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£2.3m early years bursary scheme attracts handful of applicants

Labour has branded the Early Years Apprenticeship Scheme a failure, after just 23 apprentices were successful in applying for the funding.

The Department for Education had guaranteed funding for 1,000 bursaries worth up to £1,500 with a further £300 available for more training.

Figures obtained by Labour through a Freedom of Information request reveal that out of a total of 48 applicants, just 23 were successful.

Last November, the DfE doubled the funding to £3,000 for the first 200 successful candidates, suggesting that interest in the scheme had been lower than anticipated.

Now Labour’s figures reveal that between September and November last year just ten people applied for the apprenticeship scheme.

The scheme, run by the National College for Teaching and Leadership, is intended to support the expansion of places for disadvantaged two-year-olds.

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