Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the amount paid in business rates by (a) private, (b) volunteering and (c)independent childcare providers in the last 12 months.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
Our Early Years National Funding Formula for three and four year olds contains an Area Cost Adjustment that includes a premises element based on rateable values. We have recently commissioned new research to provide us with further robust and detailed data of the costs of delivering childcare for under five year olds using a representative sample of early years providers.
Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children are eligible for 30 hours free childcare in north each Lincolnshire.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
The government set out in the 2015 Spending Review that nationally we expect 390,000 children to be eligible for 30 hours free childcare. This figure is derived from national survey data taken in January and is an average across the year. Estimates at a regional and local authority level are not available due to the relatively small population that we are estimating within sub national geographies.
We publish termly experimental statistics showing the number of children in a place. The most recent publication showed that 943 codes were issued in North East Lincolnshire and 974 children were in a 30 hours place in the summer term. The full publication – including a local authority level breakdown – is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/30-hours-free-childcare-summer-term-2018.
As we move in to the second year of delivery, we will continue to publish management information on the number of codes issued for 30 hours. This will be available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/30-hours-free-childcare-eligibility-codes-issued-and-validated – the most recent publication on 12 July shows that 573 codes have already been issued in North East Lincolnshire for the start of the next academic year.
Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the commercial sustainability of childcare providers in the (a) private, (b) volunteering and (c) independent early education sector.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
By 2019-20 we will be spending around £6 billion on childcare support – a record amount. This includes around £1 billion extra a year to deliver 30 hours of free childcare and fund the increase in hourly rates that we introduced in April 2017.
Our average funding rates are based on the department’s ‘Review of Childcare Costs’ which was described as “thorough and wide ranging” by the National Audit Office. The review looked at both current and future cost pressures.
The latest Ofsted data from March 2018 showed that the number of non-domestic providers has remained stable. More than 340,000 children have benefitted from our 30 hours offer over its first year, and the vast majority of providers have increased the number of free hours available to parents.
We continue to monitor both the implementation of 30 hours and delivery costs. We have recently commissioned new research to provide us with further robust and detailed data of the costs of delivering childcare for under five-year-olds using a representative sample of early years providers.
Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of levels of Government funding for the 30 hours free childcare policy.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
By 2019-20 we will be spending around £6 billion on childcare support – a record amount. This includes around £1 billion extra a year to deliver 30 hours of free childcare and fund the increase in hourly rates that we introduced in April 2017.
Our average funding rates are based on the department’s ‘Review of Childcare Costs’ which was described as “thorough and wide ranging” by the National Audit Office. The review looked at both current and future cost pressures.
The latest Ofsted data from March 2018 showed that the number of non-domestic providers has remained stable. More than 340,000 children have benefitted from our 30 hours offer over its first year, and the vast majority of providers have increased the number of free hours available to parents.
We continue to monitor both the implementation of 30 hours and delivery costs. We have recently commissioned new research to provide us with further robust and detailed data of the costs of delivering childcare for under five-year-olds using a representative sample of early years providers.
Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information his Department holds on which local authorities have provided business rate relief to private, volunteering and independent childcare providers.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
The information requested is not held centrally. Local discounts are a matter for individual authorities.
Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government is taking to improve the recruitment and retention of childcare professionals.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
In March 2017 we published the Early Years Workforce Strategy which set out how government will work with the sector to help employers attract, retain and develop early years staff: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/596884/Workforce_strategy_02-03-2017.pdf.
We have made good progress in delivering the commitments in the strategy. This includes consulting on new criteria to strengthen level 2 qualifications to ensure practitioners have a firm foundation to progress up to level 3 and beyond. We have also taken steps to improve careers advice by upskilling Department for Work and Pensions job coaches to update their knowledge on careers in the sector, and have supported the work of the Education and Employers Charity and Tinies Childcare to promote the sector through their careers and engagement activity in schools. Through a voluntary and community sector grant we have also funded the establishment of an online directory with information on early years training and qualifications.