The Government’s response to the ratios consultation, which took place last summer, was published on Budget day, after the Chancellor confirmed the Government would press ahead with increasing the number of two-year-olds nursery staff in England could care for.
The response confirms that the change is expected to come into force by September 2023, ‘subject to parliamentary procedure.’ The wording in the EYFS will be amended to reflect the change.
In his Budget speech on Wednesday, Jeremy Hunt said the Government would press ahead with changes to staff: child ratios in England, to allow nurseries and pre-schools to operate at a ratio of one staff member to five two-year-olds, rather than the current one to four ratio.
The chancellor said the change would not be ‘mandatory’, but nurseries and pre-schools will fear that there will be an expectation that they will implement the change, and that parents will expect a corresponding reduction in their childcare costs as a result.
The sector had been calling for the publication of the Government response for months, particularly following unconfirmed reports leaked to the press in January that the Prime Minister was scrapping the plans.
That news was welcomed by campaigners, including Zoe and Lewis Steeper, whose son tragically died after choking on food at nursery in 2021. Their petition signed by more than 109,000 people led to a debate in parliament last November.
The Steepers have said they are ‘absolutely dismayed’ that the ratio change is now going ahead and told Nursery World they have vowed to overturn the plans.
Key findings – Government consultation response
The response reveals that most early years settings, parents, sector organisations and others that took part in the consultation are against the plans. The consultation received 14,043 responses, including from 9,813 parents.
According to the response ‘most respondents’ disagreed with the proposals, to change to the current statutory minimum staff: child ratios in England for two-year-olds from 1:4 to 1:5.
‘This was a consistent finding across all of the different types of respondents, such as parents, group-based providers and organisations representing the sector,’ the report said.
Many nurseries have previously said they will not implement the changes because they would lower standards and put children at risk, and the consultation findings back this up.
According to the response, the survey undertaken by Natcen found that the majority of group settings with two-year-olds (70 per cent) said they would be ‘unlikely or very unlikely’ to change their provision if ratios were relaxed, with 45 per saying they would be ‘very unlikely’.
The response states, ‘The most common reason given by providers who said they are unlikely to change their provision was that they believed relaxing ratios would compromise the quality of care. Other common reasons included concerns that the new ratio would put children’s safety at risk or would put additional strain in their existing staff by increasing g the number of children they are responsible for.’
The response goes on to confirm the chancellor’s announcement that the changes would go ahead in the Budget.
The document states, ‘The Government remains committed to supporting the childcare sector and providing flexibility to providers, to help more parents to access childcare in support of their working lives. Therefore, alongside the funding announced at Budget on 15 March, we will also proceed with the proposed changes to staff: child ratios for two-year-olds from 1:4 to 1: 5, to bring English ratios in line with Scottish ratios. These will be new statutory minimums – providers will continue to decide the staffing levels for their settings to meet the needs of children in their care. This change will come in from September 2023 subject to parliamentary procedure.’
The response said that the change to two-year-old ratios would ‘provide managers with the flexibility to utilise staff in a more efficient and effective way, and setting managers will ultimately have the choice to work on their preferred ratio (as long as it meets statutory minimum requirements).
'Providers must continue to ensure that staffing arrangements must meet the needs of all children and ensure the quality of care, safety and security of children is maintained. Providers must ensure that children are adequately supervised, including whilst eating, and decide how to deploy staff to ensure children’s needs are met.’
The response goes on to say that the Government recognises that although most respondents to the consultation disagreed with the proposal, there was ‘agreement from a number of respondents.' This corresponds with evidence from the Natcen survey, the report said, ‘which demonstrated that 19% of all group settings (those with and without 2-year-olds) would be likely or very likely to make changes to 2-year-old ratios.’
Supervision change
In addition to the proposals regarding staff: child ratios, the consultation also sought views on adequate supervision while eating.
The response also states that the EYFS will be changed regarding supervising children while eating.
‘We intend to change the wording in the EYFS to make it explicit that “adequate supervision” whilst children are eating means that children must always be in sight and hearing of a member of staff – not just within sight or hearing. This will bring the EYFS into line with what many providers are already doing in practice.’
Funding
The National Day Nurseries Association said it was vital that funding is based on existing ratios and what providers are actually delivering, rather than ‘unrealistic ratios.’
Hostility to the Government’s ratio changes is also reflected in the comments we have received this week.
Emma Baxter said, ‘I'm not looking after any more two-year-olds until my pay doubles and I am protected fully when an accident happens.’
Sam Anderson said, ‘This is absolutely ridiculous, with all of the serious incidents which have occurred in nurseries this last year. Absolutely awful decision when nurseries are struggling in the current climate already.’
Cathy Rowlands said, ‘If the ratios are reduced, this will then be used as a reason to reduce funding – as (in their opinion) our staffing costs will be lower, therefore running cost per hour will be reduced.’
Purnima Tanuku, NDNA chief executive, said, ‘The Government has not listened to the majority of providers and parents who responded to this consultation. A lot of expertise and experience has gone into those submissions and for the Government to write that off is a worrying precedent for the rest of their early education and childcare policy approaches.
‘The overwhelming majority of respondents to this consultation did not want the 1:5 ratios to be put in place for two-year-olds. This chimes with feedback from our own nursery members.
‘Childcare providers do not want to reduce the quality of provision they offer two-year-olds who need more support than ever, not less. Their staff are already stretched and pressured due to the workforce crisis and expanding the ratios could potentially have a negative impact on child safety.’
The NDNA also highlighted NatCen’s findings, cited in the Government response, that just 7-12 per cent of all settings with two-year-olds said it would save any money at all.
‘Nurseries will now have to deal with parents’ expectations that their childcare costs will be reduced even though most have told us they won’t be altering the ratios,' said Tanuku.
'As the Government looks to expand funded places for two-year-olds with 30 hours places being brought in from April 2024, it’s absolutely vital that funding is based on existing ratios, on what providers are actually delivering, what parents want and not on unrealistic ratios. With many more young children poised to take up their places next year, the two-year-old funding will have a much bigger impact on settings.’