Early Years Pupil Premium for 3 and 4 year olds
Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP)
The Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP) is additional funding given to early years providers to improve the education they provide to some eligible children. Childcare providers can claim this additional funding to spend on enriching the child's education. EYPP funding could help early education providers to offer learning experiences and activities which will prepare children for starting school. Children could benefit from extra resources and equipment to meet their needs.
EYPP is paid by the local authority where the child receives the early education and not where they live.
EYPP funding of around £387 per year, is available to providers delivering funded entitlements to eligible children accessing any of the following early years funded entitlements:
- The universal 15 hours entitlement for 3 and 4 year olds
- The 15 hours entitlement for disadvantaged 2 year olds
- The 15 hours entitlement for children aged 9 months to 2 year olds of working parents
- The 15 hours entitlement for children aged 2 of working parents
and they meet any of the criteria detailed at https://www.gov.uk/get-extra-early-years-funding
From April 2025, the EYPP funding rate will rise to £1 per hour per eligible child, making it around £570 of funding per year available to claim.
If a child qualifies for EYPP under more than one set of criteria, they will only attract the funding once.
EYPP is only payable on the first 15 hours. It is not payable on the additional 15 hours entitlement for children of working parents which takes children up to 30 hours.
How to claim the funding
Childcare providers are encouraged to use Parent Declaration forms to capture the details and consent needed to undertake the check. To claim the funding, providers will need to enter full details of eligible children and families on the EYPP Online Checker. Payment is made at the end of the term that a successful application has been submitted.
Updated 27/03/2025
How will EYPP benefit my child?
Providers can use the funding in a variety of ways, including:
- Training, including cover staff
- Increasing adult ratios
- Specific intervention programmes such as small group activities
- High quality activities such as developing language
- Supporting additional needs or English as an additional language (EAL)
- Targeted resources
- Summer schemes.
Who may be eligible for EYPP?
Families may be eligible for free funded education and care for their three and four year olds if the child is receiving their free early education and childcare and if the parent receives one of the following:
- Income Support
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- Universal Credit
- Tax credits and you have an annual income of under £16,190 before tax
- The guaranteed element of State Pension Credit
- Support through part 6 of the Immigration and Asylum Act
- The Working Tax Credit 4-week run on (the payment you get when you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit)
Your child may also be eligible if any of the following apply:
- they’re looked after by a local council
- they have a current statement of special education needs (SEN) or an education, health and care (EHC) plan
- they’ve left care under a special guardianship order, child arrangements order or adoption order
Please note four year olds in primary school reception classes who already receive the school-age pupil premium are not eligible for EYPP funding.