Figures for the rollout of the early entitlement expansion revealed
by Jess Gibson
The government has today unveiled statistics showing that 40,000 additional educators and around 85,000 new places are required by September 2025.
This month, eligible working parents of two-year-olds were offered 15 hours of government-funded education and childcare a week for 38 weeks of the year, and parents have been able to apply for an eligibility code to access the funded 15 hours since January,
According to the latest government data, set to be published on Monday, 195,355 two-year-olds are currently benefitting from government-funded places, meaning that 79% of eligibility codes issued have now been validated by providers.
Looking ahead, the Department for Education (DfE) has estimated that 15,000 additional places 鈥 an increase of 1% 鈥 will be needed for September 2024, while around 70,000 additional places will be needed for September 2025, when the offer expands to 30 government-funded hours for children aged nine months old up to when they start school.
Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said: 鈥淲e are transforming childcare in this country to deliver the support that hard-working parents deserve.
鈥淎s today鈥檚 figures show, our plan is working. Thousands of parents are returning to work, and tens of thousands more will be able to do so later this year and next.
鈥淐hildcare expansion on this scale is unprecedented in this country, and we will continue providing maximum support to nurseries and all providers to make it a reality.鈥
Commenting Neil Leitch, CEO of the 无码天堂, said: 鈥淭oday鈥檚 government statistics paint an incomplete picture of the situation facing early years providers and families alike.
鈥淟et鈥檚 be clear, England's early year sector continues to face severe capacity challenges. So, while these statistics may show the number of places that have been granted, what they don't reveal is whether families have been able to access all the days and sessions they need: a parent who has been given one day a week at their local setting 鈥 but needs five 鈥 may technically have a funded place, but not one that meets their needs. And, of course, it's highly likely that those families accessing places will be facing sharp fee increases for any unfunded hours they take up, or additional charges as a direct result of years of sector underfunding.
鈥淲hat's more, it's not clear from these figures how many two-year-old places are newly-created places, rather than existing places where parents have switched from paying privately to accessing government funding. With the government admitting not only that 40,000 additional educators are required by September 2025 but also 85,000 new places, it's clear that, regardless of the positive spin government is trying to put on the current situation, the challenge facing the sector is an immense one.
"Even for a healthy sector, rolling out such an ambitious scheme would have been a tall order 鈥 but, of course, our early years sector was already incredibly fragile coming into this policy. If the government is to have any hope of rolling out this offer successfully in the long term, it's crucial that ministers acknowledge and tackle the fundamental issues facing nurseries, pre-schools and providers. That means a comprehensive workforce strategy that focuses on retention as well as recruitment, and crucially, funding that reflects delivery costs 鈥 both now and in the future."