Nursery World - Editor’s view

Our investigations into the effects of the national funding formula and 30 hours on nursery provision are deeply concerning

‘Location, location, location’ was cited several times at Nursery World’s recent Business Summit when discussing nursery sustainability and success.

The implementation of the 30 hours programme, its disproportionate benefits to better-off parents, and its underfunding are all leading to smaller settings (particularly in disadvantaged areas) exiting the sector and larger providers deciding that running nurseries in certain areas is not viable.

This is borne out by our exclusive FOI investigation published in this issue. We asked local authorities about whether they had seen a net rise or fall in the number of settings in their area. There was a fairly even split, with indications that in some areas nursery numbers are being hit, while others are seeing quite significant increases.

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