TODAY: number of two-year-olds registered for 15-hour childcare entitlement continues to fall

The Department for Education (DfE) has today revealed the number of disadvantaged two-year-olds eligible and registered for the 15-hour entitlement childcare has continued to decrease.

This is part of the DfE’s new figures on education provision: children under five years of age.

Research showed that while registry for the 15-hour entitlement is down by seven per cent for disadvantaged two-year-olds, the take-up has increased. The DfE said this is because the number of children eligible decreased more than the number of children eligible and registered.

The DfE said this is due to:

• Falling birth rate in recent years
• The transition to universal credit from legacy benefits
• Income thresholds for the eligibility criteria remaining unchanged whilst average incomes have risen in recent years.

The research also revealed that the number of three and four-year olds registered for the 15-hour entitlement continued to decrease, while the take-up rate increased.

DfE said that as all three and four-year olds are eligible, the increase in the take up rate was due to falling birth rates, which has caused the three and four-year old population to decrease more than the number of children registered. It was revealed earlier this year that the birthrate in the UK is at a ‘record low’.

Responding to today’s statistics, Dr Tammy Campbell, director for early years, inequalities and wellbeing at the Education Policy Institute (EPI), said: “Today’s statistics from the Department for Education show a fall in the number of disadvantaged two-year olds accessing funded early education and care.

“In part, this is because of declining birthrates – but not entirely. It also highlights the fact that fewer and fewer low-income families are deemed eligible for funding at two. This is due firstly to a freezing of the income threshold initially set in 2014.

“It is also underpinned by changes to the welfare benefits system, which result in fewer disadvantaged families accessing entitlements that qualify them for funding at two.

“This lessened access for two-year-olds from low-income families is worrying, particularly in the context of current policy, which focusses on expanding funding for families higher up the income distribution. It is children from low-income families who are more likely to benefit developmentally from high-quality early education and care.

“EPI therefore recommends that early years funding should be weighted much more heavily towards low-income families – as well as children with SEND, who are vastly underserved by the current system and the expansions.”

Paul Whiteman, general secretary at school leaders’ union NAHT, said: “There is no doubt that there are things to be concerned about in this data.

“High quality early years education is one of the nearest things we have to a silver bullet in education, particularly when it comes to narrowing the gap between children from disadvantaged backgrounds and their peers.

“It is therefore a real concern that there has been a decline in the number of two-year-olds deemed eligible for funding to access early years provision.

“It is equally worrying to see an increase in the proportion of staff working in the early years without the relevant qualifications. A highly trained workforce is an essential part of providing excellent early education.”