The DfE has published information on indicators of local authority (LA) early education services, and ways to compare an individual LA to other LAs.
The early years funding benchmarking tool and the early years proforma covers all local authorities in England. These funding tools include projected spending in the 2016 to 2017 financial year to provide early learning places for 2-, 3- and 4-year-olds.
Local authorities can use these tools to compare their local systems and outcomes against other local authorities. They can use these comparisons to support improvements in fairness and increase value for money.
Early years providers, parents and others can use these tools to:
- understand the early education system in their area
- understand decisions taken by local authorities
- compare these to other local authorities