Reporting year 2021

Education provision: children under 5 years of age

Data guidance

Published

Description

This document describes the data included in the ‘Education Provision: children under 5 years of age in England, January 2021’ National Statistics release’s underlying data files. 

This data is released under the terms of the Open Government Licence (opens in a new tab) and is intended to meet at least 3 stars for Open Data (opens in a new tab)

The early years census guidance (opens in a new tab) and the school census guidance (opens in a new tab) here should be referenced alongside this data. They provide information on the data sources, their coverage and quality as well as explaining methodology used in producing the data.

Coverage

This release provides the latest information on provision of education for children under 5 in the maintained, private, voluntary and independent sectors in England: 

It includes information on: 

  • The number of 2-, 3- and 4-year-olds benefiting from some funded early education places by type of provider and local authority; 
  • The number of 3- and 4-year-olds benefiting from extended funded early education places by type of provider and local authority; 
  • Local authority rates for numbers benefiting as a proportion of the population for 3- and 4- year-olds and as a proportion of the eligible population for 2-year-olds; 
  • The proportion of 2-, 3- and 4-year-olds in funded early education by number of funded hours received; 
  • The number of 3- and 4-year-olds benefiting from some funded early education by reason for claiming early years pupil premium; 
  • The number of 2-, 3- and 4-year-olds benefiting from some funded early education by Ofsted inspection rating; 
  • The number and percentage of early years staff at private, voluntary and independent providers, by highest qualification;
  • The number and percentage of private, voluntary and independent providers and children benefiting at private, voluntary and independent providers, with staff with graduate status; 

The information is based on pupil level data collected via the early years census, school census and the school level annual school census. 

The underlying data files include national, regional and local authority level information for the position during census week in January for years 2018 to 2021.

File formats and conventions

Files with “National” at the beginning of the section title only cover national level aggregate data. Those without “National” at the beginning of the section title also cover region and local authority level geographic data. 

All files cover 2018-2021 with the exception of National Percentage Take-Up by Age (2011 to 2021) which provides a longer time series.

 

Where is it decided disclosure control is necessary to protect confidentiality, symbols are used in the underlying data files as follows: 

c below 6 

0 the original figure submitted was zero 

. data not applicable 

.. data not available 

- represents less than 0.5%

Data files

All data files associated with this releases are listed below with guidance on their content. To download any of these files, please visit our data catalogue.

National Number of Children by Early Years Pupil Premium Funding Basis (2018 to 2021)

Filename
6a_early_years_provision_children_pupil_premium_basis_national_2018_2021.csv
Geographic levels
National
Time period
2018 to 2021
Content

The reason for children being in receipt of Early Years Pupil Premium nationally. 

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable nameVariable description
3_4_year_olds_%Per cent of 3 and 4 year olds in receipt of pupil premium registered
3_year_olds_%Per cent of 3 year olds in receipt of pupil premium registered
4_year_olds_%Per cent of 4 year olds in receipt of pupil premium registered
entitlement_typeFunded entitlement
number_3_4_year_oldsNumber of 3 and 4 year olds in receipt of pupil premium registered
number_3_year_oldsNumber of 3 year olds in receipt of pupil premium registered
number_4_year_oldsNumber of 4 year olds in receipt of pupil premium registered
pupil_premiumType of pupil premium - Select type of premium: for example economic criteria
Footnotes
  1. The majority of 4-year-olds are in infant classes in primary schools. These receive the school-age pupil premium rather than the early years pupil premium.
  2. "Other" includes children eligible due to being in care or due to leaving care through adoption, a special guardianship order or a child arrangement order.
  3. 2021 is the first year of data covering COVID-19, collected during January's national lockdown. A higher proportion of children recorded as registered to receive early education entitlements will have been temporarily absent during census week itself than previous years.

National Number of Providers by Provider Type (sub-categories) and Children's Age (2018 to 2021)

Filename
3a_early-years_provision_provider_type_national_2018_to_2021.csv
Geographic levels
National
Time period
2018 to 2021
Content

The number of providers of each provider type, presented nationally to allow smaller breakdowns in provider type. 

