Entitlement to free early education and childcare

NAO | 2 March 2016

Key facts

• £2.7bn allocated for free childcare
• 1.5m children receiving funded in 2015-16
• 105,000 providers of childcare in England, 2015
• 290,000 increase in the number of children receiving funded childcare since 2010
• 85% the proportion of settings rated ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted
• £3,000 the average difference between what local authorities fund per 3- and 4-year-old over a year, from £4,000 in the authority that funds at the highest rate to £1,000 in the authority that funds at the lowest
• 390,000 the number of children the Department for Education estimates will be eligible for the new entitlement to an extra 15 hours per week
• £5,000 the amount the Department for Education estimates 30 hours of childcare per child per year is potentially worth to parents
• 80% of places already occupied in full day-care settings in 2013
• 70% the proportion of parents not aware of their local authority’s Family Information Service

Report