Youngsters reduced to ‘numbers on spreadsheet’, says childcare leader

The leader of the Early Years Alliance has accused the Government of prioritising the economy over quality care for children.

The Government has been accused of prioritising the economy over quality childcare provision (Anthony Devlin/PA) (PA Archive)

Children have been reduced to “numbers on a Treasury spreadsheet” amid Government plans which prioritise free childcare over supporting early learning or improving life chances, a conference has heard.

The promise of up to 30 hours a week of free childcare for working parents in England made in the spring statement was “dumped” on the early years sector without consultation by a “neglectful” Government, a childcare leader said.

Childcare providers cannot take much more pressure and have been put in a position whereby they are expected to deliver on the “huge promise”, the Early Years Alliance (EYA) annual conference heard.

In a keynote speech on Thursday, chief executive Neil Leitch said: “What does Government do? It decides to pile even more pressure onto our sector, once again making a huge promise to families that we are expected to deliver.

“And what’s even more frustrating is that this promise has absolutely nothing to do with supporting early learning or child development or improving children’s life chances.”

Mr Leitch, whose EYA represents about 14,000 childcare providers, accused ministers of standing back and rolling over as the economy was prioritised over quality care.

He said: “For all the talk of the mums who can go back to work as a result of the new offer, and the boost it will give to the economy, there was absolutely no mention of quality. No mention of good practice.

“No mention of the standard of care and education that these children should be receiving – and those charged with the stewardship of our children’s education and care, stood back, rolled over and allowed our children to become numbers on a Treasury spreadsheet.”

Never, ever let anyone tell you - that all you do is look after children, or that your value is defined by the hourly rate you get paid by government - or the one-word label placed on you by Ofsted

Neil Leitch, Early Years Alliance

In a speech which noted a comment from Tory MP Sir Jacob Rees Mogg about increasing the number of children that providers care for, Mr Leitch branded the narrative “ignorant and disrespectful”.

The EYA leader said sector professionals were seen as “formal babysitters” and that there has been a “complete failure to acknowledge that we are supporting children to learn and develop during their most crucial years – what we do is educate”.

He said the organisation is “very proud to put the needs of the child at the heart of all we do”.

He added: “But I think that this year’s event is a timely reminder that what we do in the early years goes way beyond that.

“We offer support to whole families, whether that’s through signposting them to relevant services, helping them battle for additional support for their children or simply lending them a listening ear or a shoulder to cry on.

“And there is no question that families need that support more than ever before. From the pandemic to the cost-of-living crisis, we all have been through one of the toughest periods of recent history. And the effects, for some, have been devastating.”

He described the sector as being full of “fantastic education professionals who work tirelessly” but added that a “neglectful Government has pushed their goodwill to the limit” leaving many at risk of burn-out.

Thanking those in the sector for the work, he urged them to “never, ever let anyone tell you – that all you do is look after children, or that your value is defined by the hourly rate you get paid by government – or the one-word label placed on you by Ofsted.”

The new phased childcare policy announced by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt in March, which will be fully introduced by September 2025, is aimed at encouraging more parents to return to work.

Under the current system, parents of three and four-year-olds in England are eligible for 15 hours of free childcare per week, and working parents with children in the same age group are eligible for 30 hours of free childcare.

But under the new approach all eligible households in England with children as young as nine months, where all adults are working at least 16 hours a week, will be entitled to 30 hours a week of free childcare.