Childcare Across the Political Parties: promises, progress, and what it means for you?

Childcare in England has rarely been out of the headlines in recent years, and for good reason. The cost, availability, and quality of childcare sits at the heart of many families' daily lives – affecting when parents can return to work, how much money they have in their pocket, and how children develop in those critical early years. So, whether you're a parent trying to navigate what you're entitled to, or simply someone keeping an eye on how government policy is shaping the early years landscape, this blog is for you.

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Where Things Stand: The Current Childcare Landscape in England

Before diving into what's been promised and what's been delivered, it's worth setting the scene. England's childcare system has been through a significant period of change. Government-funded childcare entitlements have expanded considerably, with working parents now able to access more funded hours than ever before for children from a much younger age. To read more about what childcare benefits are currently available to you, please see our previous Childcare Savings blog.

It's also worth noting that education and childcare is a devolved matter. This means that the policies discussed throughout this blog relate specifically to England. Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland each have their own childcare policies and entitlements, which operate separately from those set by the UK Government.

So, now let’s get into the specifics: what has the current government done since taking office and what have each of the main parties promised when it comes to childcare in England?

What Has the Labour Government Done Since Being Elected?

Labour came into power in July 2024 with childcare sitting firmly on the agenda. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson announced early years as her "number one priority", and a number of significant changes have taken place since then.

Expansion of Government-Funded Childcare Hours

One of the biggest developments has been the phased expansion of government-funded childcare hours. The previous Conservative government initiated the rollout of this benefit, and the current Labour government has continued with it. From September 2025, eligible working parents can now access 30 hours per week of funded childcare for children from 9 months old until they start school, covering 38 weeks of the year. This doubled the previous offer of 15 hours for under-twos, which had been in place since September 2024. The government estimates this could save eligible families up to £7,500 per year per child.

To be eligible for the 30-hour offer, parents (and their partner, if applicable) generally need to be working the equivalent of at least 16 hours per week at the National Living Wage, and neither parent can earn more than £100,000 adjusted net income. Official figures show that the number of children in England benefitting from funded childcare hours reached a record high of 1.7 million in January 2025 – a rise of 33% from January 2024.

It's important to be aware that, whilst the expansion has been broadly welcomed, there have been challenges. The House of Commons Library has noted that stakeholders, including the National Audit Office, highlighted the September 2025 phase as likely being more challenging to deliver than previous phases, with concerns about sufficient childcare places and workforce numbers.

New School-Based Nurseries

Labour's manifesto pledged to open 3,000 new nurseries by converting empty or unused classrooms in primary schools. Progress has been made, though the programme is still in its early stages. In October 2024, the government announced £15 million in funding for primary schools to bid for grants of up to £150,000 to convert empty classrooms into early years provision. By April 2025, the first 300 schools to receive funding were announced, with the government having doubled its investment to £37 million. As of September 2025, 189 of these new/expanded nurseries were opened, allowing for a further 4,000 nursery places available to parents.

A second phase followed, with a further 331 schools receiving a share of £45 million in funding. From May 2026, the programme has moved to a locally-led model, with councils, rather than individual schools, invited to propose plans for new nursery places, and provision not limited exclusively to school sites. The Spending Review 2025 committed £370 million over the next four years to support the continued creation of school-based nurseries.

Free Breakfast Clubs

Another focus of the current Labour government has been the introduction of free breakfast clubs in every state-funded primary school in England. A pilot programme involving 750 primary schools launched in April 2025, with the government describing it as a "test and learn" phase. Since April 2025, over 7 million breakfasts have been served through the early adopter scheme.

The national rollout began in April 2026, backed by an additional £80 million investment, with around 2,000 more schools coming on board between April 2026 and March 2027. As of April 2026, free breakfast clubs are operating in approximately 1,250 schools, covering more than 300,000 children. The full national rollout to all primary schools in England is planned to happen "in due course", though a specific timeline has yet to be confirmed by the Department for Education. The legislation underpinning the programme is contained in the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill, which is progressing through Parliament.

Each school receives a £1,000 start-up grant, along with £25 per day for fixed costs and £1 per pupil attending. Schools in the top 40% most deprived areas (by free school meal rates) were prioritised for early entry into the national rollout.

It's worth noting that some concerns have been raised about the level of funding. School leaders' union NAHT has indicated that initial feedback from schools in the pilot suggests the funding may not be sufficient, and the IFS estimated in 2024 that the projected £315 million may not be enough depending on uptake and delivery model chosen.

