Many of the councils on the list have high concentrations of children living in low-income households. Kitty Stewart, of the London School of Economics and author of the Sutton Trust’s Closing Gaps Earlyreport, says, ‘The picture uncovered by the Nursery World investigation is really worrying. In Birmingham, 1,814 12-week childcare placements for children aged birth to five with a variety of behavioural or well-being issues are to be completely axed because of budget cuts. Schemes with a broader age range are also being cut (see table overleaf for schemes aimed at birth to fives). terminal illness, the travelling community, and domestic abuse victims who wouldn’t qualify for funded childcare, was cut in 2016 because of the need to meet EYNFF criteria. In Swindon, a childcare scheme for two-year-olds for families in exceptional circumstances, e.g.
Nottinghamshire axed a scheme giving disabled children aged birth to 24 months access to childcare for the same reason. This was done to finance the new inclusion fund required under EYNFF rules. In Hackney, two schemes based on meeting individual needs and providing subsidised childcare for low-income families of pre-school-aged children were cut to 5 per cent of all originally eligible children in September. The scheme as there is no provision under the EYNFF for schemes such as this to continue.’ A universal offer for four-year-olds in Islington was cut in 2017 following a 10 per cent reduction in early years funding through the Dedicated Schools Grant (see box).
The hidden business costs of poor childcare policies free#
The reasons given are to meet funding rules associated with the Early Years National Funding Formula (EYNFF), which came in in April 2017 (see box), the 30 funded childcare hours for three- and four-year-olds, which launched in September 2017, and wider budget cuts.īrent Council, which offered 1,200 full-time nursery places for children meeting free school meals criteria, said, ‘This current scheme fully in July 2018. This includes 12 schemes targeted at three- to four-year-olds offering an estimated 15,000 places (see table, overleaf), all of which have been scrapped or reduced in scope since 2017. All of these offered additional childcare for disadvantaged children aged birth to five. Dr Sara Bonetti, associate director of early years at the Education Policy Institute, which has found that disadvantaged five-year-olds are already more than four months behind their more affluent peers, says: ‘We know that high-quality early education is key to closing the gap – yet this newly uncovered data provides additional evidence that the Government’s flagship 30-hour entitlement policy may be working against those from disadvantaged backgrounds.’Īn FOI request, which garnered responses from 149 councils, reveals 27 schemes have been cut. Our investigation reveals that councils are being forced to cut bespoke provision for children in receipt of early help or social services interventions, parents on the lowest incomes or children with SEND.Ĭritics have warned the findings go against the Government’s social mobility and literacy agenda by potentially widening the gap between the rich and poor. In many cases, these places are being taken up by better-off children, as the 30 hours is only available for parents who work. Thousands of the most disadvantaged children in society are losing out on early education because of the 30 hours policy, a Nursery World investigation reveals.ĭiscretionary, targeted local authority schemes aimed at boosting life chances for some of the most deprived children in the country are being cut because councils can’t afford them under new funding rules associated with the Government’s flagship ‘30 free hours’ policy. 111 councils have no discretionary schemes.16 councils have targeted schemes that aren’t being cut.11 of 12 councils cutting three- to four-year-olds schemes and 12 of 15 councils cutting other schemes blame EYNFF, 30 hours or wider budget cuts.
0 kommentar(er)
