NURSERY LOOPHOLE WILL LEAVE HALF OF ALL CHILDREN AND FAMILIES AT AN EDUCATIONAL AND FINANCIAL DISADVANTAGE, NEW RESEARCH SHOWS

Think tank commends commitment to nursery expansion, but highlights birthday discrimination which means some children would face almost a year’s less nursery provision with some families being almost £3,000 worse off

New First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced that she intends to double the number of hours of government-funded childcare for 3 and 4 year olds by the end of the next Parliament.

However, independent think tank Reform Scotland has released new figures showing that, unless a loophole in the system is closed, the unintended consequence of the policy will be that many children will be placed at an educational disadvantage, and many families placed at a financial disadvantage, compared to their peers.

Currently, the legal entitlement to government-funded nursery provision starts the term after a child turns three. This means that, for example:

– a child born in August receives a full two years, or 1,200 hours of government-funded provision before starting school
– but a child born in September will receive only 18 months, or 1,000 hours and a child born in January will receive only 15 months, or 800 hours
– the financial disadvantage for families using partnership nurseries means that a child born between September and December loses out by £700 while children born in January and February could lose out by £1,400.

While doubling the number of hours of government-funded provision is to be welcomed, unless this birthday discrimination is ended, it also doubles the scale of this problem.  As a result, some children would start school having received 800 fewer hours of nursery provision.

Reform Scotland is calling for all children to be given a basic legal entitlement of two years nursery provision, starting in August two years before the child is due to start school, irrespective of their age at the time. This would harmonise nursery provision with the primary school system, where each child is entitled to seven years of education irrespective of their age at the beginning.

Commenting, Reform Scotland’s Research Director Alison Payne said:

“With nursery playing such a vital role in a child’s educational development, it is unacceptable and unfair that there is such a wide variation in entitlement based simply on the date of a child’s birth. This can leave too many children at an avoidable disadvantage when starting school.

“Nicola Sturgeon’s commitment to childcare is well-known, admirable and welcomed. But the sweet concoction of additional provision leaves a bitter aftertaste for those children who will be disadvantaged when starting school, for no other reason than when they were born.

“Reform Scotland believes that every child should have the same basic entitlement to nursery provision – just as they do to primary school. This is why we believe that nursery provision should start at a fixed point in the year, just as it does for school.

“This may seem like a minor issue when the First Minister is talking about such huge expansion.  However, for the 50% of children currently being disadvantaged this needs to be addressed.

“When the roof of your house is leaking, it is best to fix it first before adding an extension. Nicola Sturgeon’s first priority should be to close this loophole.”