Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she has taken to ensure that children who do not attend registered early years settings meet the physical and emotional development standards outlined in the Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework.

All three- and four-year-olds and eligible two year olds are entitled to 15 hours of free childcare per week and registered providers offering this early years provision are required to meet the standards of learning and care in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). Take up of the free entitlements is high with 95% of three and four year olds accessing the entitlement. Of the 97% of four year olds accessing provision, the majority will be in a reception class, where in the summer term every child is assessed against the Early Learning Goals as part of the EYFS Profile. In 2016 almost 70% of children reached a good level of development.

For children who do not attend a registered early years setting, there is no requirement for the parent or carer to meet any of the requirements in the EYFS Stage statutory framework. In 2015-16, the Department ran pilots in seven local authorities to offer the benefits of the Integrated Review to children not in formal childcare. The pilots evaluated how best to work with parents of two year-olds not in registered childcare settings, so that their children can also benefit from an Integrated Review. The results of this pilot are being considered.