Over four-year-olds , 28% of private nurseries in England have hiked their prices, alongside 28% of nurseries and 53% of childminders, found a study conducted by the Department of Education (DfE). After the government initially promised that free childcare would save working parents up to £5,000 a year per child, the visible benefits have been hard to spot. Official figures, published by the Department for Education (DfE) and analysed by Labour, show 53% of private nurseries in England have put up their fees in the past 12 months, along with around a quarter of school nurseries (28%) and childminders (25%). The Conservative manifesto pledge allowed working parents to claim the 30 hours of free childcare a week during term time but it seems families of a lower income have missed out. One in seven families are spending more on childcare since the Conservative set aside £ 1bn to bring this number down.
Over four-year-olds , 28% of private nurseries in England have hiked their prices, alongside 28% of nurseries and 53% of childminders, found a study conducted by the Department of Education (DfE). After the government initially promised that free childcare would save working parents up to £5,000 a year per child, the visible benefits have been hard to spot. The Conservative manifesto pledge allowed working parents to claim the 30 hours of free childcare a week during term time but it seems families of a lower income have missed out. One in seven families are spending more on childcare since the Conservative set aside £ 1bn to bring this number down.