Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Business
Sally Weale

England childcare scheme may struggle to deliver places, finds ‘damning’ report

Rishi Sunak talking to young children at a table in a nursery as they do colouring in
Rishi Sunak visiting a nursery. The report expresses concern there was no consultation with the early years sector before the 2023 budget. Photograph: Paul Ellis/AFP/Getty Images

The deployment of the government’s childcare scheme to tens of thousands more families is facing “significant uncertainties” and may struggle to meet its own targets, according to a report by Whitehall’s spending watchdog.

The National Audit Office revealed the Department for Education (DfE) had assessed the likelihood of being able to deliver the funded childcare places it promised for September 2024 and 2025 as “amber/red problematic”.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.