The plan was revealed by Will Quince, minister for children and families, who seems to have taken inspiration from the regulations in Scotland.
In a series of tweets Quince said, ‘I’ve considered the childcare ratio carefully and put safety and quality first. We will be consulting on mirroring the Scottish model before the summer, which means a maximum ratio of 1 to 5 instead of 1 to 4 for two-year-olds.
‘This proposal is about giving providers greater flexibility. Some were pushing me to go further on ratio reform but I’ve been clear from the start that I would not compromise on safety or quality.
‘This consultation is just the start of the journey. We have some of the best early years provision in the world, and I’ll continue exploring how we can be ambitious for working parents – improving flexibility and reducing the costs of childcare.’
Both providers and parents have united against plans to relax staff: child ratios, since it was revealed last month that the Government was considering changing the rules on how many children early years staff can care for in nurseries, pre-schools and childminding settings.
More than 54,000 people have so far signed a petition on the Government and Parliament petitions website against changing staff: child ratios, since the plan first surfaced last month.
The petition was started by Zoe and Lewis Steeper, whose son Oliver died in September, days after he was believed to have choked at nursery. The nursery is now permanently closed.
In response to Quince’s announcement on Twitter, The Oliver Steeper Foundation tweeted, ‘Absolute disaster for the safeguarding of children in early years settings. "I’ve been clear from the start that I would not compromise on safety or quality." But now you wish to add more children into an already stretched and underfunded system.’
The parents of Millie Thompson, who launched Millie’s Mark after their daughter died after choking on food at a nursery in 2012, have also urged the prime minister not to reduce ratios.
In response to today’s news of the consultation the Early Years Alliance, which successfully opposed previous government plans to relax ratios in England in 2013 through its Rewind on Ratios campaign, said it was a ‘ludicrous, pointless and potentially dangerous policy’.
Chief executive Neil Leitch said, ‘How often have we heard ministers talk about the importance of quality early education? How often have they stressed how vital it is to close the gap between poorer children and their wealthier peers which already exists by the time they reach primary school? Today’s announcement has shown all that up for what it really is: hollow, empty rhetoric.
‘We have a sector on its knees, with underpaid, overworked early years professionals doing their best to care for and educate children who, after spending most if not all of their lives under pandemic restrictions, need more individual care and education than ever before. The ignorance and short-sightedness that would lead anyone to suggest relaxing ratios as a solution to the problems our sector faces is frankly mind-boggling.
‘We know that the vast majority of providers won’t change how they operate, regardless of any rule changes, so this policy won’t even deliver the savings to parents ministers are claiming it will. But even a tiny minority of providers who feel they have no choice but to relax ratios could put the safety and wellbeing of young children at those settings at unacceptable risk.’
Liz Bayram, chief executive at the Professional Association for Child-care and Early Years (PACEY), said, ‘There were strong views against proposed changes the last time these were consulted on and we are keen to understand if members still feel the same.
'Ultimately regulations are in place to protect children and ensure they receive the high-quality and safe provision that they need. This must be central to any final proposals.
‘We hope that the consultation process will provide Government with the opportunity to engage in a more open discussion with the sector on sensible measures to improve the quality, accessibility and affordability for families who rely on early years and childcare as well as support the providers that deliver it.
‘The Government also needs to look across the whole sector and consider what unintended consequences any changes in one type of provision may have on other forms of provision, including registered childminders. This includes reversing the illogical rule that prevents childminders from claiming entitlement funding for related children and easing the time limits on childminder assistants working alone with children.’
Purnima Tanuku, chief executive of the National Day Nurseries Association, said, 'We welcome the fact that the Minister plans to consult with the sector about any proposals to change ratios within the early years sector. We’ve been clear that tinkering with ratios alone will not cut costs of providing high quality early education and care and there are many other factors including the impact of underfunding.
'We know some of our members are already delivering excellent care in Scotland within these adult to child ratios. However, the Government must acknowledge the different landscapes between the two nations in terms of qualifications, regulation of the workforce and early years funding.
'Early years providers are very well placed to know how best to educate and care for children in their individual settings. We will have to see the detail of what the Government will consult on but we welcome the ongoing commitment from the Minister not to undermine quality or safety for our children. Early years is such a crucial stage of learning and development, so children must remain at the heart of this policy.'
Meanwhile, The Sun has reported that Quince had hinted free childcare might be extended, and suggested businesses should be incentivised to provide support through on-site creches or contributions to nursery costs.
Responding to reports that the Government is also considering extending funded childcare, Tanuku added, 'Any suggestions of extending the funded childcare system must also be consulted on. The current system is pushing early years settings into debt or closure and forcing higher costs onto parents. The Government must fix chronic underfunding first before expanding any childcare offers.'
Letitia McCalla, early years lead with Community, the union for education and early years professionals, said that they would be strongly opposing the plans, which were unlikely to deliver the intended cost savings for parents, and would only serve to increase the stress levels of staff within settings.
'The DfE is proposing to lower standards, potentially compromising children’s safety, and the quality of their care and education,' she said.
'Instead of cutting corners on health and safety and standards, the government should be investing more in early years provision to tackle the ongoing funding, recruitment and retention crises.'
Commenting on news of the consultation, Bridget Phillipson, Labour's shadow education secretary, said, 'After weeks of hints and briefings, the government's long-promised action on childcare is to look at whether they might one day have a way of doing a bit more with no extra money. It will do nothing to improve quality, and in many areas it will have no impact on availability, affordability, or accessibility. It’s not the answer parents want, not the answer children need, and it makes all too clear that the government is out of ideas and out of touch.
'Labour would be investing right now in childcare through our Children’s Recovery Plan, with a more than fourfold increase in the early years pupil premium to ensure every child gets the support they need to recover their learning and development after the huge disruption of the pandemic.'
