Nursery World - DfE confirms new funding rates, but sector says it's not enough after years of underfunding

The Government has confirmed that funding will increase to an average of £5.62 for three and four-year-olds and £7.95 for two-year-olds from September.

The DfE has confirmed the average funding rates for 15 and 30 hours from September, PHOTO: Adobe Stock

The confirmed funding rates represent a slight change to those floated by the children’s minister Claire Coutinho in March.

Writing exclusively for Nursery World she said that the national average hourly funding would rise to £5.50 for three and four-year-olds and to £8 for two-year-olds from September.

In an announcement today, the DfE said that childcare providers can use their share of the £204 million ‘cash boost’ to ‘ease cost pressures such as staffing costs, training and bills'.

Funding rates per child paid from September will increase from an average of £5.29 to £5.62 for three and four-year-olds, and from an average of £6.00 to £7.95 for two-year-olds.

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