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable nameVariable description
entitlement_typeType of entitlement: funded or extended - Select type of entitlement: funded or extended
number_children_2Number of two year olds registered
number_children_34Number of three and four year olds registered
number_providers_2Number of providers delivering education for 2 year olds
number_providers_34Number of providers delivering education for 3 and 4 year olds
type_of_providerType of provider - Select type of provider: for example Childminders
Footnotes
  1. Children who split their entitlement across more than one Private, Voluntary or Independent provider are only counted at the provider where they spend the majority of their time.
  2. Since 2019, a data cleaning exercise with local authorities has improved data quality. Provider types are now more accurately recorded and caution should be taken when comparing across time.
  3. 2021 is the first year of data covering COVID-19, collected during January's national lockdown. Open providers, or providers closed due to government guidance, made census returns relating to registered children's "expected attendance" in census week. Further information is available in the methodology.

National Percentage Take-Up By Age (2011 to 2021)

Filename
percentage_take_up_national_2011_2021_corrected.csv
Geographic levels
National
Time period
2011 to 2021
Content

National time series of take-up amongst eligible two-year olds from 2015, and amongst three- and four-year-olds of the universal entitlement from 2011. 

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable nameVariable description
%_of_2yo_registeredPercentage of eligible 2-year-olds registered
%_of_3_&_4_yo_registeredPercentage of 3 and 4-year-olds registered
%_of_3yo_registeredPercentage of 3-year-olds registered
%_of_4yo_registeredPercentage of 4-year-olds registered
Footnotes
  1. Children who split their entitlement across more than one Private, Voluntary or Independent provider are only counted at the provider where they spend the majority of their time.
  2. The estimated number of eligible two-year-olds children is derived from data supplied by the Department for Work and Pensions each November. It represents the best data available on the number of children meeting the benefit and tax credit eligibility criteria. Since 2019 it includes universal credit recipients. Caution should be exercised when comparing across time and/or local authorities.
  3. Population estimates of three and four-year-olds are revised annually. Take-up rates may differ from previously published figures.
  4. 2021 is the first year of data covering COVID-19, collected during January's national lockdown. A higher proportion of children recorded as registered to receive early education entitlements will have been temporarily absent during census week itself than previous years.

Number of Children by Early Years Pupil Premium Status (2018 to 2021)

Filename
6b_early_years_provision_children_pupil_premium_2018_2021.csv
Geographic levels
Local authority; National; Regional
Time period
2018 to 2021
Content

Number of children with and without receipt of Early Years Pupil Premium.

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable nameVariable description
entitlement_typeFunded entitlement
number_3_4_year_olds_ppNumber of 3 and 4 year olds in receipt of pupil premium benefiting
number_3_year_olds_ppNumber of 3 year olds in receipt of pupil premium benefiting
number_4_year_olds_ppNumber of 4 year olds in receipt of pupil premium benefiting
Footnotes
  1. The majority of 4-year-olds are in infant classes in primary schools. These receive the school-age pupil premium rather than the early years pupil premium.
  2. 2021 is the first year of data covering COVID-19, collected during January's national lockdown. A higher proportion of children recorded as registered to receive early education entitlements will have been temporarily absent during census week itself than previous years.

Number of Children by Ethnicity and Age (2018 to 2021)

Filename
9_early_years_provision_ethnicity_2018_to_2021_.csv
Geographic levels
Local authority; National; Regional
Time period
2018 to 2021
Content

Number of children in receipt of funded early education entitlements of each ethnicity, as reported on their census return.

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable nameVariable description
characteristic_typeCharacteristic type - Select type of characteristic: example white
entitlement_typeType of entitlement: funded or extended - Select type of entitlement: funded or extended
number_2_year_oldsNumber of two year olds registered
number_3_4_year_oldsNumber of three and four year olds registered
Footnotes
  1. "Other" includes Chinese children.
  2. Unclassified - child's ethnicity was refused or not obtained. These are included in the 'Total' numbers.
  3. 2021 is the first year of data covering COVID-19, collected during January's national lockdown. A higher proportion of children recorded as registered to receive early education entitlements will have been temporarily absent during census week itself than previous years.

