Large parts of UK classed as “childcare deserts”
A new report looking at childcare availability and accessibility in nine European countries and Australia showed England as being the second worst, next to France.
Scotland was in the top three after two Nordic countries and Wales was mid-table.
According to the report by Victoria University in Melbourne, 45% of England is a “childcare desert”, whereas 27% of Wales and 10% of Scotland are classed as deserts. Including childminders in the mix, these figures improved to 30% for England, 19% for Wales and 7% for Scotland.
The research found that childcare accessibility is better in the wealthiest parts of the country, a trend correlating with wealthier areas of towns and cities too.
The report found that in England:
Childcare deserts equates to 1.4 million children and their families living in England with poor childcare accessibility.
Of the nine regions across England, the North West, London and the South East rank best for accessibility with the smallest number of people living in a childcare desert; the West Midlands, Yorkshire & The Humber and the North East have the greatest number of people living in a childcare desert.
Purnima Tanuku OBE, Chief Executive of National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) said: “The findings from this report are a real concern and demonstrate the amount of work that needs to be done, particularly in England.
“NDNA has been tracking nursery closures for the past few years and have evidence to show that settings are more likely to close in areas of deprivation. This is especially bad news because high quality early education and care can really make a huge difference to the children who live in these postcodes. They are the ones who stand to benefit the most from this early support.
“Nurseries in disadvantaged areas tend to have more government-funded children and fewer parent-paid hours, so there is less chance for these settings to make up the shortfall between the funding rate and the delivery costs. As a result, 50% of nurseries in the most deprived areas expect to make a loss, which they told us in our research earlier this year. This correlates with the report which shows that childcare availability in affluent areas is better. This situation is likely to embed poverty and widen the attainment gap.
“To tackle this issue head on, the Government must review funding rates especially for three and four-year-old places to make sure these meet providers’ costs. We also strongly recommend boosting Early Years Pupil Premium to match the much higher school Pupil Premium, also advocated by the Bell Review. The Government must work closely with the sector to make sure that any new provision is not duplicating what already exists, and that providers particularly in deprived areas are better supported to thrive.”
Read the report for England here
Scotland was praised as one of the best countries. In Scotland, the lowest socioeconomic decile has a slightly higher than average childcare accessibility, but it is the more advantaged areas that enjoy greatest access. This could be partly explained by Scotland’s childcare provision which has more elements of universal provision compared to the other parts of the UK. But access differs with worst areas North Ayrshire and Arran compared with Edinburgh, Perth and Kinross and Argyll.
Purnima Tanuku OBE, Chief Executive of NDNA Scotland said: “Scotland’s status as having the best accessibility other than the Nordic countries is good news. However, the private, voluntary and independent sector is facing many challenges with funding and recruitment. High quality early learning and care supports children’s development and gives them the best start in life, especially in areas of deprivation.
It’s important that the Scottish Government and local authorities recognise that the private sector plays a significant role in delivering flexible high quality early learning and childcare. They work hard to meet the needs of children and their working families and must be treated equally.
“It’s also very important that all providers have genuinely sustainable funding rates and keep pace with rising costs.”
For Wales, like England, the more advantaged the neighbourhood, the greater the childcare accessibility.
Purnima Tanuku OBE, Chief Executive of NDNA Cymru said: “Childcare accessibility in Wales could be better although it ranks much higher than England, with 27% of the country classed as a childcare desert. It shows that the Welsh Government is going in the right direction with its roll-out of the two-year-old offer but that more work needs to be done to improve the situation for children and families, especially those in deprived areas.
However, the private, voluntary and independent sector is facing serious challenges in terms of sustainability due to funding deficits and a workforce crisis.
“We look forward to working with the newly appointed minister Dawn Bowden to address these challenges the sector is facing. It’s vital that the funding rate currently being reviewed covers providers’ costs and is reviewed annually in line with inflation. We have seen a few nursery closures this year at a time when the sector should be growing. Providers also need more support to recruit and retain qualified staff who make all the difference to children’s development and future wellbeing.”
Read the full report here
- England
- NI
- Scotland
- UK
- Wales
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