North Tyneside childcare sufficiency statement

30 hours of free childcare is available to eligible working families of 3 and 4 year olds in England.  Eligible working families receive an additional 15 hours, alongside the universal entitlement.  This section assesses the North Tyneside childcare market’s ability to meet parental demand for the 30 hour entitlement by considering the number providers, and places, their quality and location.

Number of Children Accessing the Working Families Entitlement for 3 and 4 Year Olds

The table below shows the number of children accessing their extended 3 and 4 year old entitlement at the January census, in the years 2019 to 2024.

The number of children accessing their extended 3 & 4 year old offer in 2024 was 1667.  This is a reduction from the very high number in 2023.

Percentage of Children Accessing Their Extended 3&4 Year Old Entitlement by Ofsted Grade of Provider (2023 Census) 

Parents and carers want to access the extended entitlement in high quality provision.  The table below shows the breakdown of children attending extended 3 & 4 year old entitlement places by the provider’s Ofsted rating. 

Almost all children access their extended 3 and 4 year old entitlement in provision rated ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted.  North Tyneside has sufficient high quality childcare to meet the needs of children accessing their extended 3 and 4 year old entitlement.  The percentage of children accessing the extended element of the 30 hour entitlement in outstanding settings has declined from 44% in 2019 to 26% in 2024.   

The table below shows how North Tyneside compares to the England and North East, for the percentage of children accessing their extended 3&4 year old entitlement by Ofsted rating. 

North Tyneside is broadly in line with the North East average for children accessing places in ‘Good and Outstanding’ provision.  The borough has a high proportion in outstanding settings.