DfE makes changes to ratios proposal press release after Alliance complaint to Office for Statistics Regulation
By Rachel Lawler
The Department for Education (DfE) has made changes to a claiming that relaxing ratios in early years settings in England could save parents 拢40 a week in response to a complaint made to the Office for Statistics Regulation from the Alliance.
Back in July, as part of the launch of its consultation on proposed ratio changes, which would see the maximum number of two-year-olds per adult in nurseries and pre-schools in England increased, from four to five, the government claimed that these changes could result in savings of 15% or 拢40 per week for parents of two-year-olds.
However, the Alliance believes that this calculation was based on a number of flawed assumptions and so filed a complaint to the Office for Statistics Regulation. In response, the press release which originally made the claim has now been updated to include the required context.
Today, the DfE has removed the reference from the earlier press release.
Commenting, Neil Leitch, CEO of the Alliance, said: 鈥淲e welcome the Department for Education's response to our complaint and, in particular, their clarification of the calculations behind the 拢40 a week figure. That said, while the DfE is taking steps to make the assumptions that underpin its calculations more transparent, that doesn't take away from the fact that the claim remains flawed at its core.
鈥淭o be clear, our view is that this saving calculation should never have been published in the first place. Given that Will Quince, the former children and families minister, publicly stated that relaxing ratios is not going to significant lower costs for parents, it鈥檚 difficult to understand how anyone in government saw fit to make such a ridiculous claim.
鈥淭ime and time again, we have urged the government to rethink their plans on ratios. Instead, it is doing its utmost to convince parents that these changes will lead to savings that it knows full well will never materialise.
鈥淭here is no doubt the high cost of early years provision is a problem that needs to be urgently addressed, but ratios are not the answer. The only way that this issue can be solved is by properly funding the sector in the long term. The sooner government accepts this, the better for everyone.鈥
The Alliance鈥檚 letter to the Office for Statistics Regulation can be found and the Office鈥檚 response can be found .