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Funded hours expansion implemented successfully, evaluation suggests

The evaluation, published by the Department for Education, also points to capacity pressures, widespread additional charges and demanding administration for some providers.

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Hubba TrainingOfficial sources

Published 24 September 20262 min read

At a glance

providers reporting at least one additional charge

An evaluation published by the Department for Education suggests the funded hours expansion was implemented successfully at scale.
Just under six in ten providers (57%) agreed they had been able to meet demand.
In all, 67% of providers reported at least one additional charge, and 34% at least one mandatory charge.

The expansion of funded childcare for working parents has been implemented successfully at scale, an evaluation published by the Department for Education (DfE) suggests.

The process evaluation, by IFF Research, looked at the rollout in England of up to 30 funded hours a week for eligible working families with children from 9 months old.

The DfE also published a survey of parents' experiences during the earlier 15-hour phase.

Take-up and providers

In autumn 2025, 585,708 parents had a code issued for children aged 9 months to 2 years. Of these codes, 95% were validated by a provider.

Just under three quarters of providers surveyed (73%) either offered the expanded entitlement or had children using it.

Providers were less confident than local authorities about meeting demand. Just under six in ten providers (57%) agreed they had been able to meet demand, while 29% disagreed.

Providers described the administration as demanding, particularly smaller providers and childminders.

Restrictions and charges

Nearly two thirds of providers (63%) applied at least one restriction. The most common were limiting funded hours to term time and requiring parents to buy additional hours.

Additional charges were widespread, the report says. In all, 67% of providers reported at least one additional charge, and 34% reported at least one mandatory charge.

The report says this is in spite of policy guidance stating that providers cannot charge mandatory costs associated with entitlement hours.

A small minority of providers (11%) said they had reduced places for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), most often because of insufficient funding to meet additional needs.

What parents said

The parent survey report draws mainly on three surveys carried out between October 2024 and August 2025, before the 30-hour entitlement began. Around 80% of parents found the application process easy to follow.

Waiting lists were a challenge for around 26% of parents who claimed the entitlement. Just under half (45%) saw their childcare costs as affordable.

The survey report says its results do not reflect experiences under the current policy arrangements.

For your setting

What this means for your setting

0 of 3 done

You may want to review any charges linked to funded hours, as the report notes guidance says providers cannot charge mandatory costs associated with entitlement hours.
Parents often misunderstood when their entitlement starts and how 30 hours work across 38 weeks, so clear explanations from you may help families plan.
Parents often needed to plan childcare well in advance, so you may want to give families clear information about waiting lists and start dates.

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Does this apply in Scotland? This research covers funded childcare in England only.

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Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Licence.

At a glance

providers reporting at least one additional charge

An evaluation published by the Department for Education suggests the funded hours expansion was implemented successfully at scale.
Just under six in ten providers (57%) agreed they had been able to meet demand.
In all, 67% of providers reported at least one additional charge, and 34% at least one mandatory charge.