This article focuses on publicly funded provision for three- and four-year-olds. It also covers provision for two- to three-year-olds living in deprived areas, funded through the Welsh Government’s Flying Start programme.

Accessibility

Publicly funded, part-time pre-school education is available to all three- and four-year-olds, regardless of where they live in Wales, should their parents want it. Participation is voluntary and provision consists of a minimum of 10 hours per week for 38 weeks of the year. Parents can choose to pay for additional provision on top of the free part-time services they receive. Funded places are available in a range of settings including:

• maintained nursery schools;
• nursery classes (in maintained primary schools);
• integrated children’s centres, offering early years education, childcare and related family support and health services;
• private and voluntary settings (e.g. pre-schools, nurseries, crèches and playgroups), which receive some government funding for provision for children aged three and over, subject to meeting certain requirements.

Taking Wales Forward, the five-year Programme for Government 2016-2021, included the objective of increasing the offer of funded early years education and childcare from 10 to 30 hours per week, and from 38 to 48 weeks of the year for working parents of 3- and 4-year-olds. This was rolled out across Wales from September 2020.

Local authorities (LAs) have a statutory duty to provide funded pre-school places to all children in the term following their third birthday. This duty was introduced in September 2005 following the passing of the Education (Nursery Education and Early Years Development and Childcare Plans) (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2005. Section 118 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 introduced the requirement for every LA to ensure the provision of pre-school education in its area for children who have reached a certain age. This aimed to reduce the variation in availability of places. .

Local authorities and their partner organisations in the voluntary and private sectors plan this pre-school provision locally. In doing so, they are expected to pay particular attention to provision in rural and disadvantaged areas; more so since the introduction of the presumption against the closure of rural schools in November 2018). Places should be reasonably accessible to where children live and, when appropriate, to where their parents work.

In addition, as part of the Enabling Gypsies, Roma and Travellers Plan, the Welsh Government has pledged to explore ways to raise awareness, among these communities, of the entitlement to funded early years provision. The aim is to work with LAs to ensure that inequalities experienced by the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities are reduced.

Under the Learner Travel (Wales) Measure 2008, there is no legal obligation for LAs to provide free transport for children under the age of five (compulsory school age) to attend pre-school / nursery education, but they may do so at their discretion. The Measure provides the legal basis to make provision at a later date in relation to travel entitlement for pre-school age children.

The Childcare Act 2006 (Local Authority Assessment) (Wales) Regulations 2016  also place a duty on LAs in Wales to undertake a ‘Childcare Sufficiency Assessment’ at least once every five years. This assesses demand for childcare in the area with a view to ensuring that it meets parents’ requirements and so enables them to take up the places and remain in work.

Flying Start programme

The Flying Start programme, which contributes to the Welsh Government’s focus on tackling poverty and deprivation, targets two- to three-year-olds living in the most disadvantaged areas of Wales. The parents of all eligible two- to three-year-olds are offered 12.5 hours of childcare each week, for 39 weeks of the year. They are also offered at least 15 sessions of provision during school holidays. Families in Flying Start areas also have access to an enhanced health visitor service; parenting programmes; and to an appropriate language and play group to develop young children’s speech, language and communication skills. 

In addition, the outreach aspect of the programme allows local authorities to deliver Flying Start to a small percentage of their population who live outside designated Flying Start areas.

Welsh-medium pre-school provision

Welsh-medium early years education is available in nursery classes in Welsh-medium primary schools; offered by independent providers and childminders; and provided in the voluntary sector by Mudiad Meithrin, which specialises in Welsh-medium early years provision. This includes parent and child groups for children from birth to school age, day nursery provision for children from six weeks to school age, and playgroups for children from two to school age. The organisation also produces resources for those working in Welsh-medium early years education and care.

Admission requirements and choice of ECEC institution

Children can be admitted to publicly funded pre-school provision from the beginning of the term following their third birthday, that is, the start of term beginning on or following 1st September, 1stJanuary, or 1st April, depending on when their birthday falls. Parents have a right to express a preference for a particular early childhood institution for their child, although there is no guarantee of a place at their preferred institution. 

Responsibility for admissions to nursery classes in maintained schools lies with either the LA or governing body, depending on the legal category of the school. (See the article on ‘Administration and Governance at Local and/or Institutional Level’ for an explanation of the legal categories of school and their responsibilities.)

In cases where demand for places in individual institutions exceeds availability, institutions follow the over-subscription criteria set out in their admissions policy. Commonly-used criteria which may be used to allocate places in an oversubscribed pre-school setting include:

• medical or additional learning need (ALN);
• whether the child is, or has previously been, ‘looked after’;
• whether the child lives in the school catchment area;
• whether the child has any siblings attending the setting.

There is no right of appeal for the allocation of nursery places in maintained primary schools (see page 3 of the School Admission Appeals Code, 2013).

If a child attends a nursery class attached to a maintained primary school, there is no guarantee that he or she will be admitted to the school’s reception class as the primary school admissions process is entirely separate; see page 4 of the School Admissions Code (2013).

Flying Start programme

Two- to three-year-old children living in the most economically deprived areas of Wales are entitled to a publicly funded part-time childcare place under the Flying Start programme. They are admitted at the beginning of the term following their second birthday, which is the term starting on or following 1st September, 1st January, or 1st April depending on when their birthday falls.

Age levels and grouping of children

Children in nursery schools and nursery classes attached to primary schools are normally aged between three and five years. They are in the Foundation Phase, which covers children from the age of three to seven years; that is, it also includes the first two years of compulsory primary education.

The organisation of teaching groups / classes is determined by individual institutions. Children may be grouped according to age, or be in mixed-aged groups, depending on the numbers of children in specific age groups and the size of classes / groups.

The recommended adult to child ratio for three- to five-year-olds is one adult for every eight children.

The National Minimum Standards for Regulated Childcare (2016) set out the minimum staffing ratios in private and voluntary settings as:

• one adult to four children aged two years
• one adult to eight children aged three to seven years.

For more detailed information regarding staffing ratios in childcare settings, see pages 38-41 of the National Minimum Standards.

Most children aged between four and five are in the reception class of a primary school. Section 4 of the School Admissions (Infant Class Sizes) (Wales) Regulations (2013) limits the size of a class for four / five- to seven-year-olds in maintained primary schools to 30 pupils per single teacher.

Organisation of time

The Welsh Government offers all three- and four-year-olds whose parents want it, free, part-time provision for 38 weeks across the standard school year, running from September to July. By September 2020, this provision is due to be raised across Wales to 48 weeks of the year for three- and four-year-olds whose parents are in work.

Nursery schools and classes follow the same terms as primary schools, that is, three terms running from September to December; January to March / April; and April to July.

Disadvantaged two- to three-year-olds on the Flying Start programme receive part-time provision for 39 weeks of the school year, with an additional 15 sessions of provision during school holidays.

Many private and voluntary providers are open all year round.

Organisation of the day and week

Publicly funded pre-school places for three- and four-year-olds are available for a minimum of 10 hours per week. This is normally available for five sessions per week, for two hours per day. Sessions are offered Monday to Friday. In September 2020, this provision increased across Wales to 30 hours per week for three- and four-year-olds whose parents are in work.

Under the Flying Start programme, the most disadvantaged two- to three-year-olds can benefit from 12.5 hours of government-funded childcare each week. This is available for 2.5 hours per day, five days a week from Monday to Friday.

Many voluntary and private settings are open for longer hours than the funded minimum; day nurseries, for example, are usually open from 8am to 6pm every day, excluding weekends. Parents can choose to pay for additional hours if they wish. 

Article last reviewed December 2020.