�°������ϲʹ�������

By Shannon Hawthorne

Early years providers have raised concerns after a Conservative minister falsely stated that 30 hour funded provision is split into 15 hours of education and 15 hours of ‘general childcare’.

In a letter sent following a meeting of Suffolk MPs and DfE officials, as well as children and families minister Robert Goodwill, Thérèse Coffey, MP for Suffolk Coastal and an environment minister who previously had responsibility for rural childcare, wrote that: “The funding of the [30-hour] policy is largely based on the premise that the 30 hours’ equivalent (based on term-time provision) is split into 15 hours of education provision and 15 hours of general childcare without a specific educational focus”.

The Department for Education has previously stated that ““All funded provision must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework. There is no difference in the education and care standards which must be met for both the universal 15 hour and extended 30 hour entitlements.”

Clarity needed

Commenting on the confusion, Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Pre-school Learning Alliance, said: “It beggars belief that at this stage of the policy process, there’s still confusion over what the 30 hours actually is. While the policy may have been developed with the aim of encouraging parents to get back to work, both the DfE and �°������ϲʹ������� have been very clear that there should be no difference in the way that the universal 15 hours and the extended 15 hours are delivered in practice.

“For a minister – especially one with a former childcare brief – to make such an assertion, therefore, is incredibly concerning. Is the suggestion that after a child has used up their first 15 hours, all learning stops? That providers down tools and simply babysit them until their parents arrive?

He added: “If, as stated in the letter, the 30 hours scheme has been funded on the basis of providers delivering a two-tier service, then this policy is even more flawed than we’ve feared. We urge the Department for Education to provide clarity on this issue as a matter of urgency, and to ensure that all providers delivering the extended scheme are being funded to deliver 30 full hours of quality education and care across the board, and nothing less”.

The Alliance has now written to Therese Coffey – a copy of the letter is available .