Parent template letter for Universal Credit
We have been approached by a number of nurseries where parents have had their Universal Credit Childcare payments reduced as a result of the updated charging guidance from DfE.
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Increases to national minimum wages cannot be unfunded in early years
The Low Pay Commission has announced that it is revising up its estimated increase in the National Living Wage (NLW) for 2026/27 from £12.65 to £12.71 per hour. This estimation is based on “stronger than forecast” wage growth, which impacts on how the National Living Wage is calculated.
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Government statistics on funded early education and childcare show ‘concerning’ trend
The Department for Education has published official statistics on ‘Funded early education and childcare’. These are the annual statistics on children under five registered for government funded entitlements in England.
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The prestigious NDNA nursery awards are back for 2026 to celebrate the early years sector!
NDNA is delighted to announce the launch of the NDNA awards 2026, which are now open for entries to nurseries and NDNA networks across the UK. Our awards celebration will return to the Titanic Hotel in Liverpool on Friday 5 June 2026.
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Huge Government boost will fund many more Maths Champions
The Government has acknowledged the benefits of investing in early intervention programmes and is fully funding more than 1800 additional places on the Maths Champions programme.
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Parent survey shows benefits and challenges of funded childcare policy
The Department for Education has published the findings from its latest survey of parents. The survey showed that more children aged 0-4 were using formal childcare (64%) compared to the year before (63%). It also showed that 96% of parents were satisfied with the funded two-year old places and more parents rated the quality of childcare as good.
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Government publishes its strategy “Giving every child the best start in life”
Following a string of announcements since Friday and over the weekend, the Department for Education has published its new strategy for early years, Giving every child the best start in life.
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Government announces plans for 1,000 Best Start Family Hubs
Parents across the country have been promised more support to make family life easier as the government rolls out ‘Best Start Family Hubs’ across every local authority.
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Two hundred new school-based nurseries will create 4,000 places
The Government has announced that almost 200 new school-based nurseries will open in September delivering more than 4,000 early education and care places.
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Growth in PVI nurseries but a drop in childminders – latest Ofsted statistics
The latest ofsted statistics shows there has been growth in PVI nurseries but a drop in childminders in early years settings.
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