last approximately an hour and will be conducted during an evening in November.

The discussion will cover your experience of the P1 deferral pilot: the information you received about the pilot; your role in communicating the pilot to parents and supporting their decision making; any other impacts on your practice/setting; and recommendations of what could be improved in the whole process.

You don't need to refer to any official data or figures during the online group; all we need from you is a willingness to share your opinions with us and your fellow participants about how the pilot has gone so far in your setting. We will ask all participants to respect the confidentiality of others and not share anything beyond the group.

Everyone who takes part in the session will be given £30 (either as a bank transfer or as an Amazon or Love2Shop voucher) as a thank you for giving up their time to speak to us.

How will we use the information I provide?

Ipsos will use information from the focus groups to write a report for the Scottish Government that will be published but we will not include anything that could identify you or the setting you work in. The report is likely to use quotes, but we will not name or identify anyone when we use quotes. If you do not want us to quote anything you say, please just let us know.

Everything you say will be confidential and your data (e.g. your contact details and notes on the discussion) will be stored securely and deleted at the end of the project.

With your permission, the discussions will be audio recorded. Only the research team will have access to the recording and all data will be securely destroyed after completion of the research.

Taking part in the research is completely voluntary. If you agree to take part, you are free to change your mind at any time without giving us a reason.

We have a privacy policy with more information about how we handle your data which you can see here: https://ipsos.uk/p1deferral

Getting in touch

If you would like to take part, please contact Ipsos Scotland at UKP1Research@ipsos.com by 21^st October – please include:

• Your name
• Your local authority area
• The name of your setting
• Which date(s) you are available