Nursery World - Editor's view

The new financial year is just about to start, and nurseries are
hearing from local authorities about the new rates for the 15-hour
funded places for three and four-year-olds.

Except that in many cases the rates are not new at all - they are remaining the same. Other local authorities are giving a very small increase and some are even cutting the rate (see News, pages 4-5).

In many areas, the hourly rate has barely changed over the past five years and has certainly not kept up with inflation and the rise in costs.

Recent reports from the Pre-school Learning Alliance and the National Day Nurseries Association (not to mention years of protests from individual settings) about inadequate levels of funding have effectively been dismissed by Government, which is now taking the position that the money is sufficient if only local authorities pass enough on.

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