Number of Children by Special Educational Needs (SEN) status and Age (2018 to 2021)

Filename
5_early_years_provision_sen_2018_to_2021_.csv
Geographic levels
Local authority; National; Regional
Time period
2018 to 2021
Content

The number of children in receipt of Education Health and Care Plans, and/or in receipt of SEN support.

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable nameVariable description
2_year_olds_%Per cent of two year olds registered
3_4_year_olds_%Per cent of three and four year olds registered
characteristic_typeCharacteristic type - Select type of SEN characteristic: example SEN support
entitlement_typeType of entitlement: funded or extended - Select type of entitlement: funded or extended
number_2_year_oldsNumber of two year olds registered
number_3_4_year_oldsNumber of three and four year olds registered
Footnotes
  1. 2021 is the first year of data covering COVID-19, collected during January's national lockdown. A higher proportion of children recorded as registered to receive early education entitlements will have been temporarily absent during census week itself than previous years.

Number of Children Registered by Age and Provider Type (2018 to 2021)

Filename
1a_children_registered_by_age_and_provider_type_2018_to_2021.csv
Geographic levels
Local authority; National; Regional
Time period
2018 to 2021
Content

Number of children registered to receive funded entitlements by provider type. 

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable nameVariable description
entitlement_typeType of entitlement: funded or extended - Select type of entitlement: funded or extended
number_of_2_year_oldsNumber of two year olds registered
number_of_3_4_year_oldsNumber of three and four year olds registered
number_of_3_year_oldsNumber of three year olds registered
number_of_4_year_oldsNumber of four year olds registered
provider_typeType of provider - Select type of provider: for example Childminders
Footnotes
  1. Children who split their entitlement across more than one Private, Voluntary or Independent provider are only counted at the provider where they spend the majority of their time.
  2. “Maintained Nursery and State-funded primary schools" are a combination of the "Infant classes in primary schools", "Nursery classes in primary schools" and "Nursery schools" sub-groups.
  3. Infant classes in primary schools include other classes not designated as nursery classes. For four-year-olds, this will mostly be reception classes.
  4. 2021 is the first year of data covering COVID-19, collected during January's national lockdown. A higher proportion of children recorded as registered to receive early education entitlements will have been temporarily absent during census week itself than previous years.

Number of Children Registered by Local Authority District (2020 to 2021)

Filename
10_early_years_provision_lad_2020_2021.csv
Geographic levels
Local authority; Local authority district; National; Regional
Time period
2020 to 2021
Content

The number of children registered to receive funded entitlements by Local Authority District.

