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Childcare

Asked by Mr Andrew SnowdenConservativeDepartment for EducationTabled Answered 30 October 2025UIN 79121

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of eligible children receive the expanded 30 hour childcare offer in each region.

Answered by Olivia Bailey

The government’s Plan for Change sets out a commitment to give children the best start in life, breaking the link between background and opportunity.

Due to data/sample size limitations, the department does not hold data on the number of children eligible to receive the expanded 30-hour childcare offer in each region, and as a result cannot provide figures on the proportion of eligible children receiving the expanded 30 hour offer in each region.

The first early years and school censuses to collect data on the number of children registered for the expanded 30-hour entitlement since the September 2025 rollout will be based on the January 2026 period. The associated statistics have a provisional release date of July 2026. More details can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/announcements/funded-early-education-and-childcare-2026.

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