Nursery World - News Analysis: Free entitlement changes are up for consultation

A consultation on changes to the free entitlement has been launched by the Government, in advance of increasing the number of two-year-olds who will be eligible for 15 hours of early education from September 2013 to around 140,000 children.

The consultation includes proposals to reduce the guidance in the Codeof Practice on the free entitlement from 100 pages to fewer than 20pages.

The Department for Education has also published a breakdown by localauthority, giving indicative numbers of families by area with atwo-year-old child who would be eligible for the free entitlementbecause they have an income of less than 16,190 a year and arereceiving Child Tax Credit.

Based on this regional breakdown, the highest number of two-year-oldplaces would be offered in London, where 26,300 two-year-olds would beeligible. Next would be the north-west, which has 20,100 eligiblechildren, and the West Midlands with 16,800 two-year-olds.

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