Expansion of funded childcare could tackle large disadvantage ‘gap in enrolment’

The Government’s expansion of funded childcare for working families could help address the large “gap in enrolment” between rich and poor families, the Education Secretary has said.

Bridget Phillipson said the plan for children as young as nine months in England to be able to access 30 hours of funded childcare a week by September 2025 may help to “spread opportunity more widely”.

But the Education Secretary acknowledged that the full rollout of the childcare expansion pledge – which was made by the Conservative government – “won’t be easy”.

Her comments come as a report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) suggested that the UK has one of the lowest expenditures per child in pre-primary education among the world’s leading economies.

The study, which looks at the state of education systems in 38 nations with developed economies, plus 11 other countries, also found a “consistent” income disparity in childcare participation and it said the enrolment gap is more pronounced in the UK where the cost of childcare is “high”.

Speaking at the launch event of the OECD report in London, Ms Phillipson said: “We need to get early education and childcare right so that all children get the very best start in life and all parents get the power to pursue their careers.

“But as your report shows the gap in enrolment in childcare between rich families and poor families in the UK is one of the biggest in the OECD.

“So how can we spread opportunity more widely? Part of the answer does lie in childcare rollout.”

In the UK, 32% of children under the age of three from lower-income households attend childcare, compared with 59% of those from higher-income households, according to the OECD study.

The difference of 27 percentage points in participation between children from families in the top and bottom tertile is larger than the OECD average of 19 percentage points, the report said.

The study – which provides the latest indicators on the state of education around the world – also found that in early childhood education, expenditure per child in the UK is around 6,893 dollars (£5,272), compared with around 11,735 dollars (£8,976) per child on average across OECD countries with data.

Speaking to education sector leaders on Tuesday about the Government’s rollout of funded childcare support, Ms Phillipson added: “I’m determined that this Labour Government will not let parents down.

“That of course means being open about the scale of the challenge to roll out this commitment in full. It won’t be simple, it won’t be easy, but I will work with our parents and workforce to see it through.

“All of early years education is vital for our mission, not just childcare. Those first steps into education are so important for a child’s life chances and the sad truth is that a significant part of the attainment gap is already baked-in by the age of five.”

The Education at a Glance study suggested educational attainment varies more between regions in the UK than in many other OECD countries.

While 71% of 25-64 year olds in London have obtained a tertiary qualification, such as university degrees, the corresponding proportion in North East England is only 42%, it found.

In her speech at the event, which was hosted by the Sutton Trust charity, the Education Secretary said child poverty was a “stain on our society” but the Government’s work to “fix the foundations of opportunity” had begun.

She added that teachers were “vital” in their mission and the Government was “restoring teaching as the profession of choice for the very best graduates”.

Ms Phillipson said “high and rising standards” must be for each and every child.

“When they slip it’s not middle-class parents who miss out. They can pay for tutors to pick up the slack. It’s the children without support at home who fall further behind,” she added.

The report also suggested that the UK has one of the largest average primary school class sizes amongst the OECD countries.

There are fewer than 25 pupils per class in all the countries with available data, with the exception of Chile (31), Japan (27), the UK (26) and Israel (26).

At primary level, the average class in OECD countries has 21 pupils, according to the study.

It also found that there are 19 pupils per teacher in primary education in the UK, compared to 14 pupils per teacher on average across the OECD countries with available data in 2022.

Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union (NEU), said: “Our ratio of pupils to teachers is the fifth highest behind only India, Mexico, Colombia and Brazil. This is consequential to every child and it is galling that students are losing time with teachers.

“Packed classes mean less contact time with individual pupils and directly makes it harder to support each student.”

Sir Peter Lampl, founder of the Sutton Trust, said: “While it is welcome that spending on early years is increasing, the way that this funding is used prioritises the sector’s role as childcare over its crucial role of supporting the early learning of young children.

“Only children whose parents work a certain number of hours or earn over a required threshold are entitled to expanded provision.

“This is excluding the very children who stand to benefit most and contributing to the widening attainment gap between disadvantaged youngsters and their peers.

“Addressing this needs to be the highest education priority for Government.”

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leader’s union NAHT, said: “The fact that the UK is among the lowest of all OECD countries when it comes to per pupil expenditure in early childhood education should be a source of deep concern.”

He added: “High-quality early education remains one of the closest things we have to a silver bullet when it comes to addressing the attainment gap and should be a high national priority.”