Last year, the States approved 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, under cost-cutting measures.
The move would have meant that some parents would lose their entitlement to free nursery education hours.
However, during Monday’s States sitting, Education Minister Rod Bryans confirmed that his department would be scrapping those plans following an independent review of Early Years education.
The completed report has not yet been released, although the minister said that a draft version had been passed to him.
He added that he was reluctant to provide too many details at this stage but said ‘the report recommends that we withdraw the proposals to means-test nursery places’.
He added that he will be bringing a proposition as soon as possible, when he would ‘explain this’.
Deputy Bryans said he was now ‘looking for a solution which puts children first’ and that he needed to speak to both the Treasury Department and officials within his own department before formally bringing forward new proposals to save money.
The news has been welcomed by the Education and Home Affairs Scrutiny Panel, who had previously recommended the withdrawal of the proposals over a year ago.
Panel chairwoman Deputy Louise Doublet said: ‘The panel published its report on the proposals in June 2016 and put forward the overriding recommendation that:
“The Minister for Education should withdraw this proposal completely until there has been consultation, full impact assessments and evidence of connectivity with other financial policies, such as tax thresholds, within the States.”
‘The panel is pleased that the minister has taken this into account.
‘The panel is concerned that significant savings were attached to this section of the Medium Term Financial Plan, and would reiterate its view that funding for education should not be reduced, and no savings should be identified from any other areas within education.’
