Childcare

(asked on 17th March 2023) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an estimate of the number of children that will take up the additional free hours of childcare announced in the Spring Budget 2023 in 2026-27, broken down by age.


Answered by
Claire Coutinho Portrait
Claire Coutinho
Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
This question was answered on 28th March 2023

In the 2023 Spring Budget, the government announced a number of transformative reforms to childcare for parents, children and the economy.

By 2027/28, the government will expect to be spending in excess of £8 billion a year on free hours and early education, helping working families with their childcare costs. This announcement represents the largest ever investment in childcare in England.

In future, working parents will be able to access 30 hours of free childcare a week, for 38 weeks a year, from the point their child is 9 months to when their child starts school. This offer will be rolled out in full from September 2025. The department is ensuring a phased implementation of the expansion to the 30 hours offer to allow the market to develop the necessary capacity, and we will work closely with the sector to develop plans to grow, develop and support the workforce.

Eligibility estimates for the free early education entitlements are explained in the methodology of the ‘Education provision: children under 5 years of age’ under ‘Data Quality’. This can be accessed here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/methodology/education-provision-children-under-5-years-of-age-methodology.

Further details will be provided in due course.

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