Claire Coutinho addressed MPs’ concerns over the reforms, which include an expansion of funded childcare places and a relaxation of staff:child ratios in settings, at the education select committee’s final evidence session in its inquiry into support for childcare and the early years.
The minister told the committee, which met on 9 May, that the Department for Education is planning to consult with the childcare sector before the summer, seeking views on proposed funding rates for 2024/25 and on how the expanded funding for two-year-olds should be distributed.
She added that DfE “talks to providers a lot”, after Robin Walker, MP for Worcester and select committee chair, enquired about its engagement with the childcare sector since the reforms were announced in Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt's latest Budget.
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