The OBR leak circus this lunchtime shouldn't take away attention from some really important changes - one that might go under the radar is central government taking on the full cost of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) provision currently covered by LAs.

The 2026 minimum wage rates have been announced: NLW: £12.21➡️£12.71. (+4.1%) 18-20-yo rate: £10➡️£10.85. (+8.5%) 16-17-yo rate: £7.55➡️£8.00. (+6%) Some context & thoughts on those uprating decisions:

🚨 Ahead of the budget today the government announced a 4% increase in the National Living Wage (NLW) from £12.21 to £12.71 (applicable to those aged 21 and older), but much of the debate today will focus on the 8.5% increase in the minimum wage for those aged 18 to 20 (from £10.00 to £10.85).

Thrilled to see our childcare policy research cited by Plaid Cymru and directly feeding into their manifesto pledge announced today at their party conference - includes a new universal offer of 20hrs per week of funded childcare for all children from the age of 9 months to 4 years…

NEW: The share of children receiving disability support and the share on high-level special educational support have both doubled since 2016. THREAD on @eduinlatimer.bsky.social, @lukesibieta.bsky.social and Darcey Snape's IFS Green Budget chapter, funded by @nuffieldfoundation.org:

Encouraging to hear the PM at #Lab25 talk about childcare not just as an (important) avenue of getting parents into work but also to improve children’s outcomes. However, doing so raises the question about the working eligibility criteria for access to the expanded entitlements.

Our research published today by DfE highlights the importance of not seeing the childcare sector as one monolithic block, with half the sector not being able to cover their costs. @le-education.bsky.social assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/68d11e...

NEW RESEARCH: The richest households in England will be eight times more likely to benefit from the government’s expanded programme of funded childcare hours. 1/8

To meet the Prime Minister’s target of having 75% of children “school-ready” by 2028, the UK Government must urgently invest in the childcare workforce to deliver their expanded childcare offer or they risk failing families. Our new analysis in @nurseryworld.bsky.social 👇

🚨 New analysis by London Economics for @savechildrenuk.bsky.social highlights significant funding shortfalls in government support for childcare, and sets out funding requirements to improve quality and inclusivity. 📍 Link to @le-education.bsky.social summary londoneconomics.co.uk/blog/publica...

New report out today with colleagues @theifs.bsky.social and funded by @jrf-uk.bsky.social and @healthfoundation.bsky.social. We look at what we know about the role of changing health and reported disability in the 38% rise in people claiming disability benefits since the pandemic. A 🧵 [1/10]

Very excited to have been awarded a @nuffieldfoundation.org research grant! At @le-education.bsky.social we'll be looking at how the cost and availability of childcare impacts where parents of young children move to/from and whether they choose to move at all.

Delighted to see the economic impact analysis of Waltham Forest College published today www.waltham.ac.uk/images/repor... On top of the massive learning impact of the College, we identified an economic impact of £304 million (and a benefit-to-cost ratio of 11.6).

Great to see our @le-education.bsky.social childcare research cited by the Early Years Alliance, who highlight the significant increases in average early years fees paid for by parents: between 6.8% and 9.1% increases across age groups from 2023 to 2024. www.eyalliance.org.uk/news/2024/12...

📥What were the key takeaways from our analysis of a survey of over 12,000 childcare providers published by the Department for Education today? (in partnership with IFF Research)⤵️

This 2020 report on time use by @georgebangham.bsky.social remains one of my favourite RF reports. How people spend their time feels like a private thing, so this takes you past the front door more than most research can. Couple of highlights ... www.resolutionfoundation.org/publications...

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Excellent news coming out of Scotland, where the two-child benefit cap will be effectively abolished! The two-child limit not only keeps families in poverty but holds back people and places from achieving their economic potential. Time for the UK government to follow suit! 1/2

Basically, US and UK firms that violate minimum wage laws face little probability of getting caught and pay only small fines when they do. Via @annastansbury.bsky.social in @ilrreview.bsky.social journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1...

With 1️⃣📉 a 31% drop in childminders between 2018-2023 and 2️⃣📈 an unprecedented £4bn planned increase in annual childcare entitlement spending, it's crucial to understand the financial health of the sector and the cost of childcare.⤵️ londoneconomics.co.uk/blog/publica... @le-education.bsky.social

▶️NEW: Excited to see our paper investigating childcare costs and the financial health of the childcare sector published by the Department for Education today. 📄Read summary/full report here: assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/673b14... ⏩@le-education.bsky.social for more childcare analysis.

Cost of child care for one child can be more than rent in some US counties blog.dol.gov/2024/11/19/n...

How does public transport impact parents' access to childcare? Inequalities between parents who do and don't drive hugely vary across the country. #childcare #policy #education #economics