Preparations to extend childcare entitlements for working parents in England

From April 2024, the Department for Education (DfE) plans to extend funded childcare entitlements to children of working parents. DfE expects all eligible children between nine months and four years old will be able to access the equivalent of 30 hours of subsidised childcare per week during term-time by September 2025. This is expected to … Show more

From April 2024, the Department for Education (DfE) plans to extend funded childcare entitlements to children of working parents. DfE expects all eligible children between nine months and four years old will be able to access the equivalent of 30 hours of subsidised childcare per week during term-time by September 2025. This is expected to cost an estimated extra £4.1billion year by 2027-28, doubling DfE’s current annual spend on childcare to £8billion. The National Audit Office (NAO) in 2024 examined DfE’s preparations to extend entitlements. The timetable for this unprecedented growth is ambitious, with 80,000 new early year places and 36,000 staff needed by September 2025. The early years sector has also historically been under-funded, with recruitment and retention issues in its workforce. The Committee’s 2016 report on early years entitlement raised concerns over plans to extend free early education and childcare at the time, exploring the ability of local authorities and early years providers to support the growth envisaged by DfE, and whether sufficient information had been provided to parents. The latest expansion is significantly more ambitious. Based on the NAO report, the Committee will hear senior officials at the DfE and provider representative bodies on subjects including: Challenges to delivery; Impacts on attainment; Financial sustainability of the sector. If you have evidence on these issues, please submit it here by 23:59 on Monday 29 April 2024. Please look at the requirements for written evidence submissions and note that the Committee cannot accept material as evidence that is published elsewhere. Please note that the Committee’s inquiry cannot help with individual cases. If you have concerns about individual childcare entitlements you may wish to contact your MP . This inquiry was closed due to the 2024 General Election. Show less