Artwork by Jane Heaney
By Lucy Ashton
Scottish Liberal Democrat education spokesperson Willie Rennie has attacked the Scottish Government’s roll-out of expanded early learning and childcare.
He revealed new figures showing just 43% of those eligible are currently taking up the offer, with the number of children signed up actually falling in the last quarter.
Two-year-olds from disadvantaged backgrounds have been entitled to free childcare since 2015, after Scottish Liberal Democrat campaigning convinced SNP ministers of its potential to improve early development and attainment.
However, while the Scottish Government estimates that 14,500 2-year-olds are eligible, new figures uncovered by the party have revealed that just 6,188 were taking up the offer as of September 2022, a take-up rate of 43%.
Alongside a new public information campaign to get parents signed up, Scottish Liberal Democrats are now calling on the government to introduce a new Nursery Premium to support children in more deprived areas of Scotland in their early years.
Willie Rennie, right, said: “There was a time when the First Minister used to say that education was her top priority but nobody believes that anymore.
“Two-year-olds from poorer backgrounds are entitled to free early learning and childcare, thanks to the campaigning of the Scottish Liberal Democrats but the Scottish Government is still messing up the rollout. Scotland is miles behind England in the uptake of this offer.
“Worse still, new statistics buried in a government report show the number of children getting their free place has cratered, falling by almost 1,000 in recent months.
“This should be helping with the cost of living and raising attainment. The First Minister needs to explain why 8,000 of the poorest families in Scotland are still missing out.
“Alongside a new public information campaign to get parents signed up, Scottish Liberal Democrats are now calling on the government to introduce a new Nursery Premium to support children in more deprived areas of Scotland in their early years. This would help to make sure pre-school children from poorer backgrounds are better equipped when they start school.”
| Date | 2-year-olds taking any funded ELC | 2-year olds taking >600 hours funded ELC | 2-year-olds taking 1140 hours funded ELC |
| September 2022 | 6,188 | 5,826 | 5,156 |
| April 2022 | 7,157 | 6,672 | 5,750 |
| January 2022 | 6,913 | 6,321 | 5,373 |
| August 2021 | 5,954 | 5,374 | 4,300 |
| April 2021 | 6,204 | 5,249 | 4,113 |
| February 2021 | 5,696 | 4,632 | 3,486 |
| August 2020 | 4,866 | 4,172 | 2,865 |
The figures for two-year-olds from the Improvement Service can be found here: ELC Delivery Progress Reports | Improvement Service.