Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of amending the eligibility rules for 30 hours of free childcare so that children become eligible in the month following their third birthday.

Eligible working parents of 3 and 4-year-olds are currently eligible for 30 hours of free childcare per week, over 38 weeks a year. In the 2023 Spring Budget, the government announced a number of transformative reforms to childcare. This includes the expansion of the free childcare offer so that eligible working parents in England will be able to access 30 hours of free childcare per week, for 38 weeks, per year from when their child is 9 months old to when they start school.

The department expects to be spending in excess of £8 billion every year on free hours and early education by 2027/28, helping working families with their childcare costs. This announcement represents the single biggest investment in childcare in England.

From April 2024, all eligible working parents of 2-year-olds will become eligible for 15 hours of free childcare, with eligible parents of 9 months to 2-year-olds eligible for 15 hours from September 2024 onwards. The offer will be rolled out in full, with eligible working parents of children aged 9 months to 3 years able to access 30 hours, from September 2025.

To be eligible for this offer, parents will need to earn the equivalent of 16 hours a week at National Minimum or Living Wage, and less than £100,000 adjusted net income per year.

As set out in the regulations underpinning the entitlements, eligibility for the current free early education entitlements, including 30 hours free childcare, begins from 1 September, 1 January or 1 April following the child’s third birthday, or their second birthday if they are eligible for the 15 hours for disadvantaged 2-year-olds. Parents must apply for 30 hours free childcare in the term their child turns 3 if they wish to take up a place from the start of the following term. Further information on the recommended dates at which parents should apply is available at: https://www.gov.uk/30-hours-free-childcare?step-by-step-nav=f517cd57-3c18-4bb9-aa8b-1b907e279bf9.

These termly deadlines ensure that children can receive at least two years of early education and/or reception before they reach compulsory school age, which is the beginning of the term following their fifth birthday. They also allow local authorities and childcare providers to better plan and ensure that sufficient early years places are available for parents each term, as there are clear periods for when children are likely to start a place.

In the meantime, parents can also access other childcare offers such as Tax-Free Childcare and Universal Credit. Tax-Free Childcare can help parents with childcare for children aged from 0-11, and for disabled children until the age of 17. Universal Credit Childcare provides support with childcare costs for children aged 0-16. The government is taking action to support parents in receipt of this with childcare costs upfront when they need it, rather than in arrears.