Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what meetings her Department has had with (a) City of York Council and (b) early years providers in York to discuss the three and four year-old extended childcare entitlement pilot scheme since September 2016.

The Department is in regular communication with City of York council via fortnightly catch up calls, set up prior to September 2016, to discuss the delivery of the 30 hours free childcare entitlement. We have also held two Early Implementation (EI) meetings with all EI local authorities (LAs) to share progress and learning since September 2016.

There have also been a number of Learn Explore and Debate events held across the country for providers, organised by the Department’s delivery contractor, Childcare Works. At these events, EI local authorities have discussed how to support providers to deliver 30 hours’ free childcare in their areas.

The Department will continue to hold regular communications with City of York Council regarding the 30 hours offer, and Childcare Works have already organised a series of events over the next few months for LAs and providers across the country. I will also be meeting with York providers in the near future.