{"value":{"id":1652206,"memberId":4703,"member":null,"memberRole":"The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the School System and Student Finance","uin":"HLWS918","dateMade":"2023-07-12T00:00:00","answeringBodyId":60,"answeringBodyName":"Department for Education","title":"Early Years Update","text":"<p>My Honourable Friend, the Parliamentary Under secretary of State for Children, Families and Wellbeing (Claire Coutinho) has made the following statement.</p><p>From 4 July 2022 to 16 September 2022, the Department for Education (DfE) consulted on the following proposed amendments to the <a href=\"https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/974907/EYFS_framework_-_March_2021.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)</a> statutory framework:</p><ul><li>a change to the current statutory minimum staff:child ratios in England for 2-year-olds from 1:4 to 1:5;</li><li>clarifying that childminders can care for more than the currently-specified maximum of three young children, when caring for siblings of children they already care for, or when caring for their own child; and</li><li>clarifying that “adequate supervision” while children are eating means that children must be within sight <strong>and </strong>hearing of an adult (rather than the current wording of “sight <strong>or </strong>hearing”).</li></ul><p> </p><p>Alongside the consultation, the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) and Frontier Economics (commissioned by DfE) conducted a study with early years providers to assess the impact of the proposed changes.</p><p><a href=\"https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/childcare-regulatory-changes\" target=\"_blank\">In the government response to the consultation, published in March 2023</a>, we announced we would be proceeding with the proposed changes to ratios, childminder flexibilities and supervision while eating.</p><p> </p><p>Today, on 12 July 2023, we have laid a Statutory Instrument (SI) in both Houses to amend the Early Years Foundation Stage statutory framework (EYFS) to make the changes referenced above. These changes will come into force from 4 September 2023.</p><p> </p><p>The updated version of the EYFS (which will apply from 4 September 2023) is available on GOV.UK, alongside the current version of the EYFS (which still applies until 4 September 2023).</p><p> </p><p>A full impact assessment has been prepared for these Regulations. It is annexed to the Explanatory Memorandum which is available alongside the SI on the OPSI website <a href=\"https://www.legislation.gov.uk/\" target=\"_blank\">https://www.legislation.gov.uk</a>.</p><p> </p><p>In the Written Ministerial Statement published on <a href=\"https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2023-07-07/HLWS907#:~:text=Today%20I%20am%20confirming%20the%20distribution%20of%20%C2%A3204m,local%20authority%20will%20therefore%20receive%20from%20September%202023.\" target=\"_blank\">7 July</a> we also announced additional funding to uplift the rates for the existing entitlements from September 2023. We will be investing £204 million of additional funding in 2023-24 and £288 million in 2024-25. For 2023-24, this means we will effectively increase the funding rates that local authorities receive by an average of 32% for the current 2-year-old entitlement, and by an average of 6.3% for 3-4-year-old entitlements, compared to their current 2023-24 rates. Further detail can be found in that Statement.</p>","house":"Lords","noticeNumber":0,"hasAttachments":false,"hasLinkedStatements":true,"linkedStatements":[{"linkedStatementId":1652196,"linkType":"JointStatement","linkDate":"2023-07-12T00:00:00"}],"attachments":[]},"links":[{"rel":"self","href":"/Statements/1652206","method":"GET"}]}