Ark, which runs 34 academy schools, warns that one of the ‘unintended consequences’ of the Government’s policy could be that quality early years education becomes less available to poorer communities, because only a small proportion of low-income families will be eligible for the extra hours for three- and four-year-olds.
The report by academy chain Ark, published today with the think-tank Education Policy Institute, formerly CentreForum, says that poorer families will be pushed out as schools ditch part-time places for full-time places for families that qualify for the 30-hours policy.
It points out that doubling the free entitlement from 15 to 30 hours for parents of three- and four-year-olds will have a significant impact on school-based providers, which have higher numbers of disadvantaged children than other providers.
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