The early years funding benchmarking tool covers all local authorities in England. This shows projected spending in the 2024 to 2025 financial year to provide early entitlement places for children aged 9 months to 4 years old.
Local authorities can use this tool to compare their local systems and outcomes against other local authorities. They can use these comparisons to make them fairer and increase value for money.
Early years providers, parents and others can use it to:
understand the early education system in their area
understand local authorities decisions
compare their local authority to others
The technical note and user guide explains the methodology behind the data, and how to use the tool.
The document Early years funding benchmarking tool is not accessible because it includes macros, filter buttons and dropdown menus. This means it does not meet web content accessibility guidelines success criteria 1.3.1 on info and relationships, 1.3.2 on meaningful sequence and 1.3.6 onidentify purpose.
Updates to this page
Published 14 March 2014 Last updated 6 February 2025 +show all updates
Routine annual update to the benchmarking tool, and the technical note and user guide. We have removed early years funding proforma.
Routine annual update to the 'Early years funding benchmarking tool', 'Early years funding proforma' and 'Early years benchmarking: technical note and user guide'.
Routine annual update to the 'Early years funding benchmarking tool', 'Early years funding proforma' and 'Early years benchmarking: technical note and user guide'
Routine annual update to the 'Early years funding benchmarking tool', 'Early years funding proforma' and 'Early years benchmarking: technical note and user guide'.
Made routine annual update to the 'Early years funding benchmarking tool', 'Early years funding proforma' and 'Early years benchmarking: technical note and user guide'.
Updated technical note, user guide, benchmarking tool, and proforma documents to reflect information on projected local authority spending in the 2018 to 2019 financial year.
Updated technical note, user guide, benchmarking tool, and proforma documents to reflect information on projected local authority spending in the 2017 to 2018 financial year.
Updated 'Early years funding benchmarking tool'; 'Early years funding proforma'; 'User guide' and 'Technical note' documents with information for the 2016 to 2017 financial year.
Updated technical note, user guide, benchmarking tool, and proforma documents to reflect information on projected local authority spending in the 2015 to 2016 financial year.
Updated user guide and technical note with accessible versions.
Updated early years benchmarking tool, user guide and technical note.
Updated guidance documents, early years funding benchmarking tool and the early years proforma.
