There's no evidence for childcare ratios change
Derren Hayes
Monday, March 27, 2023
A decade on from its initial failed attempt, the Conservative government has finally decided to push ahead with plans to increase the number of two-year-olds a childcare practitioner can look after.
So, what has changed? Is the sector now supportive? Has new evidence emerged it will reduce costs? Or is England increasingly out of step with other countries?
The shift to one staff member being able to look after five children, from the current one-to-four ratio, appears on the face of it to be a minor change – in its response to a consultation on the plans, the government describes it as a “sensible and proportionate step”. Yet, most respondents to a Department for Education consultation said they were against the move because of concerns it could undermine the quality of provision, increase safety risks and make the job harder than it is already – the same concerns raised a decade ago.
On whether the change will reduce the cost of childcare, analysis of responses to the consultation suggests that of the 28 per cent of settings that said they were “likely” to adopt the new ratios, just one in 10 will pass on savings to parents. Most of these providers – unsurprisingly – said they will use the extra income to offset increased costs elsewhere.
The government is right that the ratios change will align standards in England with those in Scotland. But this overlooks the significant differences between the two systems – for example, every Scottish childcare setting requires a lead practitioner who is qualified to degree level and undertakes annual continuous professional development. In short, they are better trained and more stringently regulated.
In addition, England's current ratios are less stringent than those used in some other European countries so we’re not an outlier.
It appears the government has decided to go ahead with this move based on the economic principle that greater demand from parents will see more places created which will push prices down – but this is policy on a whim and runs contrary to virtually all the evidence in its own consultation.
The sector now faces a choice: either fight the changes by providers collectively not adopting the new ratios or campaign for them to be accompanied by better training and practice standards, akin to those used in Scotland, to guard against the quality of provision and children's safety being undermined.
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Derren Hayes is editor, Children & Young People Now
