The Government’s ambition to provide primary school childcare provision for every family between 8am and 6pm by September 2026 were first announced in the Budget.
Today, the Department for Education has announced the 16 local authorities that will work with the Government to develop plans for the universal provision. Some of these areas are expected to be the first to roll-out the wraparound care as early as next summer (2024).
It forms part of an announcement confirming the funding rates for early years settings from September.
The 16 local authorities selected to be part of the primary school wraparound childcare co-design process are:
- Barnsley
- Blackburn with Darwen
- Cambridgeshire
- Central Bedfordshire
- Cornwall
- Dudley
- Gateshead
- Hampshire
- Hartlepool
- Kingston upon Hull, City of
- Merton
- Newham
- Norfolk
- Nottinghamshire
- Sheffield
- Wiltshire
The local authorities will start to receive their share of the £289 million in funding for the programme from January 2024. Parents are expected to see an expansion in the availability of wraparound childcare from next September.
When the ambition was first announced in the Budget, there were question marks over how the programme would be funded long-term.
