Parents' views and use of early learning and childcare: report 2017

Likely future use of 1140 hours

This section considers whether parents would hypothetically use the 1140 hours expanded entitlement.

As discussed earlier (see " Accessibility of ELC"), the majority of parents with eligible children were aware of the planned expansion in entitlement. Around three quarters had heard of the expansion, although only around half of those with eligible children were "definitely" aware.

A large majority (90%) of those with an eligible child said they would use at least some of the additional hours if the expanded entitlement were available now (and offered the flexibility required). Most would use all or almost all of the 1140 hours (75% of those with eligible children); 75% of parents stated they would use the full entitlement for a 3 or 4-year-old, compared to 67% for a 2-year-old.

There remained 10% of parents with eligible children who would not expect to use any additional hours over the current 600 entitlement, even if the full 1140 were available and they were able to find suitable provision. Parents were more likely to indicate this for a 2-year-old (18%).

Figure 24: Likely future uptake of expanded entitlement

Motivations for using expanded entitlement

Survey data showed some variation in the extent to which parents would use the expanded entitlement – although the majority across all key groups would use at least some of the additional hours. Regression analysis has been used to identify the factors that have the greatest impact on parents' likely future uptake of the 1140 hours.

Results showed that the number of hours used, whether and how much parents pay for ELC, and the mix of funded/paid/informal ELC used have the closest correlation with parents' expected uptake of the 1140 hours. In particular, the groups most likely to intend to use the full expanded entitlement were those currently using more hours of ELC per week, those currently spending £100 or more per month on ELC, and those currently using paid and/or informal ELC. These findings and other key drivers are displayed at Figure 25.

Figure 25: Key drivers of future uptake of expanded hours (all parents)

The minority of parents who would not expect to use all or almost all of the 1140 hours were also asked about any factors that might prevent them from making use of the full entitlement. The most common reasons selected are that their child would not be ready for additional hours, a preference to look after their child at home, a view that additional hours would not be good for their child's wellbeing and development, and not having any need for additional hours of ELC.

Figure 26: Reasons for not planning to use additional hours
(parent with eligible children who do not expect to use any additional hours)

Note: Parents could select multiple options.

Views and experiences across parent groups

The research identified some significant variation across parent groups in whether parents would use the 1140 hours expanded entitlement.

This variation primarily related to income, deprivation and whether parents pay for ELC. For example single earners were less likely to expect to use the full 1140 expanded hours, and those who pay for ELC were more likely to expect to use the full expanded entitlement.

Below we summarise the main variations across parent groups, highlighting where parents were significantly more or less likely than those in other parent groups to give a specific response.