Changing space requirements for nurseries in England risks overcrowding, experts say

Plans to alteration abstraction requirements for nurseries successful England to alteration them to connection much childcare places are being considered by the government, prompting warnings astir overcrowding.

The Department for Education has launched a consultation connected whether aboriginal years settings should beryllium allowed to see “free-flow” outdoor areas wrong the required level abstraction for children aged 2 years and above.

Early years experts are acrophobic that the unit to make much childcare places to conscionable the government’s funded childcare enlargement plans is threatening to undermine quality.

In an earlier survey, nurseries said 1 of the barriers to expanding their childcare proviso was carnal space, and successful peculiar the indoor level abstraction requirements acceptable retired successful the aboriginal years instauration signifier statutory frameworks.

Currently, each kid nether 2 requires 3.5 sq metres, each two-year-old requires 2.5 sq metres and children aged 3 to 5 2.3 sq metres. Under existing requirements, outdoor abstraction cannot beryllium included wherever indoor enactment is integral to the aboriginal years provision.

The authorities said its caller proposals would alteration aboriginal years providers to summation the fig of childcare places they tin connection without expanding the size of their gathering and enactment the aboriginal years marketplace to conscionable further request for places.

The consultation said: “If immoderate changes are made, it is captious to support a harmless situation for children. That is wherefore we privation to perceive from arsenic galore radical arsenic imaginable to pass a determination connected what to bash next.”

The consultation opened arsenic the latest signifier of the government’s rollout of its funded childcare enlargement got nether way. From Monday, each eligible moving parents of children who volition beryllium 9 months aged earlier 1 September tin use to entree up to 30 hours of funded childcare a week.

The acquisition secretary, Bridget Phillipson, said: “Early years is my fig 1 priority, and making definite families are capable to payment from this rollout is simply a committedness made, and committedness kept. But this is conscionable the beginning.

“Through the hard enactment of the sector, supported by our grounds investment, landmark school-based nursery rollout and absorption connected captious aboriginal learning support, we volition present an aboriginal years strategy that gives each kid the champion commencement successful life.”

Neil Leitch, the CEO of the Early Years Alliance, said: “While we recognise that immoderate settings whitethorn invited the further flexibility that would beryllium created by this change, we stay acrophobic astir the interaction that specified a argumentation could person connected the prime of proviso – and successful particular, the hazard that these reforms could effect successful overcrowding successful immoderate settings if the implementation, assuming these proposals spell ahead, is not decently monitored.”

Purnima Tanuku, the enforcement seat of the National Day Nurseries Association, said: “Even if providers tin summation capableness based connected space, providers are inactive telling america that they request much unit to beryllium capable to conscionable section request for places.

“We request to spot a afloat costed workforce strategy from the authorities to guarantee that the assemblage tin enlistee and clasp the specializer unit that we cognize are needed to springiness children the champion commencement successful life.”

The abstraction consultation closes connected 11 July.