New Ofsted data reveals huge regional disparities in childcare place losses
Some areas in England have seen as much as a 25% decline in early years places over the past six years, analysis of new Ofsted data by the Early Years Alliance has revealed.
Ofsted has today (Tuesday 30 November) published data on the number of early years places in each local authority in England as of 31 August 2021, as part of its regular ‘Childcare providers and inspections’ statistics series.
The government has repeatedly rejected concerns over the sustainability of the early years sector by arguing that “”.&Բ;&Բ;
However, while it is true that the number of early years places in England overall has remained largely unchanged since 2015, Ofsted data on the number of early years places in each local authority reveals that between August 2015 and August 2021:
- 70 out of 149* local authorities have seen the number of early years places decline over the past six years (*Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, West Northamptonshire and North Northamptonshire were not included in the analysis as they were not formed as local authorities in 2015).
- Of the 10 local authorities with the largest decline in early years places, six are in the South-West:
|
Local authority |
Region |
Change in number of early years places |
Percentage change in places |
Change in number of early years providers |
Percentage change in providers |
|
Torbay |
South West |
-532 |
-25.1% |
-25 |
-20.5% |
|
Darlington |
North East |
-525 |
-20.5% |
-38 |
-28.1% |
|
Isles Of Scilly |
South West |
-10 |
-18.9% |
-3 |
-50.0% |
|
Dorset |
South West |
-1,430 |
-18.1% |
-161 |
-35.8% |
|
Calderdale |
Yorkshire and The Humber |
-1,178 |
-18.0% |
-98 |
-32.7% |
|
Devon |
South West |
-2,744 |
-16.8% |
-344 |
-32.6% |
|
Cumbria |
North West |
-1,339 |
-15.3% |
-148 |
-33.6% |
|
Cornwall |
South West |
-1,519 |
-14.1% |
-162 |
-26.9% |
|
Wirral |
North West |
-1,134 |
-14.1% |
-109 |
-28.4% |
|
Somerset |
South West |
-1,494 |
-13.6% |
-183 |
-28.5% |
In comparison, all but one of the local authorities seeing the biggest increase in early years places are in London:
|
Local authority |
Region |
Change in number of early years places |
Percentage change in places |
Change in number of early years providers |
Percentage change in providers |
|
Hackney |
London |
1,727 |
33.3% |
12 |
4.7% |
|
Wandsworth |
London |
2,274 |
29.9% |
-64 |
-15.3% |
|
Greenwich |
London |
1,986 |
29.2% |
-54 |
-10.1% |
|
Tower Hamlets |
London |
1,156 |
27.4% |
-21 |
-9.9% |
|
Redbridge |
London |
1,680 |
23.5% |
-49 |
-13.8% |
|
Havering |
London |
1,293 |
21.8% |
-42 |
-11.4% |
|
Bexley |
London |
1,244 |
20.9% |
-62 |
-12.7% |
|
Harrow |
London |
1,030 |
19.1% |
-48 |
-16.4% |
|
Rutland |
East Midlands |
157 |
18.3% |
-10 |
-22.7% |
|
Haringey |
London |
842 |
18.1% |
-53 |
-18.0% |
The data also shows that all but one local authority (Hackney) has seen a decline in the number of early years providers operating since 2015.
Commenting, Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Early Years Alliance:
“Ministers have long argued that because the number of early years places available nationally has remained broadly consistent over recent years, concerns about the sustainability of the sector are unfounded. But as our analysis shows, the government’s decision to focus only on the national picture has masked huge regional disparities.
“It is completely unacceptable that so many areas have suffered not only a huge loss in a number of early years providers operating, but also significant losses in the number of places available. Clearly if these trends are allowed to continue, we will see more and more families in such areas facing far less choice when it comes to early years provision – and in the worst cases, an inability to access any places at all.
“The IFS report on education spending in England published today confirmed what we in the sector have been warning: that even recent increases in early years spending are almost certainly not enough to make up for the substantial increases in costs that providers are facing as a result of wage rises, national insurance contribution increases and other inflationary pressures.
“If the government wants to make sure that all children and families, no matter where they live, can access early education and care, it needs to invest what is needed to ensure that nurseries, pre-schools and childminding settings can deliver these vital services.”