As I write (25 May) Prime Minister Boris Johnson has just stated in PM’s Questions that the issue of childcare affordability is close to his heart.
His words came in response to Siobhan Baillie, Conservative MP for Stroud, asking him about ratios, when he said – ‘This is a subject in which I take a direct personal interest…there are things we can do to make childcare more affordable…’
He went on to ruminate about the problems of not enough parents taking up taxfree childcare and voiced an intent to – ‘look at ways in which we can reform and improve the system’.
Improve – definitely. But reform? This has a somewhat sinister ring to it. Somehow I very much doubt that reforms relate to re-thinking funding for the better.
Reducing child to adult ratios for two-year-olds, is certainly not a reform that the sector would ever welcome and it has not wasted a second in collectively voicing its concerns and outrage. Clearly ratios are not the answer to childcare affordability and could auger badly for safety and the quality of care and education. Anyone who has been around since 2013 will have seen this threat play out before – when the then children’s minister Liz Truss tried to tinker with ratios. But will it be quashed again?
In our analysis on page 6 we look closely at the Scottish model the Government is seeking to emulate and explore how useful flexibility might be in certain situations. No-one it seems is saying no to change – but reducing ratios is clearly not a panacea for the current problems.
All in all it has been a month for emotions running high. It was good to see the sector come out in force to support regular NW contributor and trainer, Liz Pemberton, when an article in a national newspaper attacked her anti-racist training in early years. It is important that her work continues.