News

Croydon Council has had to secure extra government funding for it to meet a Department for Education and Skills target on child care, Community Care has learned.

From 1 April this year all councils were required to provide a free part-time nursery education place to all three and four year olds but Croydon was unable to do so.

A council spokesperson said the council had secured extra government funding "in principle" which would enable it to meet the target. He added that it was expecting the funding to enable it to backdate payments for placements to April.


"Until the settlement in principle was reached, we offered two of the three [school] terms to all, with the third term free if families' circumstances met certain criteria." These included being in receipt of income support, having a child with special needs and having a social worker involved.