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By Rachel Lawler

 

The Department for Education has opened a on proposed changes to the application fee and annual fee paid to Ofsted by early years providers on Ofstedā€™s Early Years Register.

 

The consultation is proposing changes to the application fee and annual fee due to come into force in April 2020.

 

It is also seeking views on the principles that should ā€œunderpin a revised Early Years Register fee modelā€ which will be introduced in April 2021.

 

 

The proposed new fees, suggested in the consultation, are:

 

Band	Childcare category	Current fee rate (set in 2010)	Proposed application and annual fee from April 2020	Increase
Band 1	Childminders	Ā£35	Ā£43	+Ā£8
Band 2	Sessional providers	Ā£35	Ā£43	+Ā£8
-	Sessional providers subject to transitional arrangements	Ā£50	Ā£61	+Ā£11
Band 3	Full day care providers	Ā£220	Ā£269	+Ā£49

 

Opened today, the consultation is looking for views on a revised fee model that will tier prices depending on the type of provider registering.

 

The consultation opened today and will be gathering views until 10am on 9 October 2019.

 

Anyone interested in early education and childcare, including local authorities, sector representatives and professional bodies based in England, are invited to submit their views.

 

Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Alliance, said that the increased fees should be accompanied by an increase in funding for the early years sector. He said: ā€œItā€™s not surprising to hear that Ofsted want to increase registration fees - thereā€™s no doubt that running costs will have increased in line with inflation in recent years. And itā€™s good to hear proposals that will tier prices depending on provider type.

 

ā€œBut it is staggering that after years of the government denying any negative impact of rising costs on providers, including dismissing those struggling as ā€œoutliersā€, theyā€™re now asking the sector to swallow yet another increase to their outgoings.

 

ā€œIt is appalling that thousands of providers have closed their doors and many thousands more are scraping by on funding rates calculated on operating costs from seven years ago.

 

ā€œIf the government can admit that Ofsted need a fee increase to keep pace with inflation then itā€™s beyond time they looked again at early years funding. That means not only an urgent increase in funding levels but also a commitment to review them annually ā€“ anything less would reek of double standards and consign many more providers to closure.ā€