Asked by: Baroness Coffey (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the legal fulfilment of the statutory duty of every local authority to provide sufficient childcare places.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
The department has regular contact with each local authority in England about their sufficiency of childcare and any issues they are facing. No local authorities are reporting that they are unable to meet their sufficiency duty. Under Section 6 of the Childcare Act 2006, local authorities are responsible for ensuring that the provision of childcare is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents in their area. Part B of the ’Early education and childcare’ statutory guidance for local authorities highlights that local authorities are required to report annually to elected council members on how they are meeting their duty to secure sufficient childcare, and to make this report available and accessible to parents. The full guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-education-and-childcare.
Where local authorities report sufficiency challenges, we discuss what action they are taking to address those issues and, where needed, support the local authority with any specific requirements through our childcare sufficiency support contract.
Asked by: Baroness Coffey (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their definition of school readiness, and how "school readiness" is measured.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
Children’s earliest years are crucial to their health, development and life chances. That is why the department has set a milestone of a record proportion of children starting school ready to learn in the classroom. We will measure our progress through 75% of children at the end of reception reaching a good level of development in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Profile assessment by 2028.
The statutory EYFS framework sets the standards and requirements that all early years providers must follow to ensure all children have the best start in life and are prepared for school. It requires that children be assessed against the EYFS Profile in the summer term of the academic year in which they turn five.
The EYFS Profile seeks to measure children’s level of development to support their successful transitions into year 1 and to support parents, carers and early years educators to recognise children’s progress and understand their needs. It comprises an assessment of the child’s outcomes in relation to 17 early learning goals (ELGs) across seven areas of learning.
Children are defined as having a good level of development at the end of the EYFS if they are at the expected level for the 12 ELGs within the five areas of learning. These relate to communication and language, personal, social and emotional development, physical development, literacy and mathematics. This is the definition that will be used to measure progress on school readiness, as set out in the Plan for Change.
Asked by: Baroness Coffey (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the primary drivers of children not being school ready.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
As set out in the Plan for Change, antenatal classes, health visitors, parenting support, baby and toddler groups and access to affordable, high quality early education and childcare are all vital to guiding parents, improving the home learning environment and supporting child development.
A strong and stable family environment is the foundation for better health, education and earnings. It is parenting, alongside the home-learning environment, that has a significant influence on these outcomes. The department knows parents struggle to access services and the support they need. Childcare is also too often unaffordable or not available. This lack of support contributes to too many children not being ready to start school.
That is why the department has set a milestone of 75% of five year-olds reaching a good level of development in the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile assessment by 2028.
To deliver this, we are rolling out expanded government-funded childcare entitlements and creating thousands of school-based nurseries to increase quality childcare, working in partnership with early years providers to drive up standards by reforming training and support for staff and strengthening and joining up family services to improve support through pregnancy and early childhood.
The government remains committed to working with the early years sector, teachers, health professionals and families to ensure every child has the best start in life.
Asked by: Baroness Coffey (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many childcare places are provided by (1) public sector providers, and (2) private sector providers, for each local authority; and how many childcare places are provided by (a) public sector providers, and (b) private sector providers, nationally.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
The department does not hold the data for public sector providers of childcare places in the format requested. The 2024 childcare and early years providers survey estimated there to be 54,700 Early Years providers in total, made up of 21,200 group-based providers, 9,700 school-based providers and 23,800 childminders. The survey estimated there to be 1,602,500 registered places, made up of 1,100,100 group-based provider places, 359,200 school-based provider places and 143,200 childminder places. The survey can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/childcare-and-early-years-provider-survey/2024.
For private providers, Ofsted publishes information in ‘Childcare providers and inspections: management information’, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/childcare-providers-and-inspections-management-information, with reference to Table 2, column J which provides a detailed breakdown of places by private providers in each local authority. Table 2 is also provided in the attached excel document.
Under Section 6 of the Childcare Act 2006, local authorities are responsible for ensuring that the provision of childcare is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents in their area. Part B of the early education and childcare statutory guidance for local authorities highlights that local authorities are required to report annually to elected council members on how they are meeting their duty to secure sufficient childcare, and to make this report available and accessible to parents. The department has regular contact with each local authority in England about their sufficiency of childcare and any issues they are facing. Where local authorities report sufficiency challenges, we discuss what action the local authority is taking to address those issues and, where needed, support the local authority with any specific requirements through our childcare sufficiency support contract. We do not currently have any reports of sufficiency issues in any local authority.
