Budget 2023: Government confirms controversial relaxation of childcare ratios
Emily Harle
Wednesday, March 15, 2023
Childcare staffing ratios in England are set to be relaxed in a bid to lower costs for parents, the Chancellor of the Exchequer has announced.
Jeremy Hunt told the House of Commons on Wednesday (15 March) that staff to child ratios for two-year-olds in England will change from 1:4 to 1:5, to align with Scotland.
The relaxation will be "optional", he added, and will be introduced in September 2023, subject to parliamentary procedure.
Hunt told MPs, as part of his Budget for 2023, that the relaxation of ratios is designed to lower costs for working parents.
A public consultation on the issue closed in September last year, with the government publishing its response today (15 March), following the Chancellor's announcement.
Plans to relax ratios have been widely criticised by the sector amid fears it could reduce the quality of care available to children. According to the government’s consultation response, most respondents opposed the change.
Early years leaders criticised the move, with chief executive of Early Years Alliance Neil Leitch saying the decision to push forward with proposals prior to the publication of a consultation response is an “insult to the sector and an insult to families".
“It is utterly appalling that the government has pushed ahead with this decision”, he added.
Leaders fear relaxing ratios will create unsafe environments for children, with Leitch saying: "Yes, parents want affordable care and education, but they also want to ensure that their children are in safe environments receiving quality care and education - something this policy completely flies in the face of.
"We have a cohort of children still recovering from the effects of the pandemic. We have an overwhelmed and overburden workforce already leaving in their droves. How can anyone in government have possibly looked at this policy and thought: 'Yes, this is the way forward'?"
June O' Sullivan, chief executive of the London Early Years Foundation said the change to ratios is "hugely disappointing", and will "significantly reduce the time available for staff to spend with each child."
"This is particularly important for the youngest children, our little babies and two-year-olds, whose welfare and development are closely linked to social interaction and forming secure attachment relationships with adults," she added.
The Oliver Steeper Foundation also criticised the move on Twitter, following the charity’s two-year long campaign against relaxing childcare ratios.
The foundation, which was launched by Zoe and Lewis Steeper following the death of their son while at nursery, said the change “puts children at significant risk with less eyes per child during vital time such as feeding, playing and throughout their development”.
I have to be honest and say the past 2 years spent campaigning to stop these ratio changes and for the government to announce in January they had cancelled the plans and now for them to be just announced as if it was something brilliant the government have come up with to cure… https://t.co/rdH5MecvPq
— The Oliver Steeper Foundation 💙 (@TOSFoundationUK) March 15, 2023
It also cited its petition which urged the government to scrap plans to relax ratios, and was signed by more than 100,000 people.
.. and put our children at increased risk with relaxation of ratios. My child died in a nursery and your own consultation says its not safe and will impact on a child's education. Our petition last year had 109,488 signatures against these horrific changes.
— The Oliver Steeper Foundation 💙 (@TOSFoundationUK) March 14, 2023
The move has also faced criticism from some opposition MPs, with Catherine McKinnell, Labour MP for Newcastle North and chair of the House of Commons’ petition committee, saying: “We can’t fix childcare by just reducing ratios. It puts children’s wellbeing and safety at risk and further embeds disadvantage.”
Last year, I also led a debate on childcare ratios following a petition started by @TOSFoundationUK. We can’t fix childcare by just reducing ratios. It puts children’s wellbeing and safety at risk & further embeds disadvantage & the quality of early years provision pic.twitter.com/b0B1nm8L31
— Catherine McKinnell (@CatMcKinnell) March 15, 2023
This policy is part of a package of measures announced by Hunt at the Spring Budget to reform England's chilcare system, including plans to expand funded childcare hours.
