Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt has announced 30 hours of free childcare for all under-5s as he laid out a package of changes to reform employment during the Spring statement.
Mr Hunt said the move would come into place from the moment maternity care ends. Households must be eligible, with all adults working at least 16 hours.
Jeremy Hunt told the House of Commons on Wednesday (March 15): “I today announce that in eligible households where all adults are working at least 16 hours, we will introduce 30 hours of free childcare not just for three- and four-year-olds, but for every single child over the age of nine months.
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“The 30 hours offer will now start from the moment maternity or paternity leave ends. It’s a package worth on average £6,500 every year for a family with a two-year-old child using 35 hours of childcare every week and reduces their childcare costs by nearly 60%. Because it is such a large reform, we will introduce it in stages to ensure there is enough supply in the market."
He added that working parents of two-year-olds will be able to access 15 hours of free care from April 2024, helping around half a million parents. From September 2024, that 15 hours will be extended to all children from 9 months up, meaning a total of nearly one million parents will be eligible.
From September 2025 every single working parent of under 5s will have access to 30 hours free childcare per week.
Meanwhile Mr Hunt said the Government will increase funding paid to nurseries providing free childcare under the hours offer by £204 million from this September and rising to £288 million next year. Mr Hunt also announced government plans for all schools in England to offer wrap-around care either side of the school day for children by September 2026.
“One-third of primary schools do not offer childcare at both ends of the school day, even though for many people a job requires availability throughout the working day,” Jeremy Hunt said. He added: “To address this, we will fund schools and local authorities to increase supply of wraparound care so all school-age parents can drop their children off between 8am and 6pm.
“Our ambition is that all schools will start to offer a wraparound offer, either on their own or in partnership with other schools, by September 2026.”
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