From today, working parents of children who will be nine months old before September 1 can apply for up to 30 hours of funded childcare a week — saving families as much as £7,500 a year per child. This builds on the successful rollout of 15 funded hours for children from nine months last September, which has already supported nearly half a million families to access more affordable, high-quality early years education and childcare. According to HMRC, lower-income families are seeing the biggest benefits, with one in five parents earning between £20,000 and £40,000 increasing their working hours thanks to last year’s expansion.

Looking ahead to this September, demand is set to grow further. Of the 2,723 parents planning to increase their childcare hours, more than half (1,425) also intend to boost their working hours — positive news for both families and employers. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: “This government has a clear Plan for Change to break the unfair link between background and opportunity across this country, starting with ensuring our children begin school ready to learn. Early years is my number one priority, and delivering this rollout is a promise made and a promise kept — but this is just the beginning. local T&A