Early entitlement will be referred to as ‘government-funded’, announces DfE
by Shannon Pite
The Department for Education (DfE) has confirmed that it will now refer to the early entitlement offers as ‘government-funded’ rather than ‘free’ in government communications.
A new DfE presentation, which has been shared in the Department’s recent early years provider roadshows, states that the DfE has “replaced [the] use of ‘free’ with ‘government-funded’” in its communications, in response to provider feedback that using the word ‘free’ to describe the entitlements is “misleading and unhelpful”.
Commenting, Neil Leitch, CEO of the Early Years Alliance, said: “We welcome the news that the word ‘free’ will be replaced with ‘government-funded’ in communications going forward.
“We know that for many years now, the use of the word ‘free’ has created unrealistic expectations among parents, putting early years providers – many of whom continue to struggle to keep fees low in the face of chronic underfunding – in an incredibly difficult position.
“Of course, we’re clear that a change in terminology in and of itself is not enough to address the financial challenges facing the sector, and it remains critical that the government looks to address the ongoing shortfalls in early years funding as a matter of urgency.
“That said, the fact that this change has been made in response to sector feedback is still undoubtedly positive, and we hope that this welcome approach to sector engagement will continue going forward.”