Dear All, 

In line with the LA's statutory duty, I will be setting up and chairing an Early Years Task and Finish Group with FEEE providers across all sectors. The remit of this group will be to review and make recommendations on:

•  The Early Years Block 2026-27 funding;
•  The wider consultation with all FEEE providers regarding new 2026-27 Early Years National Funding Formula (EYNFF) for under 2s, 2, 3 & 4 year-olds; 
• The 2026-27 Early Years National Funding Formula (EYNFF) hourly payment rates for under 2s, 2, 3 & 4 year-olds

In order to ensure the effectiveness of the group it is important that we have diverse membership across range of roles within schools/settings. We are hoping to achieve proportionate representation from the sector based on the number of places provided by the respective provider type, this equates to the following number of representatives from each sector:

• 2 Maintained Schools (including Maintained Nursery Schools) 
• 2 Academies 
• 1 PVI provider -term time 
• 4 PVI providers -year round 
• 1 Childminders 

Expressions of interest to be part of this group are invited from Senior Leaders from School and PVI sector providers and Childminders who: 

• Are fully up to date with their Headcount returns, in line with the FEEE Financial procedures; and
• Have a good working knowledge of early years funding. 

Members will be expected to disseminate information from the Early Years Task and Finish group to their respective sector and to collate their views for presentation at the Early Years Task and Finish Group. The membership of this group will also include LBWF service managers and officers. We encourage those of you who provide free early education places to under 2s, 2, 3 & 4 year-old children to become actively involved to ensure that your sector is represented and your opinions are heard. Representatives will be expected to be able to attend all meetings between November 2025 and January 2026, so please do not express an interest in becoming a part of this group if you are unable to commit to attendance at all three meeting during this period as set out below.

Key dates:

• 18:30pm to 19:30pm Tuesday 4 November 2025 
• 18:30pm to 19:30pm Wednesday 17 December 2025 
• 18:30pm to 19:30pm Wednesday 28 January 2026 

All expressions of interest (which must include a pen portrait* of no more than 200 words) must be provided by no later than midnight 5th of October 2025 to FEEEprovision@walthamforest.gov.uk *Your pen portrait will provide information about the knowledge and expertise that you would bring to the role of representing your sector at the Early Years Task and Finish Group. If we have more expressions of interest than available places on the group for any provider type (School, PVI, Childminder), the pen portraits provided by those expressing an interest in representing the oversubscribed group will be circulated to all FEEE providers from the oversubscribed group to allow them to electing their preferred representative for that group. Providers will need to submit their vote for their preferred representative by 12 October 2025. The final Early Years Task and Finish Group members will be announced on Friday 17 October 2025.

Regards 

Eve Mc Loughlin (eve mac-lock-lin) Assistant Director Early Years & Childcare.