The Department for Education has published its annual statistics
on take-up of government-funded early education and childcare
entitlements in England.
The data shows a record 1.7 million children under 5 registered
for a funded childcare place – a 33% increase on last year,
driven by the rollout of support for working parents of younger
children.
This is the first time take-up among children aged 9 months to 2
years has been included in this release, with 457,000 children in
this age group registered since the expansion began last
September.
Other key findings include:
- 379,000 3- and 4-year-olds registered for the 30-hour
entitlement – the highest number on record.
- A 7.2% increase in early years staff, the largest annual rise
since the series began.
The full stats release is available here:
Funded early education and
childcare: 2025 - GOV.UK
Education Secretary said:
“It is brilliant to see our reforms to early education delivering
for so many families, with tens of thousands more funded places
and staff compared with stagnating numbers just last year, and
more parents than ever accessing government funded childcare.
“Through our Plan for Change we are setting up even more parents
to benefit from September's expansion to 30 funded hours, saving
them up to £7,500 per year, alongside our investment in free
breakfast clubs and school based nurseries to give parents more
choice and slash costs.
“But there is more to do to make sure the system works for all
families who need it, which is why, through our Best Start in
Life strategy, we have committed to making it easier for every
family to access support, including through our 1,000 Best Start
in Life Family Hubs in every corner of the country.”
