Recommendations & Conclusions
8 items
5
Recommendation
Fifth Report - Support for childcare an…
Accepted in Part
We recommend the Government consider the case for greater ring-fencing of the Early Years block of each local authority’s Dedicated Schools Grant to ensure that more is passed on to the early years providers who are delivering the funded hours entitlements.
Government response. The government commits to increasing the minimum pass-through rate for early years funding to 97% once the new entitlements are sufficiently rolled out. They currently require local authorities to pass on at least 95% of funding and are consulting on …
Department for Education
9
Recommendation
Fifth Report - Support for childcare an…
Accepted in Part
We recommend the Government work to remove or reduce the barriers preventing childminders setting up or continuing in businesses and consider developing more incentives to grow this market. It could do this, for example, by a) Allowing childminders to work together in settings outside their own home, following the French …
Government response. The government commits to providing a new childminder start-up grant fund of up to £7.2 million over two years, offering £1200 for agency-registered and £600 for Ofsted-registered childminders. It has also launched a consultation exploring further flexibilities, workforce support, and …
Department for Education
11
Recommendation
Fifth Report - Support for childcare an…
Accepted in Part
We recommend that the funded hours entitlement system be made more streamlined. For example, parents should be able to access childcare as soon as they receive an 74 Support for childcare and the early years eligibility code. The requirement for parents to reconfirm their eligibility every three months for both …
Government response. DfE is exploring options for simplifying the application process and improving the user experience for parents accessing childcare entitlements and will review the frequency of reconfirmation alongside the roll out of the new entitlements.
Department for Education
16
Recommendation
Fifth Report - Support for childcare an…
Accepted in Part
The Government must do much more to ensure the support available for tax-free childcare is better understood and easier to access. We recommend HM Treasury conduct a fundamental review of tax-free Childcare with a view to making it simpler and easier to use and ensure it is delivering effectively for …
Government response. The government has committed an additional £1.2 million to an ongoing Childcare Choices marketing campaign to improve awareness of existing support. However, they do not commit to a fundamental review of Tax-Free Childcare to simplify its use, as recommended.
Department for Education
17
Recommendation
Fifth Report - Support for childcare an…
Accepted in Part
We recommend the Government expand the Family Hub model and commit to longer-term funding. We would like to see a national rollout of family hubs at the earliest possible opportunity. In particular, the £50m fund for ‘Parenting Support’ and the £28.7m ‘Home Learning Environment’ fund should be increased, along with …
Government response. The government is investing £300 million to enable 75 local authorities to create family hubs, including £50 million for parenting support, which partially addresses the call for expansion and funding without committing to a national rollout or specific fund increases.
Department for Education
25
Recommendation
Fifth Report - Support for childcare an…
Accepted in Part
We recommend the Government engage with Local Authorities and seek to address the cost of mandatory training required by early years professionals, such as paediatric first aid and safeguarding courses. Local Authorities should work towards providing 76 Support for childcare and the early years free or heavily reduced mandatory training …
Government response. The government commits to engaging with local authorities to assess the availability, accessibility, and associated costs of mandatory safeguarding and welfare training for early years professionals, but does not commit to providing free or heavily reduced training or greater timing …
Department for Education
26
Recommendation
Fifth Report - Support for childcare an…
Accepted in Part
We recommend the Government ensure that the early years Sector is seen to be, and feels itself to be, a valued profession. To achieve this, we recommend the Government develop a comprehensive Early Years Strategy with a strong focus on workforce development. As part of this strategy, the Early Career …
Government response. The government acknowledges the importance of workforce development and engagement but states there are currently no plans to expand the Early Career Framework to the early years sector. However, it is promoting and fully funding the National Professional Qualification in …
Department for Education
32
Recommendation
Fifth Report - Support for childcare an…
Accepted in Part
We recommend the Government increase the Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP) to match that in primary schools and widen the eligibility criteria so that more children from very low income families can access much needed extra support for any special educational needs. (Paragraph 183) 78 Support for childcare and the …
Government response. The government is proposing to extend EYPP eligibility by age to all children from 9 months to 4 years old from April 2024, if they meet other criteria. However, it is not proposing to change other eligibility criteria or increase …
Department for Education