Introduction
North Tyneside Council has a statutory duty to ensure formal childcare is available for working families, parents / carers who are studying or training, and disabled children and young people up to the age of 18 years. The local authority must also secure free early years provision for eligible children aged 0-5 year olds. North Tyneside’s Childcare Sufficiency Statement considers whether sufficient childcare is available to meet these duties.
2025 has seen the final phase of the expansion of the early years entitlements for working families. From September 2025, all eligible working parents of children aged nine months are entitled to 30 hours free childcare per week up until their child starts school. The sufficiency statement is based on data from the spring / summer term 2025, therefore pre-dates the final phase of the early years entitlements expansion.
The sufficiency statement considers whether North Tyneside’s childcare network can provide enough places to meet the needs of families living and working in the borough. Wider socio-economic determinants of childcare demand are considered within the statement, alongside factors that shape the childcare decisions of families, such as quality, choice and accessibility. North Tyneside’s childcare sector continues to face challenges, such as recruitment difficulties and increased demand for early years places, following the expansion of the early years entitlements. The local authority will continue to work with providers to meet the childcare needs and preferences of North Tyneside’s families, now and in the future.