What Has Each Party Promised: A summary of their most recent manifestos

Labour's manifesto centred on expanding early years provision and supporting parents back into work. The key pledges, many of which are now being acted upon as described above, were:

• Opening new nursery classes in primary schools (with a target of 3,000 school-based nurseries)

• A focus on improving the quality of childcare

• Supporting parents to re-enter the workforce through more affordable, accessible childcare options

• Introducing free breakfast clubs in every primary school in England

The Conservatives' manifesto focused on continuing and completing the childcare expansion that had begun under their government, alongside supporting wraparound provisions. Their pledges included:

• Continuing to support up to 30 hours of free childcare per week for eligible working parents of children from 9 months old

• Delivering a Family Hub in every local authority in England to provide joined-up support for families

• Investing £300 million so that all parents can access wraparound childcare (before and after school)

The Liberal Democrats had a particular focus on childcare quality, staff, and supporting disadvantaged families. Their key pledges included:

• Supporting nursery staff to hold, or be working towards, an Early Years qualification

• Ensuring providers have the funding they need to deliver high-quality childcare by reviewing the rates paid to providers to ensure they genuinely reflect the cost of delivery

• A particular focus on identifying and supporting children with SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities), including additional funding

• Giving disadvantaged children aged 3-4 years an additional five funded hours per week

The Green Party's approach placed a strong emphasis on quality of provision, play-based learning, and a more generous hours entitlement. Their key pledges were:

• Ensuring nurseries focus on play and supporting children to explore the world safely

• Extending the current 30-hour per week free childcare offer for children from 9 months to 35 hours per week

• Investing £1.4 billion a year to reinvest in Sure Start centres – community hubs that offered integrated health, education, and family support for young children, before significant funding cuts reduced their numbers from the 2010s onwards

Reform UK's approach differed from the other parties, with a focus on reducing financial pressure on families and enabling greater parental choice, rather than expanding state-funded childcare provision. Their key pledges were:

• Aspiring to front-load childcare benefits for children aged 1-4 years (shifting support towards the earliest years)

• Focusing on allowing parents to spend more time with their children

• Reducing the financial pressure that prevents people from starting families

What Does This All Mean for Families?

The last year or so has seen genuinely significant changes to childcare provision in England, particularly the doubling of funded hours for working parents with children under 2 years of age. The question of whether the funding rates paid to providers are sufficient to sustain quality provision is one that remains live, and one that researchers, sector bodies, and providers themselves are continuing to raise.

For parents, the most important thing is to know what you're currently entitled to. If you are a working parent with a child aged 9 months or older in England, you may well be eligible for up to 30 hours of government-funded childcare per week. To read more about what childcare support you may be entitled through from the government, please see our previous Childcare Savings blog.

For children at primary school age, it's worth keeping an eye on whether your child's school is part of the free breakfast club rollout – and if they aren't yet, they may well be over the coming year.

Take home message… 

Childcare policy in England is an area where a great deal is happening all at once. The current Labour government has been taking steps to deliver on its election pledges – from expanding funded hours to opening new school-based nurseries and rolling out free breakfast clubs. At the same time, the opposition parties each bring their own distinct priorities to the table, from the Conservatives' focus on wraparound care and Family Hubs, to the Liberal Democrats' emphasis on workforce quality and SEND support, the Greens' play-based approach and Sure Start investment, and Reform's focus on family finances and parental choice.

Whatever your political view, what’s clear is that childcare is firmly on the agenda across all of the main parties – and that can only be a good thing for the families and children at the heart of it all.

All information in this blog reflects publicly available policy commitments and government announcements. For the most up-to-date guidance on what you are entitled to, always refer to official government sources.

Who are we...

At Workplace Nursery we help parents, nurseries, and employers to set-up and maintain the Workplace Nursery Benefit (WPN). This a government initiative that encourages employers to partner with local nurseries, allowing nursery fees to be deducted from employees' pre-tax salaries.

Through this salary sacrifice arrangement, working parents can save up to 41% on childcare costs, depending on their tax bracket. For an employer the benefit is cost neutral. The saving the employer makes in employer NIC is paid to the nursery to fund upkeep and improvements.

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About the author: Dr Alice Cousins

Alice is our Marketing Executive and also a developmental psychologist. She has a PhD in developmental psychology form the University of Birmingham. Working with the Birmingham BabyLab, her research explored how babies develop a sense of self-awareness, creating and using a new virtual reality system to do so.