Discussion meeting on early years

Access to quality early years support has a lifelong positive impact on children’s development. In Jersey, childcare costs are around 50% higher than across England (12% higher than London), making this provision inaccessible - or a financial strain - for many families.

To discuss the issue, on 13 November 2025 the Policy Centre convened a roundtable. 23 people attended – members of the States, primary school heads and representatives of charities and early years providers. A draft research report and note on the proposed offer for 2–3-year-olds were circulated in advance as background information. The research report will be finalised taking account of discussion at the meeting and published by the end of the year.

Following is a note of points made in the discussion.

Key points

• High quality early years support is essential to give children the right start in life.
• Understanding the importance of this is increasing but not sufficient.
• The proportion of children at the expected stage of development when they start reception is below the government target. The reasons for this are not clear.
• High childcare costs are a huge burden for families, particularly those with limited support from family and friends. Costs are high because the costs that providers have to pay, particularly for staff, are high.
• There is no clear rationale for the proposal to provide support for 15 hours nursery education for 2-3-year-olds.

The importance of early years

• The first few years of a child's life provide the foundation for everything that follows. Speech, language and communication skills are particularly important.
• The quality of provision is important.
• Experience in early years is important for social mobility.
• While there is a benefit to the economy in later years, support for early years is primarily about the children.
• Childcare support is particularly important for one parent families, where parents have separated, and where there are health and other issues. The Centre for Social Justice has produced relevant reports.
• The report Study of Early Education and Development (SEED): Impact Report on Early Education Use and Child Outcomes at Key Stage 2 (DfE, July 2025) has some relevant research.
• The report Key Stage 2 - attainment and lifetime earnings research (DfE, July 2025) showed a strong relationship between key stage 2 outcomes and lifelong earnings.
• Early years providers can be a valuable source of information for government on trends and issues.

Understanding of the importance of early years support

• Understanding of the issues in the States Assembly has improved but some members still have traditional views.
• Parents of children at nurseries feel strongly about the issue but cease to do so when their children move into schools.
• Employers increasingly understand the importance of early years provision as it can help retain their staff. However, business could do more – workplaces nurseries and creches for example.
• Recent JEP articles and other publicity about the importance of the issue for parents as opposed to nursery providers have had a valuable impact in raising the profile of the issue.
• There is a need for a better understanding of how early years provision helps the economy.
• Within government early years is seen as being an education issue but it is also relevant to the economy, health and other areas.

Why Jersey is not meeting its target for expected development

• Jersey has a target that 70% of children starting reception classes should be at the expected stage of development, but only 61% are. Comparable parts of England seem to perform better. However, the percentage of pupils assessed as reaching age-related expectations in reading, writing and mathematics at end of KS1 (age 7) is well above the green threshold.
• Comparisons are difficult. Jersey's looks at a wider range of factors than England’s approach which concentrates on academic performance. Also, moderation practices are different, in England nurseries can decide which curriculum to follow whereas the curriculum is Jersey is more prescribed and there is a risk of professionals concentrating on the published benchmarks.
• Primary schools are increasingly finding that children in reception classes are not at the appropriate stage of development.
• The high level of childhood obesity in Jersey should be a concern.
• Use of smartphones is damaging.
• While children should be ready to school, schools should also be ready for children.
• There is scope to improve parenting skills.
• Early intervention is probably better in England than Jersey which may explain poor performance.
• Extension of support for nursery education should help ensure that children are school ready.
• Education through play is an important part of children’s development.
• Health and safety concerns unreasonably limit what children are allowed to do, which restricts their development. Some of the “red tape” is to protect providers; schools receive complaints about one child accidentally bumping into another.

Issues for parents

• Nursery costs are around 50% higher than across England and 12% higher than in London.
• Nurseries are unaffordable for some families and a significant financial strain on others. Parents may have to give up work and there are cases of grandparents giving up work to help with childcare.
• Some parents are doing second jobs to pay for childcare, which limits the time they have for parenthood.
• Childcare costs are a particular problem for single parent families and also for recent arrivals into the Island who do not have the same family and friends’ networks.

The position of providers

• Although childcare costs in Jersey are high there is no evidence that providers are making unreasonable profits.
• Labour costs are between 65% and 70% of total costs. The increase in the living wage has had a direct effect. More generally, providers have to compete for staff with other sectors.
• The nature of the industry gives little scope for “efficiencies” as staffing levels can’t be reduced.

Key public policy points

• Current arrangements give no support to parents who prefer to care for their children themselves. In some countries, grandparents who look after children receive state support.
• The government is doing some work on minimum standards of income that people need. This will help make better-informed policy decisions. Difficult decisions will need to be made on taxation.
• The current financial model does not work.
• The cost of childcare provision has resulted in an informal market, with concerns about safeguarding.
• The rationale for the current proposal to provide 15 hours free nursery education for 2-3-year-olds is unclear. It seems that the starting point was the amount of money available rather than any assessment of need. At various times different rationales for the policy have been suggested including helping parents get into work, improving the welfare of children and reducing the financial pressure on parents. The official business case is that children’s welfare is the driver.
• At the least, 15 hours of free nursery care would reduce fees by perhaps £6,000. The cost to the government would be reduced as tax relief would be lower.
• 85% of children in the age category are already in nurseries; one view is that the 15 hours initiative could increase this to 95%.
• 15 hours seems illogical as there are no jobs for 15 hours a week and also provision for 15 hours by nurseries is not easy. 20 hours a week would be more logical.

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