Early years providers raise concerns over free childcare trial

On Monday, Education Secretary Nicky Morgan announced the 30-hours of free childcare entitlement will be piloted with families of 5,000 children by an unspecified number of nurseries ahead of the national roll-out in 2017.

The Department for Education announced in September that hundreds of early years providers applied for the trial after the government opened applications to providers and local authorities.

However, Beatrice Merrick, chief executive of Early Education, is concerned the pilot is too small.

“We’re delighted to see the pilots of the extended childcare offer being announced soon, though with much of the detail still to be fleshed out, a pilot covering 5,000 children will only give a very limited opportunity to test out the new systems.

“It is imperative that government continue to consult with local authorities, providers and parents to ensure any new system is as fair and effective as possible.”

Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Pre-school Learning Alliance, also warned that there are several "serious" issues that need to be addressed as soon as possible to ensure that the 30-hour entitlement does not reduce the quality of care.

"The increased early years funding is based on an unrealistic childcare business model that relies on providers operating with looser ratios and less staff continuity, both of which would have a detrimental impact on the quality of care delivered," he said.
 
“The government’s ongoing focus on encouraging more parents back to work over and above supporting children’s early learning and development has meant that little effort has been made to understand what it really means to deliver high-quality early education and care – and crucially, what this quality costs.

“With 5,000 children set to gain access to the scheme next year, it is vital that lack of understanding is addressed as soon as possible, and that early years providers are adequately supported to deliver the extended offer in a way that ensures that no child experiences a drop in the quality of care they receive."