Nursery World - Editor’s view

The Government’s renewed attempt to reduce ratios suggests that once again it is not engaged with the sector’s challenges

Karen Faux

As I write (25 May) Prime Minister Boris Johnson has just stated in PM’s Questions that the issue of childcare affordability is close to his heart.

His words came in response to Siobhan Baillie, Conservative MP for Stroud, asking him about ratios, when he said – ‘This is a subject in which I take a direct personal interest…there are things we can do to make childcare more affordable…’

He went on to ruminate about the problems of not enough parents taking up taxfree childcare and voiced an intent to – ‘look at ways in which we can reform and improve the system’.

Improve – definitely. But reform? This has a somewhat sinister ring to it. Somehow I very much doubt that reforms relate to re-thinking funding for the better.

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