Nursery World - Funding - Missing pieces in the 30-hour funding review

The Government’s Review of childcare costs is supposed to set the sector’s mind at rest – but it only muddies the water further, says Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Pre-school Learning Alliance

When the Government announced that it would be increasing early years funding rates ahead of the 30-hour offer roll-out, the sector’s response was cautiously positive. Positive because, after years of no change, central funding from government was finally to increase; but cautious because, while this increase was welcome, it remained unclear whether it was actually sufficient to cover the cost of delivery.

The Government sought to allay these concerns by publishing its Review of childcare costs: the analytical report – a 96-page assessment of the cost of delivering childcare. Described by the Government as ‘robust’, ‘a sound evidence base on which to ensure that the childcare market is properly funded’ and ‘the most comprehensive bottom-up analysis of the cost of childcare provision in the country’, the report’s findings are forming the basis for key funding decisions ahead of the roll-out of the 30-hour offer next year. It is extremely concerning, therefore, how quickly this ‘comprehensive’ analysis begins to fall apart under closer scrutiny.

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