CEY1444

Written evidence submitted by the Workers' Educational Association (WEA)

About the WEA

Founded in 1903, the WEA (Workers’ Educational Association) is a charity dedicated to bringing high-quality, professional education into the heart of communities. Last year we helped 29,63 students, with the support of nearly 1650 volunteers, 750+ tutors and over 7,000 members. 

We deliver friendly, accessible and enjoyable courses for adults from all walks of life.

Assessed ‘Good’ by Ofsted in 2018, we have classes in almost every area of England and Scotland.

Introduction to our evidence

We would like to contribute to the call for evidence by addressing two questions in the Terms of Reference:

1. Are the current entitlements providing parents/carers with sufficient childcare, and to what extent are childcare costs affecting parents/carers from returning to work full-time?
2. To what extent does the early years system adequately prepare young children for their transition into primary education, particularly children from disadvantaged backgrounds?

The WEA is an adult education charity and our answer to both questions is through the lens of how childcare intersects with adult learning.

Are the current entitlements providing parents/carers with sufficient childcare, and to what extent are childcare costs affecting parents/carers from returning to work full-time?

Lack of childcare (or lack of affordable) childcare is sometimes cited by parents, especially mothers, as a barrier to their participation in adult learning. This is turn becomes a barrier to participation in learning or training which could assist return to full-time work.

Most adult education providers are not in a position to offer childcare on site and significant investment would be required to realise co-located provision. The Education Select Committee has previously recommended creating a “learning centre in every town” and incorporating childcare (and family learning) facilities in such centres would greatly enhance their accessibility for learners with caring responsibilities.

In 2019, WEA co-commissioned work from the Learning & Work Institute exploring how parents returned to learning after having children.

Learning at Life Transitions: Supporting learners returning to work or preparing to retire | FETL

For most parents (and especially mothers) who could return to learning, availability of affordable childcare made this possible. In some cases, this required childcare to be subsidised or free. One parent in a focus group reflected that they were only able to engage in learning because a bursary was available:

“For me, doing it when I did worked, because I got the childcare paid for, and my son was obviously very little. Obviously if I didn’t have the bursary, which they don’t offer now, I wouldn’t have been able to put him in childcare, so I would have had to wait until he started school”. (Recently returned to work, current learner)

Other learners relied on family members to provide childcare at the time when courses were on. This is not an option for all learners and may not be available consistently.

The lack of a universal childcare offer certainly impacts on opportunities to participate in learning and training and consequently also affects returning to work.

The most recent Learning & Work Institute Adult Participation in Learning survey[i] shows that around 7% of the respondents directly cited childcare arrangements or other caring responsibilities (which could include caring for adults) as a barrier.

Interestingly, amongst those in work, adults with childcare responsibilities are more likely to be in learning than the general population.

It is a different picture when those with caring responsibilities and in work are compared with those out of the workforce. While 42% of in-work carers are in learning, this drops to 30% for those out of work. This means that the more economically disadvantaged carers – including those who may be seeking to return to or enter the workforce – are also those least likely to be in learning.

Ensuring that childcare facilities are accessible (travel distances are also commonly cited as a barrier to learning) and affordable (similarly direct and indirect costs of learning are significant barriers) would increase participation in learning and support progression into work.

It also needs to be recognised that some new parents may be considering taking on new roles, potentially, in new sectors, to fit around caring responsibilities. Access to training and learning opportunities could facilitate this.

The childcare sector is in itself a popular choice for vocational courses and qualifications. Better investment in adult learning could strengthen the sector through professional development.

Likewise, parenting courses can increase new parents’ confidence both in supporting their children and achieving a balance between caring responsibilities and other activities. This may increase parents’ willingness to access childcare facilities where available in order to take up work opportunities.

Distance or online learning has sometimes been suggested as a means by which parents might access learning and since the pandemic lockdowns the importance of online learning has certainly grown. While this may increase access for some parents, it is certainly not a solution for all. This may be because children still require attention when at home and/or because barriers to online provision (such as lack of access to data, equipment or skills needs) also tend to correlate with economic inequality. Those who cannot afford to access childcare may also be those who cannot afford to access online learning.

A Social Market Foundation report[ii] exploring the impact of parenthood on the work outcomes of parents has recommended free reviews for parents who have taken career breaks of five or more years. This is intended to overcome some of the specific barriers facing returners by identifying appropriate learning and/or employment.

Opportunities for reviews such as this, as well as other financial support measures and advice & guidance could all help parents to return to the labour market. Above all, however, access to affordable and accessible childcare facilities stands out as the key recommendation.

To what extent does the early years system adequately prepare young children for their transition into primary education, particularly children from disadvantaged backgrounds?

Although we do not wish to comment on the early years system overall, we would like to note that Family Learning – where parents and children learn together – can be very effective in delivering learning outcomes for the whole family. It is also a good vehicle for encouraging parents to return to learning. Adults with low or no qualifications and those from disadvantaged communities may be more willing to take up courses where their children also benefit and where childcare requirements are met.

January 2023