The Education Department has announced today that the introduction of means-testing for free nursery education will be postponed for one year so that two administrative systems can be put in place to handle the extra work that is required to deal with the proposal.
The announcement follows a decision by the States earlier this year to approve means-testing of the government’s nursery grant, under which £3,914 per child is paid to private nurseries to provide 20 hours a week of free nursery education during term time for one year. The States also decided that parents who use nursery classes in States primary schools should be means-tested as well.
Education Minister Rod Bryans said:’It has become clear that adding school nurseries makes the implementation of means-testing more complicated because it involves two separate systems of administration. I have decided to delay the introduction for one year because of the extra work required and to allow for consultation with head teachers.’
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