Current status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 16 November 2021
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will report on the findings from the five pilot local authorities regarding extra funded childcare from 2021, and if so, whether it will include any feedback from parents who were able to automatically defer their child’s school start date.
The Scottish Government is commissioning an evaluation of the pilot approach to early learning and childcare (ELC) access for children who defer Primary 1. The evaluation research will include data collection with a sample of parents in pilot local authorities to explore their perceptions and experiences of the entitlement. We anticipate that full evaluation findings covering year 1 and 2 pilots will be published in spring 2023. Interim findings will be shared with the Deferral Working Group and published on the Scottish Government website.