‘Mission-led’ government must centre vulnerable children, says safeguarding review panel
The government must ensure that at-risk children are at the heart of strategies to break down barriers to opportunity, the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel has stated in its latest annual report.
New DfE statistics highlight sharp rises in early years fees for parents
Average parent-paid fees for early years places increased steeply between 2023 and 2024, new statistics published today by the Department for Education (DfE) show.
Early years entitlement funding rates for local authorities announced
Local authority funding rates for the early years entitlement from March 2025 to April 2026 have been set, the government has confirmed.
DfE confirms £75 million expansion grant and pupil premium funding increase for early years settings
A new £75 million grant, alongside an increase in Early Years Pupil Premium funding rates, has been announced by the Department for Education (DfE) today.
Government announces over £2 billion boost to secure expansion in early education
Early years settings are to receive an additional £2 billion to support the rollout of 30 hours of government-funded early education from September 2025, the government has stated.
Disadvantaged and rural families unlikely to benefit from early entitlement expansion without reforms, research shows
The expansion of government-funded early years places currently underway across England is at risk of not delivering for poorer families, according to a new report from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) and Save the Children.
Prime Minister announces focus on early years in ‘Plan for Change’ speech
Improving outcomes in the early years is a key part of the government’s long-term plan to deliver change, the prime minister announced today in a speech.
Ofsted annual report highlights plan to focus on the most disadvantaged and vulnerable children
Focusing on disadvantaged and vulnerable children at the earliest stage in life is a key priority for Ofsted, the inspectorate announced today in its annual report.
New EPI report urges government to tackle food poverty in the early years
Tackling food poverty in the early years should be a priority of the government’s Child Poverty Taskforce, a new report by the education thinktank Education Policy Institute (EPI) has argued.
Latest Ofsted statistics show a continued drop in early years providers across England
The number of early years providers in England has fallen by over 1,000 over the past year, new data released by Ofsted has revealed.
Government plan to use spare capacity in primary schools to deliver early years targets is “unlikely to work”, report suggests
Plans to utilise spare capacity in primary schools across England to deliver the spaces required for the ongoing early entitlement expansion is “unlikely to work”, a report produced by consultancy Frontier Economics has stated.
Nearly 18,000 early educators could be recruited if more roles included part-time or flexible options, new study claims
Increasing the volume of early years roles that are part-time or include flexible working options would aid the recruitment of educators in the sector, a study by social enterprise Timewise has found.