Asked by: Baroness Coffey (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many childcare places are provided in each local authority.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
The department does not hold the data for public sector providers of childcare places in the format requested. The 2024 childcare and early years providers survey estimated there to be 54,700 Early Years providers in total, made up of 21,200 group-based providers, 9,700 school-based providers and 23,800 childminders. The survey estimated there to be 1,602,500 registered places, made up of 1,100,100 group-based provider places, 359,200 school-based provider places and 143,200 childminder places. The survey can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/childcare-and-early-years-provider-survey/2024.
For private providers, Ofsted publishes information in ‘Childcare providers and inspections: management information’, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/childcare-providers-and-inspections-management-information, with reference to Table 2, column J which provides a detailed breakdown of places by private providers in each local authority. Table 2 is also provided in the attached excel document.
Under Section 6 of the Childcare Act 2006, local authorities are responsible for ensuring that the provision of childcare is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents in their area. Part B of the early education and childcare statutory guidance for local authorities highlights that local authorities are required to report annually to elected council members on how they are meeting their duty to secure sufficient childcare, and to make this report available and accessible to parents. The department has regular contact with each local authority in England about their sufficiency of childcare and any issues they are facing. Where local authorities report sufficiency challenges, we discuss what action the local authority is taking to address those issues and, where needed, support the local authority with any specific requirements through our childcare sufficiency support contract. We do not currently have any reports of sufficiency issues in any local authority.
Asked by: Baroness Coffey (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government which local authorities have shortages of available childcare places.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
The department does not hold the data for public sector providers of childcare places in the format requested. The 2024 childcare and early years providers survey estimated there to be 54,700 Early Years providers in total, made up of 21,200 group-based providers, 9,700 school-based providers and 23,800 childminders. The survey estimated there to be 1,602,500 registered places, made up of 1,100,100 group-based provider places, 359,200 school-based provider places and 143,200 childminder places. The survey can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/childcare-and-early-years-provider-survey/2024.
For private providers, Ofsted publishes information in ‘Childcare providers and inspections: management information’, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/childcare-providers-and-inspections-management-information, with reference to Table 2, column J which provides a detailed breakdown of places by private providers in each local authority. Table 2 is also provided in the attached excel document.
Under Section 6 of the Childcare Act 2006, local authorities are responsible for ensuring that the provision of childcare is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents in their area. Part B of the early education and childcare statutory guidance for local authorities highlights that local authorities are required to report annually to elected council members on how they are meeting their duty to secure sufficient childcare, and to make this report available and accessible to parents. The department has regular contact with each local authority in England about their sufficiency of childcare and any issues they are facing. Where local authorities report sufficiency challenges, we discuss what action the local authority is taking to address those issues and, where needed, support the local authority with any specific requirements through our childcare sufficiency support contract. We do not currently have any reports of sufficiency issues in any local authority.
Asked by: Baroness Coffey (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether an impact assessment has been made of the impact of the planned rise in national insurance contributions on the number of childcare places to be provided (1) in total, and (2) by private sector providers.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
The government has agreed that public sector employers will receive compensation in recognition of their increased National Insurance contributions from April 2025. For early years, public sector employers are school-based nurseries and maintained nursery schools. For the early years sector, the department is providing £25 million of additional funding. This does not include support for the private sector, including private sector firms contracted by public sector entities.
All providers will benefit from the £75 million expansion grant to support the early years sector to deliver the final phase of the expanded childcare entitlements from September 2025. This funding is being provided in recognition of the significant level of expansion required to support early years settings provide sufficient places for the new childcare entitlements.
This additional funding is on top of the over £8 billion the government expects to spend on early years entitlements in the 2025/26 financial year and the additional £25 million being provided to the sector as a result of the largest ever uplift to the early years pupil premium. The early years pupil premium rate will increase by over 45% in the 2025/26 financial year.
Asked by: Baroness Coffey (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of SEND provision in schools in (a) Suffolk and (b) Suffolk Coastal constituency.
Answered by David Johnston
The department shares the ambition that children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) should receive the vital support they need.
Where local authorities are failing to deliver consistent outcomes for children and young people with SEND, the department works with them using a set of improvement programmes and SEND specialist advisors to address weaknesses.
In March 2024, the department announced Unity Schools Partnership would run a new special education free school in Suffolk for pupils with severe learning difficulties. This is in addition to the six open special free schools in Suffolk already.
The department is opening over 200 special free schools and, in total, providing over 21,000 places for pupils with special educational needs. Over 10,000 of these places have already been delivered.
