Delivering his first Budget today (15 March), the Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, announced the Government will change minimum staff: child ratios from one 1:4 to 1:5 for two-year-olds to give childcare providers more flexibility in how they operate and bring England in line with Scotland. However, he confirmed that the new ratio, which will come into effect from this September, will remain optional.
It comes after months of campaigning by childcare providers, early years organisations and parents against plans to relax staff: child ratios in childcare settings – a proposal which was included within a consultation last year into childcare reforms, under Boris Johnson's leadership.
The Early Years Alliance called the Government’s decision to push ahead with relaxing ratios ‘utterly appalling’.
Chief executive Neil Leitch explained, ‘The fact that the Government has gone ahead with relaxing ratios without even bothering to respond to the official consultation from several months ago is an insult to the sector and to families.
‘Yes, parents want affordable care and education, but they also want to ensure that their children are in safe environments receiving quality care and education - something this policy completely flies in the face of.
'We have a cohort of children still recovering from the effects of the pandemic. We have an overwhelmed and overburden workforce already leaving in their droves.
‘It is a shameful decision, and one we will continue to fight to oppose.’
June O’Sullivan, chief executive of the LEYF nursery group called the move ‘hugely disappointing’.
‘The optional increase in the adult to child ratios will significantly reduce the time available for staff to spend with each child. This is particularly important for the youngest children, our babies and two-year-olds, whose welfare and development are closely linked to social interaction and forming secure attachment relationships with adults. Now more than ever, we need the Government to continue leveraging its support and commit fully to improving the quality, affordability, accessibility and availability of childcare and fix what is currently a broken system.’
Early Education said the reform ‘raises the worrying prospect that providers will be financially pressured into relaxing ratios'.
‘The change in the ratios for two-year-olds goes against the clearly expressed views of providers and parents, and raises the worrying prospect that providers will be financially pressured into relaxing ratios against their better judgement', said chief executive Beatrice Merrick.
'None of this can be delivered without significantly increased funding and a workforce plan to accompany it’.
The National Children’s Bureau (NCB) said reducing adult: child ratios ‘risks putting the development and safety of children in jeopardy’.
Chief executive Anna Feuchtwang explained, ‘We are concerned that the measures announced today are not sufficient to ensure that more children benefit from a high-quality early education.
‘Plans to increase child staff ratios do not fill us with hope and risk putting both the development and the safety of children in jeopardy. It could also further undermine the morale of early years educators by increasing their workload.
The NCFE warned that ‘statutory requirements surrounding ratios and room space for young children are in place for a reason.’
Senior manager for education and childcare Janet King said, ‘Statutory requirements surrounding ratios and room space for young children are in place for a reason and any decrease in ratios (with increased children and a staff shortage) is a risk to safety. Therefore, the increased accessibility of early years provision could come at the cost of children's care, holistic health, development and wellbeing.’
The EPI said it was concerned that 'unintended consequences could result from increasing child: staff ratios. It drew upon the Department for Education's own evidence which it says shows that 'among two-year-olds in private nurseries, a lower child: staff ratio is the strongest predictor of overall quality of settings and quaity of staff-child interactions.'
Commenting, Christie & Co said that it ‘expected those that deliver high-quality childcare will welcome the opportunity to pay staff more and retain current ratios if Government funding is sufficient to cover the cost of delivery, rather than rush to reduce ratios.’
Busy Bees however said it 'welcomed the change in ratios for two-year-olds and the flexibility it offers.'