Nurseries: Closures

(asked on 13th May 2021) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment has he made of the effect of the closure of nurseries as a result of financial difficulties following the covid-19 outbreak on the sufficiency of available childcare.


Answered by
Vicky Ford Portrait
Vicky Ford
This question was answered on 18th May 2021

During the COVID-19 outbreak, providers have, like other businesses, been supported by the various business support packages put in place, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, and the new Recovery Loan Scheme. Information on these schemes is available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-for-wages-through-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme and https://www.gov.uk/guidance/recovery-loan-scheme. Childminders have been able to access support via the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme, and eligible nurseries have also been able to access a nurseries discount as part of business rates relief. Information on these is available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-a-grant-through-the-coronavirus-covid-19-self-employment-income-support-scheme and https://www.gov.uk/apply-for-business-rate-relief/nurseries-discount.

The most recently published results (wave 3) of the ‘Survey of childcare and early years providers and coronavirus’, published in March this year, set out that the majority of school-based providers (98%), group-based providers (96%), and childminders (89%) reported being open at the time of the survey being taken. This data is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/survey-of-childcare-and-early-years-providers-and-coronavirus-covid-19-wave-3.

We have not seen a significant number of parents unable to secure a childcare place this term, during the most recent lockdown in the spring term, or since early years settings re-opened fully on 1 June 2020. Where parents have been unable to temporarily secure a childcare place, for example due to their usual setting being temporarily closed due to the COVID-19 outbreak, this has been quickly resolved locally, and local authorities are not reporting sufficiency of supply issues. The next Ofsted statistical release on the number of childcare places is due to be published on 30 June 2021.

As a department, we engage with local authorities on accessibility of childcare on a regular basis. We continue to work with the early years sector to understand how they can best be supported to ensure that sufficient safe, appropriate, and affordable childcare is available for those returning to work now, and for all families who need it in the longer term.

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