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Scotland puts childcare expansion on hold

Councils in Scotland will no longer be legally obliged to deliver 1140 hours of funded childcare from this August.
Children's minister Maree Todd on an earlier visit to a nursery
Children's minister Maree Todd on an earlier visit to a nursery

The Scottish Government has put the deadline for the rollout of the expansion of early learning and childcare on hold, to support local government with this critical response work.

Last month ministers had said they were on track to deliver the early learning and childcare places from August.

However, ministers have laid an order in the Scottish Parliament to suspend the statutory duty on local authorities, to enable them to focus on the coronavirus pandemic response.

Local authorities had already built or refurbished nursery premises and recruited thousands of staff, in preparation, ‘with 50,000 children already receiving more than the current entitlement of 600 hours’, the  government said.

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