Do not reduce staff-child ratios in early years childcare
The Parliament petitions site records 109,488 signatures for this petition, which closed on 12 November 2022. The Government responded on 17 May 2022. MPs debated it in Westminster Hall on 14 November 2022.
The petition
The petition's creator is not named in the Petitions site's published record. Quoted in full from the UK Parliament petitions site.
Do not reduce staff-child ratios in early years childcare
The Government should not reduce the existing adult-child childcare ratios as has been suggested. There are surely better ways to reduce the cost of living – potentially endangering children in trusted care is not how it should be done.
Increasing how many children an adult can legally be held responsible for risks increasing the danger that those young children, the most vulnerable in society, are being subjected to.
The Government's response
The Government published its response on 17 May 2022; the petitions site lists the Department for Education as responsible. Its summary:
We will consult in the summer on moving to the Scottish ratios for two-year-olds, from a ratio of 1:4 to 1:5. We will engage fully with the sector and parents/carers on this proposed change.
The opening 385 words of the 540-word response:
The Government will consult in the summer on moving to the Scottish ratios for two-year-olds, from a ratio of 1:4 (one adult to four children) to 1:5 (one adult to five children). Throughout this consultation process, we will engage fully with the sector and parents/carers on this proposed change. Our priority continues to be to provide safe, high quality early years provision for our youngest children.
This change would align the English system to that of Scotland. We are proposing to move to the Scottish ratios for 2-year-olds on the basis that Scotland has a similar childcare system to England, we have no evidence to suggest that the Scottish model is unsafe, and evidence shows high parental satisfaction rates. England’s statutory minimum staff to child ratios for 2-year-olds are among the highest in Europe.
Whilst these proposed changes to ratios would amend the existing statutory minimum requirements, providers would continue to be able to staff above these minimum requirements if that is their preference. These changes would hand greater autonomy to settings to exercise professional judgement in the way in which they staff their settings, according to the needs of their children, and help as many families as possible benefit from affordable, flexible, quality childcare.
The safety and quality of early years provision is of utmost importance to the Government. All early years providers are legally required to keep children safe and promote their welfare. The Early Years Foundation Stage statutory framework (EYFS) [https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/974907/EYFS_framework_-_March_2021.pdf] sets the standards and requirements that all early years providers must follow to ensure all children have the best start in life, including requirements for the ratios of staff to children.
This also includes safeguarding and welfare requirements such as the paediatric first aid requirement (PFA), where at least one person who has a current PFA certificate must be on the premises and available at all times when children are present. Early Years providers must ensure that people looking after children are suitable to fulfil the requirements of their role and providers must train all staff to understand their safeguarding policy and procedures. These, along with the other requirements within the EYFS, are designed to help early years providers create high quality settings which are welcoming, safe and stimulating, and where children are able to enjoy learning and grow in confidence.
Read the full response on the petitions site.
Where the signatures came from
Signatures came from 650 constituencies on the boundaries used until the 2024 general election. The largest number, 3,700, came from Ashford.
109,259 of the signatures were from the UK and 229 from elsewhere, by the location signers gave.
| Constituency | Signatures |
|---|---|
| Ashford | 3,700 |
| Folkestone and Hythe | 1,209 |
| Faversham and Mid Kent | 728 |
| Gillingham and Rainham | 695 |
| Sittingbourne and Sheppey | 678 |
| Canterbury | 629 |
| Maidstone and The Weald | 622 |
| Scunthorpe | 610 |
| Rochester and Strood | 589 |
| Dover | 552 |
| Region | Signatures |
|---|---|
| South East | 27,746 |
| London | 12,491 |
| South West | 11,236 |
| East of England | 11,216 |
| North West | 11,175 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 9,523 |
| East Midlands | 8,107 |
| West Midlands | 7,579 |
| Scotland | 3,380 |
| North East | 3,090 |
| Wales | 2,420 |
| Northern Ireland | 700 |
Debate in Parliament
MPs debated the petition in Westminster Hall on 14 November 2022. Read the debate in Hansard. House of Commons Library debate pack.
Source and receipt
- https://petition.parliament.uk/archived/petitions/615623.jsonUK Parliament Petitions API · read 2026-10-15 · SHA-256
77550747c7417c26… - The petition on petition.parliament.uk
The petition's words are its creator's and the response is the Government's; this site quotes both and gives no view on either. Signature counts can still change while a petition is open. To report an error, send a correction request.