The government’s commissioner for children said extending the school day would help parents with the costs and stresses of childcare (Picture: Getty)
The school day should be extended in order to tackle the uphill childcare struggle facing families, according to the government’s children’s tsar.
With the cost of living crisis hitting hard, a review of how young people are cared for has looked for ways to ensure their wellbeing while keeping costs low.
Successive governments have poured billions into childcare support but the most ‘straightforward’ solution might be a simple one – even if it’s unpopular with kids: Keeping children at school for more of the day.
Dame Rachel de Souza, the children’s commissioner for England, floated the policy in a paper about ways to make parenting more affordable .
In ‘Vision for childcare’, the commissioner writes: ‘Schools sit at the heart of their communities, visible to and trusted by families in the area.
‘When it comes to school age children the most straightforward approach to making childcare manageable and affordable is by providing an extended school day, so that children can be cared for on school premises.
‘This would address the biggest existing gap in childcare provision, with the majority of areas saying there is a lack of provision for after school care for children aged 5-14.
Many parents face a tough choice between going back to work or forking out for expensive nurseries (Picture: PA)
‘An extended school day not only works best for parents but can also open up opportunities for additional extra-curricular activities and clubs, including breakfast clubs, in the place that children are already familiar with.’
Dame Rachel also calls for early years education to be integrated with the wider school system to boost recruitment, saying ‘for too long those educating the youngest children haven’t had the respect and opportunities they deserve’.
The highest costs are for those with children under two who rely on private nurseries.
According to analysis by the Trade Unions Congress published in June, the average cost for those families has risen by more than £2,000 since 2010.
The average annual nursery bill was £4,992 in 2010 but had climbed to £7,212 by 2021, an increase of 44 per cent.
In a bid to drive prices down, the government is reviewing regulations which stipulate there must be one member of staff on site for every four children.
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It’s thought that a move to a five to one ratio could save parents as much as £40 a week in the long run.
The commissioner also called for radical changes to leave arrangements for new parents in a bid to share out care between mothers and fathers more equally and allow them to spend more quality time with their children at a formative stage.
The reports reads: ‘Now is the time to fully modernise parental leave, with an offer that protects time for each parent and allows them to spend quality time with their child at a time that suits them’.
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The government’s childcare tsar wants hours to be extended to fix the childcare nightmare facing many parents.
