Commenting on the report published today by the National Audit
Office, Preparations to extend early
years entitlement for working parents in England,
Dr Tammy Campbell, Director for Early Years, Inequalities
and Wellbeing at the Education Policy Institute (EPI)
said:
“Today's report by the National Audit Office casts further doubt
on the ability of the Department for Education (DfE) to deliver
government's plans to expand 30-hours free early education and
care to all eligible pre-school children of working parents by
September 2025.
“EPI has previously warned of the difficulties that would be
faced in delivering this significant expansion, given the
recruitment and retention challenges facing the early years
workforce. The early years sector in England has struggled to
recruit and retain staff for many years, with low pay and hourly
rates that are well below the average of other occupations.
“We are also concerned about the potential impact on the quality
of early years provision. The report highlights that the quality
of provision could deteriorate due to the recruitment of more
inexperienced staff and higher staff-to-child supervision ratios
for two-year olds. The DfE must monitor the impact of new
entitlements on provision quality, as well as the impacts on
different groups of children – particularly children from
low-income families and those with SEND.
“The report expresses concern that the reforms could widen the
existing attainment gap between children from more affluent
families and their disadvantaged peers. It is disappointing that
a proposal to extend entitlements to younger disadvantaged
children was considered, but ultimately rejected. The decision to
deliberately implement policies in a way that may widen
attainment gaps is unwise and shortsighted.”
