Extended Services: Finance

(asked on 1st February 2021) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will provide targeted funding to wraparound care providers to ensure they can continue to provide support to (a) key workers, (b) vulnerable children and (c) working families throughout the UK.


Answered by
Vicky Ford Portrait
Vicky Ford
This question was answered on 9th February 2021

The department does not hold a central register of all wraparound provision and is therefore not able to give an assessment on the effects of children’s learning and development due to the closure of providers.

However, ensuring that parents and carers continue to have access to the childcare they need remains a priority for the government, particularly for parents of vulnerable children and those who are critical workers. That is why we have ensured that before and after-school clubs, holiday clubs, and other out-of-school settings have been able to stay open for children eligible to attend school on-site (i.e. for critical worker children, and vulnerable children and young people), for the duration of the national lockdown, in line with the protective measures guidance for the sector, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/protective-measures-for-holiday-or-after-school-clubs-and-other-out-of-school-settings-for-children-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak.

We have also made clear that schools should be continuing to offer before and after-school provision for those pupils eligible to attend for on-site provision, where it is feasible for them to do so. We have provided guidance for schools to support them to resume this provision, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak#types-of-setting.

However, we recognise that the wraparound childcare sector, like many sectors, is facing unprecedented financial pressures, as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. It is for this reason that the government has made a range of financial packages of support available for businesses to access throughout the current crisis. This includes tax relief, business loans or cash grants through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, and the Self-Employed Support Scheme, as well as a £594 million discretionary fund for councils and the devolved administrations to support local businesses that may not be eligible for other support during the current national lockdown announced on 4 January 2020. Further information on these financial packages is available here: https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus/business-support.

Given the value this sector offers to our children and young people, as well as to working parents, we have also encouraged all local authorities to consider using local grants, made available to them by the government, to bolster this part of the childcare sector in their areas and safeguard sufficient childcare provision. This includes making use of grants, such as the discretionary funding already mentioned, as well as funding provided as part of the holiday activities and food programme. The expanded programme, which comprises a £220 million fund to be delivered through grants to local authorities, will give children eligible for free school meals the option to join a free holiday-time programme that provides healthy food and enriching activities during the Easter, summer and Christmas holidays in 2021.

In addition, the department has engaged and met with representatives from the sector on a regular basis to discuss the impacts of COVID-19. We will continue to do so to help inform the government’s ongoing response to the outbreak, and how we may continue to best support the sector going forward.

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