Nursery World - The mystery of the ratios

The Government fails to understand the complex relationship between early years settings and ratios, Sue Cowley writes.

The Government’s Review of Childcare Costs promises to increase the hourly rate of funding.

Any kind of increase is welcome, although it is not clear how the new funding will vary between local authorities. But one thing was obvious in the Review: the Government still does not understand the complex relationship between providers and statutory ratios. Sam Gymiah notes some business models do not make full use of the flexibility in the regulatory system.

The report talks about costs relating to ‘how flexibly the setting manages their staffing requirements’. Or in other words: settings should save money by increasing occupancy rates, using statutory ratios and minimising the number of staff employed.

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