Nursery costs rise in Scotland as English families benefit from expanded free childcare
Scottish councils are making decisions on nursery provision despite collecting little data on what families need
Nursery costs have risen in Scotland over the past year while families in England are benefiting from newly expanded free provision, research has found.
There has been a five per cent rise in early years costs north of the border, according to a study of childcare across Britain.
Campaigners further say Scotland is failing to provide adequate early years provision because of a lack of country-wide data.
Lydia Hodges, Head of Coram Family and Childcare, said the differences across Britain are significant.
New changes to childcare provision in England meant “there is quite a lot more help for working parents who are eligible” south of the border than in Scotland, she addd.
In England, changes mean a part-time place for a child under two is free during term-time while the cost of a full-time place is down by 39 per cent on last year.
According to research from the children’s charity Coram, costs in Scotland and Wales have continued to rise, by 5 per cent and 8 per cent respectively.
“Two parents in Scotland will be paying a lot more for for childcare than say they would be in England, although slightly less than they would be paying if they were in Wales,” Ms Hodges said.
The report also shows that childminders and after school activities are more expensive in Scotland.
Ms Hodges was critical of the lack of a system for recording data in Scotland, as is the case in England.
Only some local authorities were able to supply figures for the survey.
She said: “There is not the same sufficiency duty in Scotland as there is in England or even in Wales.
“It must be very difficult for local councils to understand what their gaps are and how they change that, how easy it is for children to get early education, how easy it is for parents to get childcare when they don't have the information to help them support those decisions.
“I think they really need to get a handle on this.”
Scotland is the only part of the UK to offer 1140 hours a year of funded early learning and childcare to all three and four-year-olds and eligible two-year-olds, regardless of their parents working status.
Some 74 per cent of Scottish local authorities say they have enough childcare for at least 75 per cent of three and four-year-olds.
Meanwhile, 67 per cent of local authorities report sufficient provision for two-year-olds from low income families who are entitled to the 1140 hours.
Currently, the report shows, the average weekly cost for 50 hours of nursery childcare for children under three in Scotland is £259.10 for under twos and £259.68 for two-year-olds.
A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “We are committed to giving every child in Scotland the best start in life no matter their circumstances, which is why our provision gives all eligible children access to the same number of hours per year, and specifically targets extra hours to those children who need it most, through early access to ELC at age two.”
She said responsibility for delivering the 1140 funded hours rests with councils, which have a statutory duty to consult with families to “make sure local provision meets local needs”.
The spokeswoman added: “Evaluation of the expansion to 1140 hours shows that more parents can access childcare that fits around their lives, satisfaction with the quality of care is high, and we are seeing more mothers moving into work, training or study - helping to tackle child poverty.”
Comments
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.