The Daycare Trust said that the Transformation Fund was 'underspent and work was underway to discover the reasons for this' (News, 16 November).
The Trust's joint chief executive Alison Garnham said, 'We know from what has been said publicly by the Government that this fund is underspent. But it's very difficult to tell at a local level. Some local authorities have taken the money and have run a very good programme. Others have found it more difficult.'
The DfES is monitoring returns from local authorities on the fund's take-up, but has denied the claims it is low.
A spokesman said, 'So far, the take-up of qualifications at all levels has been very encouraging. Local authorities predict to fund around 40,000 new qualifications at Levels 3, 4 and 5, and to spend 18m on training to support children with special educational needs and disabilities. Take-up of the first phase of Early Years Professional training places has also been high, with most training providers filling all their places.'
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