Over 500,000 children are benefitting from government-funded early education and childcare, according to data released today by the Department for Education (DfE).
The figures are based on the number of early education and childcare eligibility codes issued and validated following the rollout of the final phase of the early entitlement expansion.
The DfE says that 530,000 children are now accessing funded places, surpassing the government’s target of 500,000, with the data showing that over 78,000 codes were validated in the north west and over 90,000 in the south east.
Education secretary Bridget Phillipson said: “When we launched the 30 hours childcare expansion at the start of September, we said around half a million families were on track to benefit. Today’s figures show we have gone even further.
“It is fantastic to see our Plan for Change delivering for families – helping them save up to £7,500 a year per child on childcare costs and supporting parents to balance work and home life. This is real cost-of-living relief that families can feel in their pockets today.
“As the next bidding round of school-based nurseries kicks off today, we are not slowing down. This government is giving hard-working parents the support they need and ensuring every child gets the best start in life.”
However, while government figures show that 91% of funded entitlement codes issued so far in the autumn term have been validated, this falls to just 81% for children aged 9- to 12-months old.
Neil Leitch, CEO of the Early Years Alliance, commented: “Despite the government saying that it has exceeded its initial take-up target for the funded entitlements, the fact that, as it stands, one in five families of 9- to 12-month-olds have not had their eligibility codes validated is clearly a real cause for concern.
“Given the ongoing pressures on early years settings – and, in particular, the severe recruitment and retention crisis – it wouldn’t be at all surprising if this was due at least in part to a lack of capacity in the sector, something that simply cannot improve without urgent government action.
“What’s more, it’s important to remember that, while these figures show whether or not families have been able to access an early years place, what they fail to show is whether those places actually meet those families’ needs: namely, whether parents have been able to access all the sessions they want, on the days they want, at the setting of their choice.
“With the Budget only two months away, we’re clear that the government simply must invest what is needed into the early years sector to ensure that all families can access quality, affordable care and early education. Anything less, and, going forward, we are likely to see more and more families unable to access the places that they’ve been promised.”
