Childcare in England is becoming a publicly-controlled market. Under the new expansion of funded places, local authorities will be responsible for distributing vastly more funds to more providers, supporting more parents to take up the offer, and ensuring there are more of the right places. How well placed are they to perform this role and, if they are, how do they need to change to deliver the best possible services for families? We tested these questions out with some local authorities and providers, with some interesting results …
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Many of us will be familiar with a triangle model of public services, but in recent years the mountain has got taller for many, as specialist services have become harder to attain. In this blog, Sally Hogg argues that the traditional triangle model reflects a system stuck in the mindset of late intervention, and proposes an alternative “two triangle” model where there is a more equitable deployment of specialist expertise.
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In 2019, we published research into the financial pressures of home to school transport. Four years later, our latest research on this topic shows councils facing a perfect storm in relation to expenditure on home to school transport.
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The announcement that a free childcare entitlement of 30 hours per week would extended to all children whose parents work from age 9 months up by September 2025 has generated a lot of excitement, but can it be delivered? Here are five key points from our research, commissioned by the LGA, into nursery closures.
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We are recruiting our first ever Head of Research & Insight. Join us!
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