Pre-school Education: Coronavirus

(asked on 1st December 2020) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance is issued to early years providers on the collection of fees for children who are self-isolating due to a positive Covid-19 test in their family.


Answered by
Vicky Ford Portrait
Vicky Ford
This question was answered on 7th December 2020

The department thanks those who work in the early years sector and those who have dedicated their time, effort, and skills to providing high-quality early years education and childcare during these challenging circumstances. The Competition and Markets Authority issued an open letter on 28 July 2020 to the early years sector, following complaints from parents about allegedly unfair charging practices early during the COVID-19 outbreak. The letter supports the government’s position that providers must be balanced and fair in their dealings with parents, and that they must avoid unfair charging practices. This letter is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/904194/Open_letter_to_Nursery_and_Early_Years__settings.pdf.

The department is not aware of any significant rise in consumer complaints since the open letter was published. Since then, the circumstances providers are operating in have changed, but the principles set out in this letter are still relevant. While contracts are a private arrangement between consumers and providers, the provisions of the letter are still broadly applicable. If parents or their children test positive for COVID-19, or are contacted by NHS Test and Trace, the principle that parents should not be charged for a service that cannot be provided without breaching government legal requirements would apply.

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