Coventry Schools' Early Education Funding Entitlement - Print version

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Funding Documents for Early Years School Providers

Funding Handbook for Coventry Schools - Early Education Entitlement Funding 

Making a funding claim after the termly census / headcount

Claiming Early Years Funding in Schools [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/early-years-childcare/claiming-funded-child-headcount]

Tax-Free Childcare - information for schools

Working parents who are eligible for Tax-Free Childcare can set up an online Tax-Free Childcare account to pay for childcare.

For every £8 a parent pays into their Childcare Account, the government adds an extra £2. Parents could get up to £2,000 per child per year towards their childcare costs, or up to £4,000 for a child with a disability.

Parents will only be able to make payment to a School if that School is signed up to Tax-Free Childcare.

While parents can't make payments using both Tax-Free Childcare and (Employer) Childcare Vouchers, Schools who are signed up to Tax-Free Childcare can receive payments from both schemes.

Signing up for Tax-Free Childcare

Schools will need to sign up to receive payments from parents. 

To sign up you should be the main contact for your business. You’ll be able to set up a ‘delegate’ to manage your account for you during the process.

You’ll need your:

If you are a maintained, voluntary aided or voluntary controlled school, you should contact your Local Authorities Finance team to find out their UTR and postcode and use that to sign up.

You can sign up online [https://childcare.tax.service.gov.uk/ccp/signup/signupcode] it usually takes around 10 minutes

Managing your account

Using your account is quick and easy. You can use it to:

  • change your delegate information.
  • update your bank account details.

If you don't want to run your own account, you can give access to someone else (your delegate), who'll be able to manage your account on your behalf, including updating your details in that account.

How parents can find you

Once you have signed up to Tax-Free Childcare, parents can use the Childcare Provider Checker to search for you, using your:

  • name (the name you registered with your regulatory authority);
  • address or postcode;
  • regulator reference. For example, if you are registered with OFSTED this will be your Unique Reference Number (URN)

How parents make payments to you

Parents can use their Tax-Free Childcare account to make regular or one-off payments direct to your bank account. The payment should only take 2 to 3 working days to arrive in your bank account. When you receive a payment from a parent, this will include both their payment and the government contribution.

Tax-Free Childcare payments have a reference number of 4 letters and 5 numbers, followed by 'TFC'. The letters are made up of the first initial and the first 3 letters of the surname of the parent making the payment. For example, AJON12345TFC. This will help you link the payment to a specific child.

Memorandum of Understanding for Maintained Schools

This memorandum sets out the terms and conditions for the provision of funded childcare places in Coventry's Maintained schools.

Coventry Business, Sufficiency and Funding Team

Address: Coventry City Council
PO Box 7097
Coventry
CV6 9SL

Telephone: 024 7697 5451 [tel:02476975451]

Early Years Funding Agreement for Academy Trusts, Independent and Free Schools

This agreement must be completed annually so you can continue to claim Early Education Funding ( EEF) These terms and conditions set out the expectations between Coventry City Council (“the Council”) and (“Provider”) and refers to early year’s provision free of charge (sections 7 and 7A of the Childcare Act 2006) and free childcare (section 2 of the Childcare Act 2016) as the ‘free entitlement(s)’ or ‘free hours’ or a ‘free place’.

These terms apply to the 15 hour entitlement for the most disadvantaged two year olds, the 15 hour entitlement for parents of three and four year olds (the universal entitlement) and the additional 15 hours entitlement for working parents of three and four year olds (the extended entitlement). In addition to these, Disability Access Funding (DAF) and Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP).

The Provider Agreement is for:

  • Local authorities
  • Early years providers who are referred to as ‘Providers’ and include:
  • Early years providers and childminders registered on the Ofsted Early Years Register;
  • Childminders registered with a childminder agency that is registered with Ofsted;
  • Independent Schools and Academies taking children age two and over and which are exempt from registration with Ofsted as an early years provider.

The Parent and Carer Agreement is for:

  • Early years Providers, as set out above
  • Parents

The Council is committed to the delivery of high-quality Early Education Places through supporting and monitoring provision in the city.

The Council and the Provider have agreed to enter into this agreement in order to provide the service of Early Education Places.

The Agreement shall come into effect on 1 September 2024 until 31 August 2025 unless terminated early in accordance with the terms of the Agreement.

Once you have read the full Terms and Conditions [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/download/7161/provider-funding-agreement-terms-and-conditions] you should complete and submit the Provider Funding Agreement Form [https://myaccount.coventry.gov.uk/service/Early_Education_Places___Provider_Funding_Agreement]. The Provider Funding Agreement form is for completion by the Academy Trusts, Independent and Free Schools only.  This form is not for parents.

If you are a parent, please contact the Early Years Business, Sufficiency and Funding Team - EYProviderfunding@coventry.gov.uk [mailto:EYProviderfunding@coventry.gov.uk] for support and guidance on Early Years funding. 

Funded weeks and payment schedule

The funded weeks and payment schedule document outlines important dates related to submitting information onto the Coventry Schools and Early Years Portal including payment dates, funding rates and funding periods.

Please remember the funding periods will not always reflect school term dates.

Funded weeks and payment schedule 2025-2026 document [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/file/31524/funded-weeks-and-payment-schedule-2025-2026]

Funded weeks and payment schedule 2024-2025 document [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/file/41743/funded-weeks-and-payment-schedule-2024-2025]

 

Schools' early years funding portal guidance

Coventry Schools and Early Years Portal Support

What to do when you are logged out of the Early Years Portal [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/file/30619/what_to_do_when_you_are_logged_out_of_the_early_years_portal] 

Early Years Portal Downloads [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/download/4880/early_years_portal_downloads]

Parent Portal guidance for Two Year Old Funding [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/download/4791/parent_portal_guidance_for_two_year_old_funding]

"How to videos" - Coventry Schools and Early Years Portal

How to successfully log onto the Headcount Portal

 

How to add a 2 year old 

How to add a 3 or 4-year-old

How to edit your headcount data

 

How to create a DAF application

Claiming for a child Post Census (PCH34)

Better Start - How to access your task

Better Start - How to submit an assessment

Better Start - How to run a report

Funding handbook for Coventry Schools: Early Education Entitlement Funding

The Coventry schools' handbook for the delivery of Early Education Entitlement Funding [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/early-years-childcare/coventry-schools-handbook-delivery-early-education-entitlement-funding] has been created by Coventry Business, Sufficiency and Funding Team, to support Schools in meeting the terms and conditions of Early Education Entitlement Funding delivery, as set out in the following Government and Local Authority documentation:

  • Early education and childcare: Statutory guidance for local authorities
  • Early years entitlements: local authority funding operational guide
  • Annual Coventry Provider Funding Agreement
  • Annual Memorandum of Understanding for Maintained, Voluntary Aided / Controlled Schools

Early Education Entitlement Policy

The guidance in this document provides essential information to support childcare providers in submitting accurate and successful funding claims. 

 

Early Education Entitlement Policy Guidance March 2026 PDF new.pdf [file:///C:/Users/cvcar790/OneDrive%20-%20Coventry%20City%20Council/Documents/Early%20Education%20Entitlement%20Policy%20Guidance%20March%202026%20PDF%20new.pdf]

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