Blog
Autumn Budget 2025: What is the Next Government Must Fix in Childcare
As the UK heads toward another major election cycle and the next round of budget decisions, one issue keeps rising to the top of national conversations. Childcare. It is often framed as a family issue, yet the reality is far more serious.It is an economic emergency, a...
Is It Still Play? How Quality Is Quietly Slipping Away in Early Years Settings
For years, early years professionals have fought to protect play, to champion it, justify it, and remind the world that it is not “just play,” but the foundation of every child’s social, emotional, and cognitive development. Yet today, we are facing a quieter, more...
Budgeting for the Unspoken: A Parents Guide to the Hidden Costs of ‘Free’ Childcare
If you’ve ever been confused by the term ‘free childcare’, you’re not alone. On the surface, it sounds like an incredible opportunity - a chance to ease financial pressure while giving your child a quality early years experience. But as many parents have discovered,...
SEN and the Funding Gap: When the Children Who Need the Most Get the Least
Inclusion should be more than a word — it’s a promise.A promise that every child, no matter their background or ability, will have access to the education, care, and support they need to thrive. Yet across the UK, this promise is being broken. The reality is...
Autumn Budget 2025: Why the Childcare Sector Is on Edge
2025 has been one of the most turbulent years the early years sector has seen in a long time — and it’s not over yet. As we look ahead to the Autumn Budget, many in the childcare world are bracing themselves for more announcements that could once again reshape how...
From Postcode to Playtime: Why Where You Live Still Determines Your Child’s Access to Care
Because a child’s opportunities shouldn’t depend on their postcode. Across the UK, thousands of children start each day in early years settings that look and feel completely different — not because of their needs, but because of where they live. One child enjoys a...
The Free Childcare Illusion: Parents Are Still Paying
When politicians promise “free childcare”, it sounds like a lifeline for parents. But behind the headlines and hashtags lies a more complicated truth, one that thousands of families are discovering the hard way.Because “free” childcare in the UK isn't really free at...
Not Just Numbers: How Underfunding Changes a Child’s Day
Because behind every statistic is a child’s story. When we hear about “budget cuts” or “funding shortages,” it can sound distant, something that happens in reports and meetings, not in the real lives of children. But the truth is, underfunding doesn’t just show up in...
Digital IDs and Child Surveillance: A Warning We Can’t Ignore
This week’s UK nursery data breach should be a wake-up call. Hackers targeted the Kido nursery chain, stealing sensitive records on over 8,000 children and families — names, addresses, photos, even safeguarding notes. Some of this data has already appeared online....
When Government Pretends to Listen: The Early Years Inquiry
It’s almost funny — if it weren’t so serious. The government has just launched its Call for Evidence on Early Years. They’re asking for viewson workforce capacity, access and affordability, and quality and outcomes. But here’s the thing: we’ve been telling them the...