First councils picked to trial wraparound childcare

The Government has selected 16 local authorities to develop comprehensive plans for the provision of childcare for parents of primary school children in England.

The program provides that all parents of children in this age group have access to childcare in their area between 08:00 and 18:00.

The Department of Education (DfE) announced that rollout would begin next summer.

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said the plans would be “a game changer for working families”.

The DfE said that from January 2024 all councils in England would receive their share of £289m in funding to provide the provision.

Some of the 16 local counties selected to initially work with the government on their plans are expected to be the first to roll out full coverage from next summer, before the system expands to more counties from September 2024.

Laura Mayes, head of childcare at Wiltshire Council – one of those selected by the council to test comprehensive childcare – said she was “very pleased” that the council would be taking part in the pilot.

“We already work closely with our schools, extracurricular clubs and kindergarten providers and know how important reliable childcare can be for families,” she said.

Presenting the Spring Budget earlier this year, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said the Government will ensure that all schools in England have full care by September 2026.

He said more funding would be available for childcare providers from 2024/25. The DfE said it would launch a consultation on the distribution of those funds.

Elsewhere in the budget, Mr Hunt said the current scheme, which offers some families 30 free hours of childcare a week, would be extended to younger children.

According to the Office of Budget Responsibility, the move could help 60,000 more parents of young children into the workforce.

But Paul Johnson of the Institute of Fiscal Studies said he doubted the changes would make “a big difference”.

The 16 councils are: