Is The Bbc Bucking The Trend With Its Nursery Closures?

t of the recent news that the BBC will be savingrise with now close to 15,000 nurseries
more than £4 million by the closure of itsThere are nearly 1.5 million child care places in the
workplace nurseries this article looks at if this fateUK with an average of 46 places available per
is likely to hit more nurseries or if the BBC isnursery
bucking the trend.So with figures such as these combined with
Regardless of whether you agree or disagreepeople working longer hours, more women
with the BBC’s decision to spend the £4.1working longer than ever (45% of women work
million saved from nursery closures onover 40 hours a week) and a seemingly lack of
programming or not, the closure of 7 subsidisedchildcare providers the trend would in fact be
nurseries would at first glance appear to betowards more nursery staff, more nursery places
against the norm.and more nurseries.
In fact closing of nurseries would appear to beWith things going the way they, there will have to
the complete opposite of what is actually requiredbe more and more nurseries open up in the UK to
if figures available from the likes of theprovide the required services.
Department of Education (DfES) are to beAnd of course with an increase in nurseries come
believed. Figures such as:with it the need for more service providers to
The proportion of 3 and 4 year olds in nurseriesthe education and nursery sectors. Included in
and pre school education in the UK has risen bythese will be insurance brokers who specialize in
nearly 45% since 1970 (in 1970-71 it was 21%nursery insurance, who are able to provide expert
compared to 65% in 2003/04)advice and services.
The number of nurseries in the UK continues to