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable nameVariable description
no_3_4_reg_ext_dnmNumber of three and four year olds registered to receive extended funded early education at a provider with an Ofsted inspection rating of did not match
no_3_4_reg_ext_goodNumber of three and four year olds registered to receive extended funded early education at a provider with an Ofsted inspection rating of good
no_3_4_reg_ext_inadequateNumber of three and four year olds registered to receive extended funded early education at a provider with an Ofsted inspection rating of inadequate
no_3_4_reg_ext_outstandingNumber of three and four year olds registered to receive extended funded early education at a provider with an Ofsted inspection rating of outstanding
no_3_4_reg_ext_satisfactoryNumber of three and four year olds registered to receive extended funded early education at a provider with an Ofsted inspection rating of satisfactory
no_3_4_reg_uni_dnmNumber of three and four year olds registered to receive funded early education at a provider with an Ofsted inspection rating of did not match
no_3_4_reg_uni_goodNumber of three and four year olds registered to receive funded early education at a provider with an Ofsted inspection rating of good
no_3_4_reg_uni_inadequateNumber of three and four year olds registered to receive funded early education at a provider with an Ofsted inspection rating of inadequate
no_3_4_reg_uni_outstandingNumber of three and four year olds registered to receive funded early education at a provider with an Ofsted inspection rating of outstanding
no_3_4_reg_uni_satisfactoryNumber of three and four year olds registered to receive funded early education at a provider with an Ofsted inspection rating of satisfactory
no2_regNumber of two year olds registered to receive funded early education
no2_reg_dnmNumber of two year olds registered to receive funded early education at a provider with an Ofsted inspection rating of did not match
no2_reg_ecoNumber of two year olds who met the economic basis for funding criteria registered to receive funded early education
no2_reg_eco_dnmNumber of two year olds who met the economic basis for funding criteria registered to receive funded early education at a provider with an Ofsted inspection rating of did not match
no2_reg_eco_goodNumber of two year olds who met the economic basis for funding criteria registered to receive funded early education at a provider with an Ofsted inspection rating of good
no2_reg_eco_inadequateNumber of two year olds who met the economic basis for funding criteria registered to receive funded early education at a provider with an Ofsted inspection rating of inadequate
no2_reg_eco_outstandingNumber of two year olds who met the economic basis for funding criteria registered to receive funded early education at a provider with an Ofsted inspection rating of outstanding
no2_reg_eco_satisfactoryNumber of two year olds who met the economic basis for funding criteria registered to receive funded early education at a provider with an Ofsted inspection rating of satisfactory
no2_reg_goodNumber of two year olds registered to receive funded early education at a provider with an Ofsted inspection rating of good
no2_reg_hsdNumber of two year olds who met the high-level SEN or disability basis for funding criteria registered to receive funded early education
no2_reg_hsd_dnmNumber of two year olds who met the high-level SEN or disability basis for funding criteria registered to receive funded early education at a provider with an Ofsted inspection rating of did not match
no2_reg_hsd_goodNumber of two year olds who met the high-level SEN or disability basis for funding criteria registered to receive funded early education at a provider with an Ofsted inspection rating of good
no2_reg_hsd_inadequateNumber of two year olds who met the high-level SEN or disability basis for funding criteria registered to receive funded early education at a provider with an Ofsted inspection rating of inadequate
no2_reg_hsd_outstandingNumber of two year olds who met the high-level SEN or disability basis for funding criteria registered to receive funded early education at a provider with an Ofsted inspection rating of outstanding
no2_reg_hsd_satisfactoryNumber of two year olds who met the high-level SEN or disability basis for funding criteria registered to receive funded early education at a provider with an Ofsted inspection rating of satisfactory
no2_reg_inadequateNumber of two year olds registered to receive funded early education at a provider with an Ofsted inspection rating of inadequate
no2_reg_laaNumber of two year olds who met the looked after or adopted from care basis for funding criteria registered to receive funded early education
no2_reg_laa_dnmNumber of two year olds who met the looked after or adopted from care basis for funding criteria registered to receive funded early education at a provider with an Ofsted inspection rating of did not match
no2_reg_laa_goodNumber of two year olds who met the looked after or adopted from care basis for funding criteria registered to receive funded early education at a provider with an Ofsted inspection rating of good
no2_reg_laa_inadequateNumber of two year olds who met the looked after or adopted from care basis for funding criteria registered to receive funded early education at a provider with an Ofsted inspection rating of inadequate
no2_reg_laa_outstandingNumber of two year olds who met the looked after or adopted from care basis for funding criteria registered to receive funded early education at a provider with an Ofsted inspection rating of outstanding
no2_reg_laa_satisfactoryNumber of two year olds who met the looked after or adopted from care basis for funding criteria registered to receive funded early education at a provider with an Ofsted inspection rating of satisfactory
no2_reg_outstandingNumber of two year olds registered to receive funded early education at a provider with an Ofsted inspection rating of outstanding
no2_reg_satisfactoryNumber of two year olds registered to receive funded early education at a provider with an Ofsted inspection rating of satisfactory
no3_4_reg_extNumber of three and four year olds registered to receive extended funded early education
no3_4_reg_uniNumber of three and four year olds registered to receive funded early education
no3_4_reg_uni_eyppNumber of three and four year olds in receipt of early years pupil premium (EYPP) registered to receive funded early education
no3_4_reg_uni_eypp_bothNumber of three and four year olds in receipt of early years pupil premium (EYPP) for both reasons registered to receive funded early education
no3_4_reg_uni_eypp_dnmNumber of three and four year olds in receipt of early years pupil premium (EYPP) registered to receive funded early education at a provider with an Ofsted rating of did not match
no3_4_reg_uni_eypp_ecoNumber of three and four year olds in receipt of early years pupil premium (EYPP) for economic reasons registered to receive funded early education
no3_4_reg_uni_eypp_goodNumber of three and four year olds in receipt of early years pupil premium (EYPP) registered to receive funded early education at a provider with an Ofsted rating of good
no3_4_reg_uni_eypp_inadequateNumber of three and four year olds in receipt of early years pupil premium (EYPP) registered to receive funded early education at a provider with an Ofsted rating of inadequate
no3_4_reg_uni_eypp_othNumber of three and four year olds in receipt of early years pupil premium (EYPP) due to being in care or due to leaving care through adoption, a special guardianship order or a child arrangement order registered to receive funded early education
no3_4_reg_uni_eypp_outstandingNumber of three and four year olds in receipt of early years pupil premium (EYPP) registered to receive funded early education at a provider with an Ofsted rating of outstanding
no3_4_reg_uni_eypp_satisfactoryNumber of three and four year olds in receipt of early years pupil premium (EYPP) registered to receive funded early education at a provider with an Ofsted rating of satisfactory
no3_4_reg_uni_eypp_unkNumber of three and four year olds in receipt of early years pupil premium (EYPP) for unknown reasons registered to receive funded early education
Footnotes
  1. A 2-year-old can be counted under more than one basis for funding if more than one applies.
  2. Statutory guidance advises local authorities not to fund 'Requires Improvement' or 'Inadequate' provision for eligible two-year-olds unless sufficient, accessible ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ provision is not available.
  3. "No Match" includes registered independent schools who are not required to register with Ofsted and academy converters who have not yet been inspected under their new status. These are included as a proportion of the "Total" numbers, based on the total number of children receiving funding.
  4. 2021 is the first year of data covering COVID-19, collected during January's national lockdown. Open providers, or providers closed due to government guidance, made census returns relating to registered children's "expected attendance" in census week. Further information is available in the methodology.
  5. 2021 is the first year of data covering COVID-19, collected during January's national lockdown. A higher proportion of children recorded as registered to receive early education entitlements will have been temporarily absent during census week itself than previous years.

