2 Year Old Capital Grant
Funding 2014
Round 2
Guidance for Applicants
March 2014
1
2 Year Old Capital Grant Funding 2014
Background information
The 2 Year Old Capital Grant Fund allocation was announced by the
Department for Education [DfE] in 2012.
The aim of the funding is to:
 Support the Council’s duty to provide early education for eligible 2 year
olds which became a statutory duty from September 2013 under the
Childcare Act.
 Ensure sufficient places will be available to support the increased offer
for two year old funded places across the district.
In Wakefield, the 2 Year Old Capital Grant Funding will enable the district to:
 Meet statutory responsibility by providing places for 20% of 2 year olds,
approximately 950 children. This will rise to 40% of 2 year olds from
September 2014, approximately 1900 children.
 Support the implementation of early education for 2 year olds.
 Increase the number of eligible 2 year olds who will be able to take up
the offer of up to 570 hours of free education in a year.
 Support the provision of places for 2 year olds in geographical areas
across the district where there is an anticipated gap in the number of
places available. These areas have been identified through the
availability of DWP data.
 Support childcare providers to increase the number of places
specifically for children taking up the 2 year old offer by expanding or
remodelling their existing premises to increase their overall space.
Applicants must be eligible to deliver the 2 Year Old Offer.
The 2 Year Old Capital Grant will be awarded by Wakefield Council to
successful capital project bids which demonstrate to the satisfaction of the
Evaluation Panel that they meet the priorities outlined in this guidance
document and support the increase of childcare places for eligible 2 year olds.
The amount of funding is a finite amount which once allocated will no longer
be available.
Who can apply?
Applications are welcomed from the following:
2
 Providers from the Private, Voluntary, Independent sector and
Childminders who are on Wakefield Councils Directory and are funded
to deliver the Early Years Free Entitlement [EYFE] for two year olds.
 Schools/Academies currently providing EYFE for 3 and 4 year olds.
 Providers who do not currently have provision for 2 Year Olds but with
a proven track record of high quality provision wishing to develop their
2 Year Old offer.
Criteria
In order to be eligible for consideration for funding, applicants must be
able to demonstrate the following:
 Provision is in one of the priority geographical areas identified in the
attached document ‘Anticipated gaps in 2 Year Old Offer places’ as red
and fills gaps in the childcare market to deliver the 2 Year Old Offer.
 Value for money in terms of cost per place.
 A proven track record of delivering high quality services.
 A 5 year Business Plan is in place demonstrating that the expected
duration of service delivery is for a minimum of five years.
 Details of security of tenure of premises, a copy of lease with a
minimum of 5 years remaining must be submitted. If the proposed
expansion is in rented premises, you must provide written confirmation
of approval of the work from your Landlord.
 Support for the effective delivery of the Early Years Foundation Stage
[EYFS] to 2 year olds.
 How capital investment will support the physical environment
complying with the Equality Act 2010 regulations and improve
accessibility to the setting.
This grant will be allocated to providers using the eligibility criteria outlined
above and using the Scoring Assessment and Weightings - please see Annex
2.
The scoring criteria will be weighted and prioritised using 2 essential criteria:
 Geographical priority areas coloured red as identified in the document
‘Anticipated gaps in 2 Year Old Offer places’.
 Cost per place – value for money.
Applications for funding must be submitted either in hard copy or
electronically by the closing date of 12 noon on 12 May 2014.
Applications received after this time and date will not be considered
3
under any circumstances.
2 Year Old Capital Grant Funding
2 Year Old Capital Grant Funding will be available from May 2014 to support
providers to physically expand and increase from the current occupied space,
leading to a net increase in the number of registered places. Applications
could include development such as:
 Re-modelling an existing building, including modification and
adaptation to enable access for children with Special Education Needs
or Disabilities.
 Carrying out a building expansion / extension.
 Setting up provision in a separate building.
To supplement the increase in number of registered places, the grant could
also be used to cover:
 Purchasing resources such as toys and equipment.
 Developing outdoor provision to support the increased number of two
year olds.
Existing occupancy must be utilised before building expansion will be
considered or there is evidence that current accommodation will not meet
future identified demand. Eg. if there is a previously unregistered spare room
within the building, it is expected that the room to be converted before an
extension of the building would be considered.
Conditions of Grant
Application for grants above £2,000 will be considered. Applications for
funding below this will not be considered.
Places must be available from August 2014.
Match funding from applicants will be taken into consideration as part of the
evaluation of the bid and value for money.
All bids must clearly demonstrate value for money.
All successful providers must adhere to financial conditions laid down by
Wakefield Council within the Funding Agreement. A signed Funding
Agreement must be in place prior to any funding being released.
Claw back arrangements will be in place and applied if required, please see
details on page 5 under Claw back Arrangements.
Any equipment purchased must be used solely at the applying premises.
Applications for vehicles will not be considered.
4
Previous applicants from Round 1 may reapply but the application must be
for demonstrably different work.
Funding cannot be given to pay for work that has already been carried out.
Evaluation Criteria
The following criteria will be scored and ranked by the Evaluation Panel as
part of the decision making and allocation process:

