The government's plan to use spare capacity in England's primary schools to create 100,000 new nurseries is “unlikely to succeed”, according to a study.
The study attributes this to a geographic mismatch between capacity and demand, but leaders in the field say that staffing, providing sleeping places for the youngest children, They have expressed concerns about toilets that are too high and sinks that are too high.
Headteachers are appealing for applications for up to £150,000 in the first round of funding, which will support the creation or expansion of up to 300 nurseries in state primary schools, with an ultimate target of 3,000.
The government is under pressure to secure enough childcare places to meet its pledge to provide 30 hours of free childcare per week to eligible parents of children aged 9 months to 3 years from September next year. The success of this policy is extremely important.
Research based on frontier economicsOne of Europe's largest economic consultancies has cast doubt on the feasibility of the government's plans. According to FE, one of the challenges faced during deployment is that projected excess capacity is not all in the right places to meet projected demand.
The study also said the number of spaces in individual schools may be too low to accommodate new childcare centres. Only if schools were able to combine spaces for all age groups would there be enough spare capacity to meet demand, which the group said was “unrealistic”.
FE said London was the only region with excess intake space and potential to outstrip the demand for additional childcare centers, as falling birth rates have reduced the number of schools in the capital. In other regions, only a small proportion of forecast demand will be met by spare capacity: just 13% in the East Midlands, 25% in the East of England and 32% in the West Midlands.
Dr Gillian Paul, who led the study, said: “Our analysis shows that the government’s current plans to use spare capacity in primary schools to meet new nursery targets are likely to fail, even if they make the best use of spare capacity. However, the demand for new childcare centers does not match geographically, leaving some regions with insufficient supply.
Cathy Payne, chief executive of REAch2, the UK's largest primary-only multi-academy trust with 62 schools, told industry magazine TES that repurposing classrooms could be more complex than expected. He said there is. “Existing buildings may not have enough space to meet regulations, for example, requiring additional toilets, sleeping areas and sanitary spaces,” she says.
Mr Paul said it may be time to consider additional approaches to expanding childcare provision. “Providing sufficient funding to support the expansion of existing childcare centers in schools and to encourage the expansion of free childcare provision in private and voluntary settings would be a good starting point. There is a possibility.”
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A Department for Education spokesperson said: “We have a clear mission to give every child the best start in life, and our school-based nursery program will support thousands more to help achieve that. “This will create an excellent early learning environment for children.”
“The first phase of the program will begin offering childcare centers next school year, and we are moving forward to expand the program to ensure all 3,000 childcare centers are available to meet the needs of families and enable schools to function. You will learn valuable lessons.”
