OEYE Information Documents

OEYE System Overview Information Sheet

Background

From September 2013, some two year olds have been eligible for 15 hours a week of free childcare and early education (a maximum of 570 hours per year). This is available in a wide range of settings including pre-schools, day nurseries and childminders.

Entitlement Criteria

The criteria for the two year old early years entitlement are:

Economic Criteria

Category A - Child whose parents/carers are in receipt of one or more of the following benefits:

• Income Support
• Income based Job Seekers Allowance
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• The Guaranteed element of State Pension Child Tax Credit provided not also
entitled to Working Tax Credit, and with an annual gross household income of no more than £16,190 as assessed by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC)
• Working Tax Credits with an annual household gross income of no more than £16,190, as assessed by HMRC

Child-related Criteria

Category B – Child looked after by the Local Authority:

• Child in Care
• Child Leaving Care in Special Guardianship, adoption or residence order

Category C – Child with Special Educational Needs/Disability, with evidence of:

• Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
• Statement of Special Educational Needs (SEN)
• Education, Health and Care Plan (EHC Plan)

Online Early Years Entitlement System: Basic Overview

The Department for Education’s Eligibility Checking Service enables Category A eligibility to be determined without the need for paper evidence and with an extremely fast turnaround. Use of the Eligibility Checking Service (ECS) has been shown to improve outcomes for parents, children, providers and the local authority.

Based on the proven and successful Online Free School Meals system, SDA provide a fully-functional system Online Early Years Entitlement (OEYE) system that will:

• Allow online applications from any web-enabled device
• Automatically utilise the ECS to check Category A eligibility
• Enable Category B and C children to be identified and their eligibility assessed
• Allow early years providers to be notified of a child’s eligibility without compromising data security
• Provide prompt and appropriate communications with all relevant parties
• Provide an efficient back-office to minimise administrative burdens

As a trusted contractor to the DfE, SDA’s secure web servers already host a range of sensitive educational data – so there’s some practical, real-world assurance. However, we are also fully and currently certified against the ISO27001 International Information Security Standard and our systems, processes and people have been stringently audited to meet its exacting requirements. All SDA’s OEYE staff are Enhanced DBS checked (and cleared).

Your data is safe with us!

Let SDA help you to provide a first-class service.