Nursery World - Coronavirus: DfE plans to end data collection for early years attendance criticised

The latest official figures show that the number of children attending nurseries and childminding settings remains a concern, but the Department for Education (DfE ) says it plans to stop collecting the data at the end of term.

The number of children attending nursery, pre-school and childminding settings has not returned to pre-pandemic levels PHOTO Adobe Stock

Early Years Alliance chief executive Neil Leitch has criticised the move to drop the statistics, and said the DfE needs to 'improve' them.

He said that the statistics are ‘misleading’ because they do not reflect current occupancy levels at early years settings.

The DfE has been collecting local authority-level data on early years childcare provision during Covid-19 since April 2020 on a weekly, and more recently, fortnightly, basis.

However, school attendance statistics continue to be published weekly.

In the latest release, the DfE said that it plans to stop collecting early years attendance statistics at the end of the summer term, ‘unless there are significant changes to guidance around attendance at early years settings in relation to Covid-19.'

Register now to continue reading

Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:

What's included