Number of Providers by Provider Type and Children's Age (2018 to 2021)

Filename
3_early_years_provision_provider_type_2018_to_2021.csv
Geographic levels
Local authority; National; Regional
Time period
2018 to 2021
Content

Number of providers of funded entitlements by provider type (e.g., childminders). 

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable nameVariable description
entitlement_typeType of entitlement: funded or extended - Select type of entitlement: funded or extended
number_providers_2Number of providers delivering education for 2 year olds
number_providers_34Number of providers delivering education for 3 and 4 year olds
provider_typeType of provider - Select type of provider: for example Childminders
Footnotes
  1. “Maintained Nursery and State-funded primary schools" are a combination of the "Primary schools with nursery classes", "Primary schools without nursery classes", "Nursery and infant classes in primary schools" and "Maintained Nursery schools" sub-groups.
  2. 2021 is the first year of data covering COVID-19, collected during January's national lockdown. Open providers, or providers closed due to government guidance, made census returns relating to registered children's "expected attendance" in census week. Further information is available in the methodology.

Number of Two-Year-Olds by Basis for Funding (2018 to 2021)

Filename
8_early_years_provision_basis_for_funding_2018_to_2021.csv
Geographic levels
Local authority; National; Regional
Time period
2018 to 2021
Content

The basis on which a 2- year-old has been funded for an early education place

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable nameVariable description
basis_for_fundingBasis for funding - Select basis for funding: for example Economic criteria
entitlement_typeFunded entitement
number_2_year_oldsNumber of two year olds registered
Footnotes
  1. A 2-year-old can be counted under more than one basis for funding if more than one applies.
  2. 2021 is the first year of data covering COVID-19, collected during January's national lockdown. A higher proportion of children recorded as registered to receive early education entitlements will have been temporarily absent during census week itself than previous years.

