The Government's continued commitment to expanding subsidised early years education and care should in theory represent a fantastic opportunity to improve life chances and reduce childhood inequality.
However, in addition to the subsidised hours only being offered to working families who meet the eligibility criteria, the current market in England is not locally balanced to provide access to high-quality provision to all families.
Of the 10,000 nursery providers in England, 84 per cent need to make a surplus in order to survive, and most are tiny, with one or two settings. Many of the largest providers are owned by private equity firms and foreign investors. They are the ones which have the most to gain from future policy direction, with children from the most disadvantaged backgrounds, and those most in need of high-quality education, most likely to be excluded from the benefits.
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