‘Poorly thought out’: expanded England childcare scheme results in higher fees for some families

One unintended consequence of the scheme is that some settings simply refuse to offer parents the free childcare hours they are officially entitled to. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAP

For Alec, a father from Sheffield, the expansion of government-funded childcare to children of many working parents in England from as early as nine months of age feels like a pretty monumental bit of help.

“I feel great about it,” he said of the scheme, which has been offering 30 hours of free childcare per week during term time to eligible children since 1 September. “This feels like the first government policy in my lifetime that has a genuine and immediate positive impact on my life.”