Percentage and Number of Children By Hours Per Week (Banded) (2018 to 2021)

Filename
2_early_years_provision_banded_hours_2018_to_2021.csv
Geographic levels
Local authority; National; Regional
Time period
2018 to 2021
Content

The proportion of children in funded early education by number of funded hours received.

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable nameVariable description
entitlement_typeType of entitlement: funded or extended - Select type of entitlement: funded or extended
funded_hoursFunded hours band - Select funded hours band: for example 10.01 to 12.50 hours
percent_hours_2_yearoldsPer cent of two year olds benefiting
percent_hours_3_yearoldsPer cent of three year olds benefiting
percent_hours_4_yearoldsPer cent of four year olds benefiting
provider_typeType of provider - Select type of provider: for example Childminders
Footnotes
  1. The percentages across all banded hours sum to 100%, although this may not be exact due to rounding.
  2. Where a child takes their annual extended entitlement flexibly over more than the standard 38 weeks of term-time, the extended hours recorded in census week may overestimate the actual hours taken in a term-time week e.g. a child recorded as 15 hours during census week may in fact be using their full entitlement stretched at 12 weekly hours over more than 38 weeks.
  3. Any child attending more than one provider may have been counted twice.
  4. 2021 is the first year of data covering COVID-19, collected during January's national lockdown. A higher proportion of children recorded as registered to receive early education entitlements will have been temporarily absent during census week itself than previous years.
  5. Where a child takes their annual funded entitlement flexibly over more than the standard 38 weeks of term-time, the funded hours recorded in census week may underestimate the actual proportion of the entitlement taken annually e.g. a child funded for 12 hours during census week may in fact be taking up the fully funded place over more than 38 weeks.

Percentage and Number of Providers and Children by Ofsted Rating (2018 to 2021)

Filename
4_early_years_provision_ofsted_ratings_2018_to_2021.csv
Geographic levels
Local authority; National; Regional
Time period
2018 to 2021
Content

The number of children benefiting from some funded early education by Ofsted inspection rating. 

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable nameVariable description
2_year_olds_%Percent of two year olds registered
3_4_year_olds_%Per cent of three and four year olds registered
entitlement_typeType of entitlement: funded or extended - Select type of entitlement: funded or extended
number_2_year_oldsNumber of two year olds registered
number_3_4_year_oldsNumber of three and four year olds registered
ofsted_inspectionOfsted inspection rating - Select Ofsted inspection rating: for example Ofsted inspection rating - Good
Footnotes
  1. Statutory guidance advises local authorities not to fund 'Requires Improvement' or 'Inadequate' provision for eligible two-year-olds unless sufficient, accessible ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ provision is not available.
  2. "No Match" includes registered independent schools who are not required to register with Ofsted and academy converters who have not yet been inspected under their new status. These are included as a proportion of the "Total" numbers, based on the total number of children receiving funding.
  3. 2021 is the first year of data covering COVID-19, collected during January's national lockdown. Open providers, or providers closed due to government guidance, made census returns relating to registered children's "expected attendance" in census week. Further information is available in the methodology.
  4. Percentages are based upon those where the provider has a matched and identified Ofsted rating (i.e., excludes "No Match"). The four available ratings sum to 100% (may not be exact due to rounding).

Percentage and Number of Providers and Children Registered with Graduate-Level Staff (2018 to 2021)

Filename
7b_early_years_provision_staff_2018_2021.csv
Geographic levels
Local authority; National; Regional
Time period
2018 to 2021
Content

Number and percentage of private, voluntary and independent providers and the number of children benefiting from funded early education at private, voluntary and independent providers with staff with graduate status by category of provider.

