England is one of the worst countries in Europe for childcare access while Scotland is one of the best, according to a world-first study by Victoria University (VU).
The landmark study International childcare: Mapping the deserts (available for download below) is released today in the UK following September’s childcare support expansion for eligible parents of children from nine months old.
The research has mapped childcare access for 10 million children across nine countries: England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Australia, France, Sweden, Norway, and the Netherlands. It is the first global study to track how and why countries are delivering childcare and the impact it has. At an international level, the research includes centre-based childcare and nursery data down to postcode level so families can get real-time data on childcare accessibility. In additional UK analysis, childminder data has also been included due to its public availability.
Lead researcher from VU’s Mitchell Institute said: “Right now, nations around the world are embarking on new policies designed to increase the supply and accessibility of childcare but, despite the intense policy focus, there are lots of gaps in our understanding. For the first time, we can not only look at the differences in care models but see – down to postcode level across the globe – how this is translating to access.
Access to childcare is important for many reasons. It impacts local communities, both in terms of jobs created and the participation of parents – especially women – in the workforce. The positive impact of accessible childcare helps families, employers, and the local economy.
England falls short of childcare accessibility while the Nordics lead the way
When looking at centre-based childcare and nurseries, about half of England (45%) is classified as a childcare desert. This equates to 1.4 million children and their families living in England with poor childcare accessibility.
Compared to other nations, England ranks 8th of the nine nations in the study with Norway, Sweden and Scotland making up the top three for best childcare accessibility. To make international comparisons, childminders were excluded from the international analysis in all countries because the data isn’t always available, but even with this caveat, accessibility in England is still lower than most other countries.
| Country | % Living in a childcare desert – excluding childminders |
|---|---|
| Norway | 6% |
| Sweden | 7% |
| Scotland | 10% (7% with childminders included) |
| Australia | 24% |
| The Netherlands | 25% |
| Wales | 27% (19% with childminders included) |
| Northern Ireland | 37% (23% with childminders included) |
| England | 45% (30% with childminders included) |
| France | 86% For children aged 3-5 years, the percentage drops to only 1% due to the country’s policy of compulsory pre-school childcare. |
[Get an showing accessibility by socioeconomic status in each nation.]
Explaining the disparities between nations, Associate Professor Peter Hurley said: “Policy impacts accessibility to childcare. The Victoria University research shows that when government approaches childcare more like school, such as the France pre-school model, or where there is government support for universal childcare such as in Norway, Sweden and Scotland, there is broadly more access and smaller childcare deserts. This model is also more likely to benefit lower socio-economic areas.”
How the UK nations compare
Even with the inclusion of childminder data for the UK, childcare accessibility in England remains the worst of the four nations with almost a third (30%) of the population still living in a childcare desert compared to just 7% in Scotland. Meanwhile, the percentage of people living in a childcare desert in Wales drops to 19%, and 23% in Northern Ireland.
| Country | % Living in a chlidcare desert – including childminders |
|---|---|
| Scotland | 7% |
| Wales | 19% |
| Northern Ireland | 23% |
| England | 30% |
Childcare accessibility in England: a story of inequality
The Victoria University research demonstrates huge disparities in childcare access across England.
Of the nine regions across England, the North West, London and the South East rank best for accessibility with the smallest number of people living in a childcare desert. Meanwhile, the West Midlands, Yorkshire & The Humber and the North East have the greatest number of people living in a childcare desert.
| Region | % of region in childcare desert | Average children per place |
|---|---|---|
| North West | 15.2% | 2.37 |
| London | 20.6% | 2.51 |
| South East | 27% | 2.49 |
| East Midlands | 30.5% | 2.57 |
| South West | 33.7% | 2.61 |
| East of England | 37.1% | 2.65 |
| North East | 37.6% | 2.75 |
| Yorkshire & The Humber | 40.0% | 2.74 |
| West Midlands | 45.4% | 2.85 |
However, it is differences within regions that are the most pronounced. Even within local authorities, there are big differences in childcare accessibility. Cambridge is the local authority with the best accessibility, with more than twice the accessibility of local authorities like Torridge, South Staffordshire and Walsall which have the lowest.
| Best accessibility – Local Authority | Children per place | Lowest accessibility – Local Authority | Children per place |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cambridge | 1.60 | Torridge | 3.84 |
| Rushcliffe | 1.84 | South Staffordshire | 3.77 |
| Chorley | 1.85 | Walsall | 3.70 |
| St Albans | 1.89 | Thurrock | 3.62 |
| South Kesteven | 1.90 | Broadland | 3.56 |
[Get an – Get the data for your Local Authority by clicking ‘download data’]
The research found that childcare accessibility is better in the wealthiest parts of the country, a trend correlating with wealthier areas of towns and cities too.
Childcare accessibility in the top 10% of advantaged neighbourhoods in England is 16% greater than in the 10% most deprived areas of England. This highlights a link between childcare accessibility and price. In areas of London, it is the most advantaged parts of the capital, like Kensington and Chelsea, Hammersmith and Fulham and Wandsworth that have the best childcare accessibility and also the highest fees. This suggests providers go where they can charge more with the possibility of greater profits.
Associate Professor Peter Hurley commented:
The disparity within the early learning sector across England tells a story of inequality, with affluent families living in wealthier parts of the country having access to a greater quantity of early year care. It is often the best parts of town that have the highest childcare accessibility.
“Our research shows that providers are incentivised to operate in the wealthiest parts of nations populated by families that can afford to pay higher fees for their children’s care.”
Next steps
Following the publication of the study, the Early Education and Childcare Coalition is calling on policymakers to prioritise access to early education and childcare support for the most disadvantaged families.
Sarah Ronan, Director of the Early Education and Childcare Coalition, commented: “Childcare deserts in England are predominantly found in areas of disadvantage, yet these are precisely the communities that would benefit from greater access. Yes, opportunity begins in the early years, but without fair access to early education, so does inequality. We need a strategy for addressing this coupled with a willingness by government to invest and reform.
“Our recent polling found that 67% of people think investing in early education and childcare is good for the whole country, not just parents. High-quality, affordable early education and childcare supports parents to work, local economies to thrive, and most importantly, ensures that children in the most disadvantaged communities have the same fair start in life as their better-off peers.
“We’re pleased that the new Labour government is committed to tackling this inequality, but the Victoria University data shows the scale of the challenge. If the Government is going to succeed in its mission, it will have to work closely with providers, families and local authorities to understand what is needed to make the local childcare market sustainable. We’ve got to make it viable for providers to operate in all areas – that means sustainable funding and a well-trained local workforce that will deliver quality for children, and availability for parents.”
Methodology
- Victoria University’s Mitchell Institute measured supply and demand of childcare places (day care centres and nurseries internationally, with the inclusion of childminders for the UK nations). For example, in England, there are about 1.06 million ‘places’ (supply) and 3 million children aged under 5 years (demand).
- Publicly available datasets (childcare registers, census data and Open Street Map) were used to make billions of calculations.
- These calculations measured the distance between 27,000 services and 180,000 English neighbourhoods (output areas). Catchment areas were set at around five miles (8 km) for urban locations and around 12 miles for rural locations, with a decay function to give extra weight to closer neighbourhoods.
- Travel surveys showed that childcare markets are very local.
- The process distributed the number of places available and produced a number that is a measure of relative accessibility.
- Research was conducted between 2023 and 2024.
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