Nursery World - EXCLUSIVE In Focus: 30 hours: the hidden cost

What price are the most vulnerable children paying for the Government’s flagship childcare policy? Our FOI investigation reveals that nearly a fifth of councils have cut nursery places in the past year or are currently doing so.

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Thousands of the most disadvantaged children in society are losing out on early education because of the 30 hours policy, a Nursery World investigation reveals.

Discretionary, targeted local authority schemes aimed at boosting life chances for some of the most deprived children in the country are being cut because councils can’t afford them under new funding rules associated with the Government’s flagship ‘30 free hours’ policy. In many cases, these places are being taken up by better-off children, as the 30 hours is only available for parents who work.

Our investigation reveals that councils are being forced to cut bespoke provision for children in receipt of early help or social services interventions, parents on the lowest incomes or children with SEND.

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