Priority area red as identified in the attached document ‘Anticipated
gaps in 2 Year Old Offer places’. Evidence must be provided to
demonstrate which areas of the district the provider will target and the
potential take up of places to be provided in areas where there is a
shortage.

Cost per place to ensure value for money.

Net increase in the number of total registered places within the
provision and number of places to be created for 2 Year Olds with
Special Educational Needs or Disabilities.

Business Plan demonstrates 5 years sustainability.

Length of lease of premises.

Ability and/or readiness to expand.

Duration of development.

Site constraints.

Match funding.

Current occupancy.

Distance from other providers.

Transport provision for 2 year olds.

Affordability – fees compared to the districts average.
The decision of the Evaluation Panel is final. There will be no appeals
considered.
Claw back Arrangements
Should a provider who has received 2 Year Old Capital Grant funding cease
to offer funded places then the provider must agree under the terms of the
Funding Agreement to repay the following amounts of the grant:
5

up to 1 year after the grant award – 75% of the funding

up to 2 years after the grant award – 50% of the funding

up to 3 years after the grant award – 25% of the funding
Should a provider who has received 2 Year Old Capital Grant funding sell the
business subject to the grant funding then the provider must agree under the
terms of the Funding Agreement to repay the following amounts of the grant:
 up to 1 year after the grant award – 75% of the funding
 up to 2 years after the grant award – 50% of the funding
 up to 3 years after the grant award – 25% of the funding
Should a provider who has received capital funding subsequently sell or
transfer the business which was subject to the grant funding and the
purchased continues to operate, subject to the Councils consent, the provider
may assign the benefits and obligations of the Funding Agreement to the
purchaser.
If equipment becomes damaged then the Council reserves the right to revoke
the claw back.
If the cost per place increases the Council reserves the right to claw back the
difference between the original cost per place and the new costs.
General Information for Two Year Old Grant Capital Funding.
As part of your application, you will need to consider the following:

Planning permission may be required where you are making significant
alterations to buildings or land. If you are not clear if planning permission
is required, please get in touch with the planning department of
Wakefield Council.

Section 77 approval - Sport England must be consulted on any
development which is likely to change or prejudice the use, or lead to the
loss of use, of land being used [or has been used in the past 10 years]
as a playing field. This only applies to Schools/Academies.

If you are unable to recover VAT please make sure you account for VAT
and make this clear in your costs.

Please make sure you include all relevant costs in your application.

If you occupy Council premises, you will need to use Council approved
suppliers.
6
Process for Application for 2 Year Old Capital Funding 2014
Completed Applications must be returned by 12 noon on 12 May 2014 to:
Ellis Leung,
Childcare and Market Development,
Wakefield Council,
Wakefield One,
PO Box 700, Burton Street,
Wakefield
WF 2EB,
eleung@wakefield.gov.uk
All applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application by 23 May
2014.
Annexes



Annex 1 – Anticipated gaps in 2 Year Old Offer places
Annex 2 – Scoring Assessment and weightings
Annex 3 – Application Form
7