Nursery World - DfE 30 hours report lays bare the challenges for providers

The Government-commissioned evaluation of the first year of the 30 hours programme shows the impact the policy is having on childcare settings, local authorities and parents, revealing significant challenges for many.

The report by Frontier Economics, published today, is based upon surveys of 1,717 providers, more than 3,000 parents registered for the 30 hours, along with in-depth interviews with 75 local authority staff, 136 childcare providers and 108 parents. Some of those involved in the research took part in the pilot of the 30 hours.

It finds that:

The Pre-school Learning Alliance said the Government was being ‘irresponsible to the extreme’ for turning a blind eye to the challenges of the 30 hours.

Funding rates

The report says that ‘some’ [providers] believed the funding rate is not sustainable nor equitable, for example when a neighbouring local authority had a considerably higher rate.

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