“We welcome this report and particularly the recommendation to monitor the impact of the change to the minimum staff to child ratios from 1:4 to 1:5 and reverse this if necessary. We remain concerned that this is being used as a cost-cutting measure to attempt to obscure the woeful lack of funding into early years settings and will make it harder to provide children with the support, time and attention they need to thrive. As the report explains, this policy was opposed by the majority of contributors to the government’s consultation and does not seem compatible with ambitions to improve the quality of childcare nor fulfil many of the Education Committee’s sensible recommendations including greater support for children with SEND.”