24U information

Are you new to 24U?

As a childcare provider operating in Shropshire (Full Day Care, Pre-school, Childminder), as long as you were judged at your last Ofsted inspection to be either Outstanding or Good you will be able to offer funded childcare places.  The only variance from this is if you are a newly registered provider; awaiting your full Ofsted inspection.  Until such time when Ofsted conduct your first full inspection and judgement you will be able to offer places to funded children, please follow the process detailed below:

In order to arrange to receive payments form Shropshire Council please email nef@shropshire.gov.uk or Tel 01743 254458/254567 and explain that you wish to provide 24U places and we will advise you of the claiming process.

Once everything is in place, you need to request to see the letter that the 24U team has issued to the parent/carer confirming the child’s 24U eligibility. You will then be able to add this child to your latest headcount claim for that term. 

We encourage parent/carers to apply online via the 24U page on the Shropshire Council website.

The criteria for 24U eligibility is as follows:

If the parent/carer can answer 'yes' to one or more of the following questions the child may be eligible to receive 15 hours of free early years education per week over 38 weeks of the year, from the beginning of the term after they turn two years old:

• Has the child left care through special guardianship or an adoption or residence order?
• Is the place for a child who is 'looked after' by a local council?
• Does the child have a current statement of special educational needs (SEN) or an education, health and care plan (ECHP)?
• Does the child get disability living allowance (DLA)?
• Does the parent/carer receive income support?
• Does the parent/carer receive income-based jobseeker's allowance (JSA)?
• Does the parent/carer receive income-related employment and support allowance (ESA)?
• Does the parent/carer receive support through part 6 of the Immigration and Asylum Act?
• Does the parent/carer receive the guaranteed element of state pension credits?
• Does the parent/carer receive the working tax credit four week run-on?
• Does the parent/carer receive tax credits and have an annual income less than £16,190?
• Does the parent/carer receive universal credit and have an annual income less than £15,400?
• Does the parent/carer receive child tax credits and have an annual income not exceeding £16,190?
• Does the parent/carer get tax credits and earn no more than £16,190 a year?
• Is the child under the care of Zambrano Carers
• Is the child a member of a family with no recourse to public funds with a right to remain in the UK on grounds of private/family life under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights
• Is the child of a subset of failed asylum seekers (supported under section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 – ‘the 1999 Act’).
• S17 of the Children's Act refers to those children who are subject to a LA Children in Need plan.

Further information and resources

Further information for Early Years practitioners regarding 24U can be found below.