Nurseries (Flexible Hours)

– in the Scottish Parliament at on 1 March 2018.

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Photo of Annie Wells Annie Wells Conservative

2. To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve the availability of more flexible hours in local authority nurseries. (S5O-01815)

Photo of Maree Todd Maree Todd Scottish National Party

As part of the expansion to 600 hours from 2014, we provided local authorities with additional funding to support an increase in flexibility. As a result, flexibility has increased, with more providers offering a choice of provision, increased opening hours and more settings that are open all year round. We are committed to further improving flexibility as part of the expansion in the funded early learning and childcare entitlement to 1,140 hours by 2020. However, that must be done in a way that ensures very high-quality provision because, although the benefits to parents are important, the expansion is fundamentally about improving the early years experience of our youngest children.

We will shortly launch a consultation to ensure that the existing provisions on flexibility, including the requirements for local authorities to consult parents at least every two years, are appropriate for the introduction of the expanded entitlement.

Photo of Annie Wells Annie Wells Conservative

It is not just about staffing. A report that was published last week by the fair funding for our kids campaign found that, right now, just one in 10 local authority nurseries cover full-time hours and that 19 councils do not have a single nursery that is open full time. Will the minister give a personal guarantee that, by 2020, every local authority nursery will offer the full flexibility that parents need?

Photo of Maree Todd Maree Todd Scottish National Party

High-quality learning is at the heart of our plans, but we know that flexibility is really important for many families. The expansion to 1,140 funded hours will allow for greater flexibility for parents and that is why we are doing it. From 2020, we will introduce a funding-follows-the-child approach, which will ensure that parents have a far greater choice of providers from which they can access their funded entitlement, while safeguarding high-quality provision.

As I said, there is a duty on local authorities to consult parents and carers at least every two years to ensure that provision reflects local needs, including on flexibility. Although authorities are consulting families and increasing flexibility and choice, we know that some places that are offered to parents are not where and when they need them.

Local authorities deliver early learning and childcare, and they can do that through their own provision or through their respective partnership arrangements with private and third sector providers. We want to encourage that and to look at a more holistic approach that puts maximum flexibility for parents’ childcare needs front and centre of the expansion programme. That means that parents can and do access funded places in a range of settings that open between 8 am and 6 pm. Some families, for example, are benefiting from participation in our expansion trials, while others are benefiting from councils’ early phasing of the expanded entitlement. We have asked authorities to prioritise phasing for deprived areas, so that the children and the families who will benefit most from the expansion will also benefit first.

Photo of Angus MacDonald Angus MacDonald Scottish National Party

Can the minister confirm that local authorities should consult families on flexibility and that local authorities are able to provide access to funded places in a range of settings that are open between 8 am and 6 pm? Can she also confirm that the Care Inspectorate recently found that there has been a significant improvement in flexibility?

Photo of Maree Todd Maree Todd Scottish National Party

I can absolutely confirm that. We will shortly launch a consultation with parents and stakeholders to ensure that the existing provisions on flexibility, including the requirement for local authorities to consult parents every two years, are appropriate for the expanded entitlement.

I have mentioned the increased provision between 8 am and 6 pm. We will work closely with parents and providers across all sectors to develop best-practice guidance on implementing flexibility in ELC settings.

The Care Inspectorate report that was published on 19 September 2017 shows that flexibility is improving, and more than half the providers—51.4 per cent—offer a choice of provision. The trend has been of increased flexibility in opening hours’ provision during the day, and the proportion of council settings providing funded ELC before, during and after school has increased from 19 per cent in 2013 to 30 per cent in 2016. That trend also extends to the proportion of council settings operating during school holidays, which has increased from 18 per cent in 2013 to 23 per cent in 2016.