Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant of the Answer of 17 January 2025 to Question 22412 on Childcare: Finance, how many and what proportion of childcare providers allow parents to stretch the 38 weeks of paid childcare to cover 52 weeks.

The department does not collect data on how childcare providers deliver the entitlements. Therefore, we cannot provide detail on the numbers and proportion of childcare providers that allow parents to stretch the 38 weeks of paid childcare over 52 weeks.

Parents are able to stretch their child’s entitlement by taking fewer hours per week over more weeks of the year, although hours cannot be compressed into fewer than 38 weeks per year. This means, where possible, parents can use their funded hours of childcare all year round alongside Tax-Free Childcare or Universal Credit. Local authorities are able to help parents by providing details of childcare settings who offer this option.

There is no requirement for childcare providers to deliver funded hours at particular times of the day or on particular days of the week. Providers are free to choose when to deliver funded hours, as long as they comply with the terms of their arrangements with the local authority.