Consultation on amending the indoor space requirements in the EYFS
In a bid to meet demand for the funded childcare offer from September 2025 for children aged from 9 months old the DfE has launched a consultation on indoor space requirements.
The current indoor space requirements in the EYFS framework is seen as a barrier for providers to expand their provision. The DfE is seeking opinion on options to amend the EYFS indoor space requirements. The consultation closes at 11:59pm on 11 July 2025
NDNA’s Executive Chair Purnima Tanuku CBE said: “Consulting on the use of outdoor space is a positive step that recognises changes in research and best practice about how children can learn and develop in the outdoor environment.”
The consultation includes reviewing which spaces can be included in floor space measurements for children aged two years and above, in particular ‘free-flow’ outdoor areas. At present the number of children that can be registered in a setting is only calculated on the indoor space of a provider even though the EYFS requires provision for an outdoor space.
The consultation aims to help providers maximise the use of their outdoor spaces for play and learning as evidence shows the benefits to the development, health and wellbeing of young children in an outdoor environment.
Purnima Tanuku added: “It will be important to ensure that this approach is based on best practice and what is best for children. There is also a need to review the indoor space requirements because no-one knows how they were defined and have not been reviewed in living memory. However, even if providers can increase capacity based on space, providers are still telling us that they need more staff to be able to meet local demand for places.
“We need to see a fully costed workforce strategy from the Government to ensure that the sector can recruit and retain the specialist staff that we know are needed to give children the best start in life.”
The consultation has launched on the same day that the DfE has announced up to 30 hours of funded childcare a week can be accessed by eligible working parents of children who are aged 9 months old before 1 September. This is the final roll out of the government’s funded childcare expansion programme which already has 499,592 children accessing high-quality early years education and care.
Since last September, eligible parents of children from 9 months have been able to access 15 hours of funded childcare. Findings from a government survey of these parents found that over half of the 2,723 respondents are planning to increase both their childcare and working hours.
On this expansion, Purnima Tanuku CBE said: “The roll-out of increased funded childcare is making a difference to children and families across the country. We know that high-quality early education and care can boost children’s life chances and close the attainment gap at the same time as helping parents return to work or increase their hours. Private, voluntary and independently run nurseries and preschools are critical to the success of the policy and are a pivotal part in the lives of over a million children and their families.
“With operating and employment costs continuing to rise, including statutory minimum wages and national insurance costs, providers will be looking to the Government’s Spending Review this summer to ensure the funding available to deliver this policy increases to meet the true costs they face.
“We know early years settings are working hard to be ready for September’s increase in funded hours and parents should be in contact with nurseries as early as possible to find out what options are available to them locally.”
- England
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