Nursery World - Timing of consultation on free milk may limit feedback from nurseries

The timing of the Government's review into nursery milk during the summer holidays could limit opportunities for early years settings and schools to consult on the scheme, says the School and Nursery Milk Alliance.

The warning from the Alliance is in reaction to concerns from their members that fewer practitioners will have the opportunity to contribute to the consultation, which runs from June to September, when schools and some settings are closed for the summer and staff are preparing for the start of the new term.

They claim this could undermine the value of the Government's public consultation and put it at risk of becoming a cost-cutting exercise.

Children under five, who attend nursery for at least two hours a day, receive 189ml of milk free under the scheme. The Government reimburses childcare providers for the full cost of the milk. But it is reviewing the free milk scheme for nursery children because of escalating costs.

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