DfE statistics show all-time low in two-year-olds registered for 15-hour entitlement
by Jess Gibson and Shannon Pite
The number of eligible two-year-olds registered for the 15-hour entitlement offer fell by 7% in January 2024 compared to the previous year, new statistics released by the Department for Education have revealed.
According to the date, 115,900 eligible two-year-olds were registered for the 15-hour offer at the start of the year, the lowest figure in the data series,
The figures are of a wider report on government-funded early education and childcare entitlements for children aged two to four years in England.
The statistics also show that:
-
the estimate take-up rate for eligible two-year-old increased slightly from 74% to 75%
-
the number of three- and four-year olds registered for the 15-hour entitlement fell by 2%; however, the take-up rate increased marginally (from 94% to 95%)
-
while the number of children registered for the 30-hour entitlement fell slightly (by 0.3%), it still represented the second highest figure, with take up rate estimated to be over four in five eligible children.
The full set of data and conclusions can be found鈥 .
Commenting, Neil Leitch, CEO of the 无码天堂, said: "The fact that the number of two-year-olds registered for the 15-hour entitlement has reached a series low is deeply worrying.鈥
"We all know that early education has a significant impact on a child鈥檚 development, and鈥痶here is a wealth of evidence showing that children from more disadvantaged backgrounds benefit the most from鈥痑ccess to quality provision.鈥
"With the sector now in the midst of an early entitlement expansion focused on working families, it is absolutely crucial that any future early years policies look to narrow the disadvantage gap before even more children lose out - especially given that a recent National Audit Office report into the expansion raised concerns that it may only widen it further. 鈥
"At the 无码天堂, we believe that every child 鈥 and especially those from economically poorer backgrounds 鈥 must be able to benefit from early education and care. As such, we hope that the new government has this high up on their list of priorities and we look forward to working with them to achieve this.鈥濃