The Hidden Costs of Childcare: What Government Funding Doesn’t Cover

by admin | Dec 15, 2025 | childcare, childcare costs, Childcare Funding Crisis, free childcare, SEN Childcare

The UK government funds early years childcare through the Early Years National Funding Formula (EYNFF), which sets hourly funding rates paid to local authorities and then passed to nurseries. These rates vary by age group and area, and they are often presented as the...

When Safeguarding Fails: What the Nursery Most Recent Abuse Scandal Reveals About Our Early Years System

by admin | Dec 8, 2025 | childcare, childcare costs, Childcare Funding Crisis, free childcare, SEN Childcare

The recent revelations about a sexual predator operating within English nurseries have shaken the early years sector and the wider public. Cases like this are shocking not only because of the profound harm caused to vulnerable children, but because they expose a...

Thinking of Reporting a Childcare Setting to Ofsted? What Parents Should Know First

by admin | Dec 7, 2025 | childcare, childcare costs, Childcare Funding Crisis, free childcare, SEN Childcare, Uncategorized

In early years, everyone – parents, practitioners, managers, and Ofsted – share the same priority: children’s safety, happiness, and wellbeing. When something worries you about your child’s nursery, preschool or childminder, you absolutely have the right...

Autumn Budget 2025: What is the Next Government Must Fix in Childcare

by admin | Nov 27, 2025 | childcare, childcare costs, Childcare Funding Crisis, free childcare, SEN Childcare, Uncategorized

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

by admin | Nov 18, 2025 | childcare, childcare costs, Childcare Funding Crisis, free childcare, SEN Childcare, Uncategorized

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

by admin | Nov 13, 2025 | childcare, childcare costs, Childcare Funding Crisis, free childcare, SEN Childcare, Uncategorized

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...