Education secretary makes childcare expansion pledge to ‘all parents’

The education secretary has claimed all parents will be able to access childcare under the Government’s expanded offer, amid warnings many will miss out.

Gillian Keegan told MPs on Monday (11 March) that government projections show more than 150,000 new funded places will be secured by early April.

She replied “absolutely” when challenged by Labour to commit to guaranteeing that all parents in England will be able to access place

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt last year announced that eligible families of children as young as nine months will be able to claim 30 hours of free childcare a week by 2025.