According to a new National Audit Office (NAO) report the early years entitlement faces future challenges as the rollout continues under an ambitious timetable.
The Government’s expansion of the early years entitlement, aimed at increasing the labour market by helping mothers return to work is on track for the first phase of the rollout in April. Out of the 246,833 codes issued to parents in April for funded places, 195,355 (79%) have been validated by providers. The Department for Education expects this figure to stabilise around 85%, but the timescale for this is not yet known.
But continuing concerns and uncertainties around staffing and sector sustainability suggests that achieving key milestones in the future could be ‘problematic’, as acknowledged by the DfE.
By September 2025 the DfE estimates that 85,000 new places will be needed to satisfy demand compared to 7,000 additional places in April 2024. And a DfE survey carried out in March 2024 of local authorities found that out of the 15,500 additional places needed by September 2024, only one third (34%) felt confident in meeting this requirement.