A joint local area SEND inspection was undertaken by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission in November 2023. The local area partnership received an outcome of ‘widespread and/or systemic failings leading to significant concerns’. The inspection report was published on 30 January 2024. The Local Area Partnership has since produced a Priority Action Plan which sets out how they will address the two Areas for Priority Action and has also updated its strategic SEND Improvement Plan.
Total high needs funding for children and young people with complex special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) is over £10.5 billion in the 2024/25 financial year, which represents an increase of over 60% from the 2019/20 allocations. Of this, Suffolk County Council is due to receive a high needs funding allocation of £113.9 million in the 2024/25 financial year, which is a cumulative increase of 31% per head over the three years from 2021/22. This funding will help local authorities and schools with the increasing costs of supporting children and young people with SEND.
Asked by: Baroness Coffey (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help increase childcare provision in (a) Suffolk Coastal constituency and (b) Suffolk.
Answered by David Johnston
The department is providing over £4.1 billion by 2027/28 to fund 30 hours of free childcare per week, or 38 weeks per year, for working parents with children aged 9 months to 3 years in England. This will remove one of the biggest barriers to parents working by vastly increasing the amount of free childcare that working families can access. Already, over 200,000 two year olds are now confirmed to have places for 15 hours a week of free childcare, as part of the largest ever expansion of childcare in England, and the rates for the new entitlements have been independently confirmed by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) to be above market rates. The take up nationwide for the validation codes already stands at 87.8%.
Funding will be key to delivering the existing and expanded childcare entitlements, so the department has substantially uplifted the hourly rate paid to local authorities to increase hourly rates paid to childcare providers. In 2024/25 alone, the department expects to provide over £1.7 billion to support local authorities and providers deliver the expansion to the early years entitlements, on top of over £400 million additional funding to deliver a significant uplift to the hourly rate paid to local authorities for the entitlements. Furthermore, to ensure local authorities are fully supported in delivering the new entitlements, the department is funding local authorities an additional four weeks in 2024/25, at an estimated cost of £120 million, for the under 2s working parent entitlement starting in September 2024.
The department’s methodology and the uplift to the rates are informed by data it receives from providers and parents to ensure the department is meeting the pressures faced by the sector. The department regularly surveys a nationally representative sample of over 9,000 providers to gain insights into how they run their provision and the challenges they face. The department also regularly surveys over 6,000 parents to understand their usage of childcare.
For 2024/25, the department’s hourly funding rates for Suffolk are £10.52 for under 2s, £7.74 for 2 year olds and £5.50 for 3 to 4 year olds.
To support the workforce, on 2 February 2024, the department launched ‘Do something Big, work with small children’, which is a new national recruitment campaign to support the recruitment and retention of talented staff to support the expansion of the 30 hours offer. This campaign will raise the profile of the sector, support the recruitment of talented staff and recognise the lifelong impact those working in early years and childcare have on children and their families.
The department is ensuring a phased implementation of the expansion to the 30 hours offer to allow the market to develop the necessary capacity. The department will continue to monitor the sufficiency of childcare places across the sector. The department’s ‘Childcare and Early Years Provider Survey’ shows that both the number of places available and the workforce has increased since 2022.
Local authorities are responsible for ensuring that the provision of childcare is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents in their area. Where local authorities report sufficiency challenges, the department discusses what action the local authority is taking to address those issues and where needed support the local authority with any specific requirements through its childcare sufficiency support contract. Suffolk has not reported any sufficiency challenges.
The department will continue to work closely with the sector on the implementation of these reforms as it delivers this substantial expansion.
Asked by: Baroness Coffey (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many teachers there were in Suffolk Coastal constituency in (a) 2019 and (b) 2024.
Answered by Damian Hinds
Information on the school workforce, including the number of teachers in each school, is published in the ‘School workforce in England’ statistical publication. The publication can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england.
As at November 2022, and according to the latest data available, there were over 468,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) teachers in state funded schools in England, which is an increase of 27,000 (6%) since 2010. This makes the highest number of FTE teachers since the School Workforce Census began in 2010.
As at November 2019, there were 570 full-time equivalent (FTE) teachers in state funded schools in the Suffolk Coastal constituency.
School workforce figures for 2024 have not been collected yet. In November 2022, and according to the latest data available, there were 568 full-time equivalent teachers in state funded schools in the Suffolk Coastal constituency. Figures for November 2023 will be published in June 2024.