The Department for Education has launched a consultation on changes to floor space requirements for children in early years settings ahead of the rollout of the expanded offer in September, as it seeks to increase the number of funded. early education places available for parents.
The consultation is seeking views on whether or not 'free-flow' outdoor areas should be able to be included in floor space measurements for children aged two years and above.
Currently, the EYFS requires provision of outdoor play, but only formally recognises indoor space in its requirements for how many children nurseries and childcare providers can be registered for at any one time.
The Government said it has launched the consultation on how it can help nurseries make better use of outdoor space for play and learning because of evidence showing the huge benefits of outdoor play to children from improved problem solving to mental and physical health.
However, sector organisations have raised concerns that such a move could lead to overcrowding in early years settings if there are no proper checks put in place.
From today (12 May), all eligible working parents of children who will be nine months old before 1 September can apply to access up to 30 hours of funded childcare a week.
Children aged nine months have been able to ego access 15 hours of funded early education since last September, with 499,592 children taking up the offer, according to DfE figures released today.
A new government survey of parents who took up the childcare entitlements last September has found that lower-income families are seeing the biggest impact, with one in five of those earning £20,000 – £40,000 having increased their working hours due to the expansion of the childcare entitlements.
According to the DfE, of the 2,723 respondents who are planning to increase their childcare hours from September, more than half (1,425) are intending to increase their working hours.
The DfE also claims that 7 in 10 early years providers have said they would make better use of their outdoor space if more flexibility was introduced.
Nursery group Grandir UK, the seventh largest nursery group in the UK according to Nursery World’s Nursery Chains 2025, said it backed the plans.
The group operated 86 nurseries and provided 6,822 registered places, as of January this year.
Lydia Hopper CEO, Grandir UK said, ‘We are supportive of the inclusion of free-flow outdoor space within the EYFS space requirements.
'At Grandir UK, we actively champion free-flow outdoor play - it’s a big part of how we support children’s learning and development. We draw inspiration from Forest School principles, helping children explore nature and learn through play in the fresh air.
‘Whether it’s running, climbing, or simply being outside, we know how much this benefits their physical health, builds confidence, and boosts their overall wellbeing.’
The DfE said the consultation will seek to understand whether to allow providers to include high-quality, accessible and safe outdoor space in meeting EYFS requirements, and the appropriate conditions to be put in place should they include gardens and play areas as a full part of the early learning experience for the youngest children.
Currently, section 3 of the EYFS for both group and school-based providers, and childminders states that providers are required to meet the following indoor spaces requirements:
• 3.5m2 per child under two years
• 2.5m2 per two-year-old
• 2.3m2 per child aged between three and five years
Commenting, Neil Leitch, CEO of the Early Years Alliance, said,’While we recognise that some settings may welcome the additional flexibility that would be created by this change, we remain concerned about the impact that such a policy could have on the quality of provision – and in particular, the risk that these reforms could result in overcrowding in some settings if the implementation, assuming these proposals go ahead, is not properly monitored.
‘We’re clear that ensuring the safety and wellbeing of young children must always be at the heart of early years education and care. And yet, as we get closer to the final stage of the entitlement expansion, it appears that the need to create new places is constantly being prioritised over and above the need to ensure the consistent delivery of high-quality early years provision.’
National Day Nurseries’ executive chair Purnima Tanuku said, ‘Consulting on the use of outdoor space is a positive step that recognises changes in research and best practice about how children can learn and develop in the outdoor environment.
‘It will be important to ensure that this approach is based on best practice and what is best for children. There is also a need to review the indoor space requirements because no-one knows how they were defined and have not been reviewed in living memory.
‘However, even if providers can increase capacity based on space, providers are still telling us that they need more staff to be able to meet local demand for places. We need to see a fully costed workforce strategy from the Government to ensure that the sector can recruit and retain the specialist staff that we know are needed to give children the best start in life.’
Leitch added, ‘Rather than an endless stream of ad hoc, short-term policies, we need a clear and comprehensive early years strategy that puts quality, and what’s best for the child, at its centre. We’re clear that if the government wants to increase capacity in the early years in the long term – in a way that doesn’t put quality at risk – then tackling the ongoing recruitment and retention crisis, and ensuring that we have enough experienced, quality staff in settings, is where policymakers should be focusing. This means committing to provide the funding the sector needs to ensure staff are paid a fair wage, both now and in the future.’
