Eight councils chosen to trial 30 hours childcare scheme early
Eight councils in England will receive £13m to launch the 30 hours free childcare scheme a year ahead of schedule, the Department for Education has announced.
The government has confirmed that Wigan, Staffordshire, Swindon, Portsmouth, Northumberland, York, Newham and Hertfordshire will roll out the offer, which will entitle eligible working parents of three to four-year olds to claim 30 hours of free childcare for 38 weeks of the year, from September 2016, ahead of full national roll-out in September 2017.
The government also announced that 25 ‘early innovator’ councils will focus on special educational needs and disability, flexibility and availability of places. These are: Stockport, Bolton, Trafford, Cheshire West & Chester, Bury, Nottinghamshire, Nottingham City, Walsall, Cornwall, Hampshire, West Sussex, Medway, East Sussex, Brighton & Hove, Kingston & Richmond, Barking & Dagenham, Islington, Ealing, Hillingdon, Gateshead, Bradford, Sheffield, Eastriding, Wakefield, and North Yorkshire.
Responding to today’s announcement Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Pre-school Learning , said:
“Given how little research has been done into the potential impact of the 30-hours offer to date, it’s important that these pilots are used effectively to gain a better understanding of how the scheme is likely to work in practice. This means making an honest assessment of any challenges around, for example, funding, capacity and impact on quality, and taking the necessary steps to address them - including further investment into the scheme.
“According to DfE data, parents of three- and four-year-olds currently use around 18 hours of childcare a week on average and so clearly a move from 15 government-funded hours a week to 30 is going to have a significant impact on providers, both on their ability to provide sufficient places and their ability to remain financially viable. It is vital that the government recognises this and works in partnership with the sector to ensure that the scheme is, in fact, deliverable in the long term.”