The Planning and Analysis Team
The Planning and Analysis team is made up of the Planning section and the Research and Analysis section.
The main role of the Planning section is to:
- Ensure that there are enough childcare places across the city, particularly for parents wishing to return to work or training.
- Ensure early years free entitlement provision (nursery education) is available to all children aged 3 and 4 years within their area.
- Ensure that Extended Schools and Children’s Centre targets issued by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) are implemented by 2010
- Ensure support and advice is available to new or existing providers
The aim of the Research and Analysis section within the team is to provide the Early Years and Childcare Service with the information and analysis needed to manage their service and deliver front line services effectively and efficiently to children and families in the city.
The core functions are:
- The delivery of information and analysis support at city, service district, children centre, school, neighbourhood and community assemblies’ area levels.
- The provision of summary information to support performance reporting, evaluations, monitoring and strategic planning.
- Co-ordination of data analysis from a number of sources.
- Co-ordinating the Early Years Census (headcount) termly data collection, processing and reporting.
- The commissioning of information flows that can deliver the required data and analysis.
The team has recently completed an assessment of the childcare market within Sheffield. More detailed consultation work is being carried out in local areas across the city between August 2008 and April 2009. The findings from the assessment will help to decide where childcare places will be developed across the city in the future.
The Planning and Analysis team also provide advice and support around admissions to the early years free entitlement for schools and Children's Centres. A revised Admissions Policy is currently under development and will be presented to the Council's Cabinet during the summer term. Once agreed it will be circulated to all schools and Children's Centres and will be uploaded to this page for information.