Guidance

Early years funding Section 251 data: 2024 to 2025

Information on indicators of local authority early education services, and ways to compare an individual local authority to other local authorities.

Applies to England

Documents

Early years funding Section 251 data: 2024 to 2025

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Details

The ‘Early years funding Section 251 data: 2024 to 2025’ workbook covers all local authorities in England. This tool shows planned spending in the 2024 to 2025 financial year to provide early years entitlement places for children from 9 months to 4 years old.

Local authorities can use this data to compare their local systems and budgets against those of other local authorities. They can use these comparisons to support improvements in fairness and increase value for money.

Early years providers, parents and others can use this data to:

  • understand the early education system in their area
  • understand decisions taken by local authorities
  • compare these to other local authorities

The ‘Local authority planned early years expenditure data 2024 to 2025: technical note and user guide’ explains the methodology behind the data, and how to use the ‘Early years funding Section 251 data: 2024 to 2025’ workbook.

The ‘Early years funding Section 251 data: 2024 to 2025’ workbook is not accessible because it includes macros, colour-coding, filter buttons and dropdown menus. This means it does not meet web content accessibility guidelines success criteria 1.3.1 on info and relationships, 1.3.2 on meaningful sequence, or 1.4.1 on use of colour.

Updates to this page

Published 10 December 2024

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