Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she intends to increase the level of free childcare funding for each child.

It is our ambition that all families have access to high quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life. That also means ensuring the sector is financially sustainable and confident as it continues to deliver entitlements and high quality early years provision going forward.

In financial year 2025/26 alone, the government expects to spend over £8 billion on the early years entitlements, and we have increased the early years pupil premium by over 45%.

Next year, in financial year 2026/27, funding for the early years entitlements is expected to increase to over £9 billion. This funding reflects a full year of eligible working parents being able to access 30 hours of childcare from 9 months until their children start school, and an expected increase in funding rates. Local authority hourly funding rates for 2026/27 will be confirmed in the usual way before the end of this year.