Number of childcare places in Hounslow ‘below national average’ | My news from London

The number of childcare places available to families in Hounslow was below the national average, new figures show. The charity Coram Family and Childcare has said the UK’s childcare system is in “bad need” of reform because too many disadvantaged children are unable to access it.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics show that in Hounslow there were 23 childcare places for every 100 children under seven in the area. This was below the national rate of 25 childcare places for every 100 children in England.

The figures refer to spatial accessibility, taking into account the number of services people can get close to where they live. Across the country, there was a significant difference between the richest and poorest areas, as nine of the top ten areas had above average gross disposable income.

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In Hounslow, the median gross household disposable income was £25,200 based on the latest figures, higher than the national average of £22,200. Lydia Hodges, head of Coram Family and Childcare, said the ONS statistics “paint a worrying picture”.

She added: “A well-functioning childcare system is a key tool in tackling disadvantage, helping families increase their incomes and improving educational outcomes for children. Expanding funded childcare is a welcome investment, but the childcare shortage and narrow eligibility criteria mean that too many disadvantaged children do not have access to childcare and start school already behind their peers.”

She added that the childcare charity’s annual survey found that 45% of councils had enough childcare for the two-year-old’s disadvantaged entitlement, which gives certain families and children up to 15 hours a week of early childhood education years. The survey also found that only 6% of councils had enough childcare places for disabled children.

She said: “The childcare system is in dire need of reform to address these systemic deficits and ensure that all children can benefit from high-quality early education and all parents can make meaningful choices about work and care.”

The figures also showed that the proportion of children living in relative poverty was generally higher in areas with lower levels of access to childcare and lower in areas with higher levels of access. In Hounslow, 16% of children were living in relative poverty as of 2022.

Ofsted, which collaborated on the research, said the figures were based on assumptions that parents are more likely to use childcare closer to them and there is generally a limit to how far parents will travel to get to the provider wanted childcare. On this basis, the number of accessible childcare places in Hounslow fell to 21 places per 100 children for parents using public transport. When driving was a family’s primary means of transportation, the rate remained the same at 23 seats per 100 children.

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