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable nameVariable description
entitlement_typeType of entitlement: funded or extended - Select type of entitlement: funded or extended
number_providersNumber of providers
number_providers_with_graduateNumber of providers having staff with a graduate status
number_registeredNumber of children registered
number_registered_at_provider_with_graduateNumber of children registered at providers having staff with a graduate status
percent_providers_with_graduatePer cent of providers having staff with a graduate status
percent_registered_at_provider_with_graduatePer cent of children registered at providers having staff with a graduate status
type_of_providerType of provider - Select type of provider: example childminder
Footnotes
  1. Children who split their entitlement across more than one Private, Voluntary or Independent provider are only counted at the provider where they spend the majority of their time.
  2. Since 2019, a data cleaning exercise with local authorities has improved data quality. Provider types are now more accurately recorded and caution should be taken when comparing across time.
  3. 2021 is the first year of data covering COVID-19, collected during January's national lockdown. Open providers, or providers closed due to government guidance, made census returns relating to registered children's "expected attendance" in census week. Further information is available in the methodology.

Percentage Take-Up and Number of Children Registered by Age and Provider Type

Filename
1b_early_years_provision_percentage_registered_2018_2021_corrected.csv
Geographic levels
Local authority; National; Regional
Time period
2018 to 2021
Content

The percentage of children benefiting from funded early education places. The numerator is the number of children, the denominator is the DWP estimate of eligible two-year-olds or the ONS estimate of the population of three-year-olds and four-year-olds. 

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable nameVariable description
2_year_old_populationDWP population estimate for two-year-olds.
3_4_year_old_populationONS population estimate for three and four-year-olds.
3_year_old_populationONS population estimate for three-year-olds.
4_year_old_populationONS population estimate for four-year-olds.
entitlement_typeType of entitlement: Funded entitlement
number_2_yearoldsNumber of two-year-olds
number_3_4_yearoldsNumber of three and four-year-olds
number_3_yearoldsNumber of three-year-olds
number_4_yearoldsNumber of four-year-olds
percent_2_yearoldsPer cent of two-year-old children registered
percent_3_4_yearoldsPer cent of three and four-year-old children registered
percent_3_yearoldsPer cent of three-year-old children registered
percent_4_yearoldsPer cent of four-year-old children registered
provider_typeType of provider - Select type of entitlement: example childminder
Footnotes
  1. Children who split their entitlement across more than one Private, Voluntary or Independent provider are only counted at the provider where they spend the majority of their time.
  2. The estimated number of eligible two-year-olds children is derived from data supplied by the Department for Work and Pensions each November. It represents the best data available on the number of children meeting the benefit and tax credit eligibility criteria. Since 2019 it includes universal credit recipients. Caution should be exercised when comparing across time and/or local authorities.
  3. “Maintained Nursery and State-funded primary schools" are a combination of the "Infant classes in primary schools", "Nursery classes in primary schools" and "Nursery schools" sub-groups.
  4. Population estimates of three and four-year-olds are revised annually. Take-up rates may differ from previously published figures.
  5. 2021 is the first year of data covering COVID-19, collected during January's national lockdown. A higher proportion of children recorded as registered to receive early education entitlements will have been temporarily absent during census week itself than previous years.

Provider's Highest Staff Qualification (2018 to 2021)

Filename
7a_early_years_provision_staff_highest_qualification_2018_2021.csv
Geographic levels
National
Time period
2018 to 2021
Content

The number and percentage of early years staff at private, voluntary and independent providers, by highest qualification and category of provider.

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable nameVariable description
highest_qualificationHighest level of qualification - Select highest level of qualification: for example Relevant EY level 2
number_of_staffNumber of staff
percentage_of_staffPer cent of staff
type_of_providerType of provider - Select type of provider: for example Childminders
Footnotes
  1. Since 2019, a data cleaning exercise with local authorities has improved data quality. Provider types are now more accurately recorded and caution should be taken when comparing across time.
  2. Total EY staff includes both qualified and unqualified staff. Therefore percentages do not sum to 100% across available qualification levels.
  3. Percentages are as a proportion of all staff at that provider type, not a proportion of staff with a specific qualification. Therefore, all provider types will not sum to 100%.
  4. 2021 is the first year of data covering COVID-19, collected during January's national lockdown. Open providers, or providers closed due to government guidance, made census returns relating to registered children's "expected attendance" in census week. Further information is available in the methodology.