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Children's Commissioner's idea to use schools in place of PVI settings causes sector upset

Policy & Politics Provision Research
Early years organisations have accused the Children’s Commissioner for England of ‘ignoring the PVI sector’ in her new Vision for Childcare report, in which she suggests schools are the solution to the ‘early education challenge’.
Dame Rachel De Souza has said that schools should be used more to provide early years education PHOTO Office of Children's Commissioner for England
Dame Rachel De Souza has said that schools should be used more to provide early years education PHOTO Office of Children's Commissioner for England

Published today (12 October), the report from Dame Rachel De Souza suggests that schools should be used to provide more early years education in light of rising costs for private childcare providers, including rent or mortgage payments and utilities, which she says may make many settings unsustainable.

The report states, ‘As school rolls fall across the country, with the number of pupils in state funded primaries set to fall by a fifth over the next decade, there will be significant underused space in schools. Currently, rent or mortgage payments account for 12 per cent of private providers’ costs, and other costs (including utilities) account for 11 per cent - these are only likely to increase in the short term, and may make many childcare settings unsustainable. Opening up schools to provide more early years education would address both these issues. ‘

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