Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that (a) Leicestershire County Council and (b) other local authorities, apply the statutory guidance on Free Early Education Entitlement funding in a manner that (i) supports flexibility for working families and (ii) does not penalise private nurseries based on parental drop-off and collection times.

The department regularly speaks with all local authorities in England, including Leicestershire County Council, to monitor childcare sufficiency.

The statutory guidance makes clear that local authorities should ensure that providers work with parents so that parents understand which hours and sessions can be taken as free provision. Not all providers will be able to offer fully flexible places, however providers should work with parents to ensure that, as far as possible, the pattern of the entitlement hours is convenient for parents’ working hours.

Over 500,000 children will benefit from additional funded hours this term which means that hundreds of thousands of families are better able to balance work and family life, with parents who use their full entitlement saving an average of £7,500 a year, and more children getting the high quality early education that will give them the best start in life.