Sue Robb of 4Children talks to Julie Laughton and Alison Britton from the Department for Education about the role of childminders in delivering the 30 hours free entitlement.
The Labour Party has said that the average annual cost of a nursery place for children under two has risen by nearly £1,500 in five years, putting a strain on working families.
The party found that the average weekly cost of a full-time nursery place for children under two in England has risen 16 per cent in five years, from £236.19 in 2018 to £273.57 in 2022. For two-year-olds, the rise has been 15 per cent, from £231.75 in 2018 to £265.38 in 2022.
Extrapolating these totals across a school year of 38 weeks, the party found that the average annual cost of a place for children under two has risen by £1,420.44 in five years.
The same analysis also suggests that for primary school children, the average cost of an after-school club has risen 17 per cent over the same period, from £56.82 in 2018 to £66.75 in 2022.
Bridget Phillipson, Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary, said: “The Conservatives are making high quality childcare increasingly unavailable and unaffordable. Parents are having to work fewer hours or leave jobs because they cannot find or afford it, once again failing children and families. Labour’s Children’s Recovery Plan would invest in early years places for children on free school meals and boost access to before and after-school clubs, as families fight rising prices.
“The Chancellor has failed to give families security. Labour would halt the national insurance rise and use a one off windfall tax on oil and gas companies to cut household’s bills by up to £600 and put families first.”
The findings follow a recent survey by Pregnant Then Screwed and Mumsnet which found that 40 per cent of mothers were having to work fewer hours than they would like due to childcare costs.
Sue Robb of 4Children talks to Julie Laughton and Alison Britton from the Department for Education about the role of childminders in delivering the 30 hours free entitlement.
Fireco is a one-stop shop for trusted and compliant fire safety solutions! Our comprehensive product range includes smart fire door closers and retainers, notification systems, as well as fire door installation and inspection services. With our cloud-based technology, we offer the convenience of remote monitoring and management of connected devices, ensuring efficient and effective fire safety measures. By choosing Fireco, you can trust that our solutions are tailored to meet complex compliance requirements and provide you with peace of mind.
UKREiiF has quickly become a must-attend in the industry calendar for Government departments and local authorities.
The organisers of the world’s largest dedicated hydrogen event, World Hydrogen 2024 Summit & Exhibition have announced it’s return to Rotterdam in May 2024, with an expansion of a whole extra summit day. Sustainable Energy Council (SEC) are partnering with the Government of the Netherlands, the Province of Zuid-Holland, the City of Rotterdam, and the Port of Rotterdam to host an extended, larger scale Summit in 2024, to expand the event to meet the surging demand.
At GeoEnergy Design, we're on a mission to disrupt the traditional way heating and cooling ha
Professor Harith Alani, director of the Knowledge Management Institute at the Open University explains how AI can be used for good and bad.
Alex Lawrence, head of health & social care, techUK sets out techUK’s Five Point Plan for CareTech.