A range of barriers are preventing disadvantaged children in England from taking up their entitlement to 15 hours of funded early education, but national and local action could change this.

That is the conclusion of a major study published today, funded by the Nuffield Foundation and undertaken by the Centre for Evidence and Implementation, UCL Centre for Education Policy and Equalising Opportunities, Coram Family and Childcare, and early years expert Ivana La Valle.

Confusion about the different childcare entitlements, and difficulties with the application process and restrictions on how funded hours can be accessed, as well as additional charges to access them, all make it more challenging for parents to navigate the system. Weak guidance from central government means that local councils do not have the levers needed to challenge such practices and ensure that funded provision is genuinely free and inclusive for families who need it most.

The study identified where local action can change this picture for disadvantaged families. It found that take-up is higher where councils make early education a key priority for children’s outcomes and wellbeing, and where they have a relentless focus on removing barriers to take-up among disadvantaged families. In-house Family Information Services with enough resources and the right skills to give tailored support to families, including home visits, are important, along with the support of other professionals in families’ lives, like health visitors.

There is consistent evidence about the benefit of early education in children's development, and the 15 hours funded early education entitlement for all three-to-four-year-olds and disadvantaged two-year-olds in England was introduced to support children’s development and reduce inequalities in participation in early education. While the take-up of early education has risen considerably since the introduction of this policy, a substantial minority of children, especially disadvantaged children, are still missing out on their 15 hours entitlement.

This new study explores why some families do not take up their entitlements, and sets out actions that can be taken to increase take-up and reduce inequalities in participation in early education. The study included an extensive programme of research using national data and interviews with local authority early years staff, parents, and early education providers*.

Key findings include:

• Parents find the different entitlements confusing and difficult to navigate. Councils say lengthy application processes and complex systems make accessing funded childcare difficult for parents, particularly those with English as an additional language or with low literacy or digital skills. This complexity for families is mirrored by the experiences of childcare providers, who speak of significant time spent administering the entitlements.
• The additional childcare entitlements for working families (which are being expanded in a phased roll-out) have complicated the picture further, with conflicting and confusing messages to parents about eligibility and the purpose of different entitlements, as well as adding to the administrative burden for providers.
• There is ongoing concern from childcare providers about the adequacy of funding for the 3-4-year-old entitlement, and inadequate funding to support disadvantaged children, particularly those with special education needs and disabilities (SEND).
• Weak regulation of the delivery of funded hours has triggered responses from providers which create further barriers to take-up, such as constraining the number and structure of funded places offered, and asking parents to pay additional charges. A two-tier system of provision is emerging in some cases, which, at its most extreme, is inferior and stigmatising for parents using the disadvantaged two-year-old entitlement.

Lydia Hodges, Head of Coram Family and Childcare, said: