As a local authority, Nottingham City Council has a duty to secure early years provision for eligible children, as well as childcare for working parents and those studying to work.
Sufficient, accessible and high quality childcare is significant in promoting school readiness, widening access to employment and study for parents, as well as maximising opportunities for families to benefit from the economic, social and health benefits of employment.
As part of the local authority's childcare sufficiency responsibilities, the Early Years Team publishes a full Childcare Sufficiency Assessment report on a three yearly cycle. This triangulates information on demand for childcare from parents, supply of childcare by early years providers, accessibility for children with SEND, information from employers and local demographic and development information in order to identify any gaps in childcare services to inform future place planning and sustainability.
This full Childcare Sufficiency Assessment is followed by a smaller scale bi-annual data refreshes which focus primarily on childcare supply in order to highlight any areas for concern early.
The full Childcare Sufficiency Assessment 2026 is due for publication early in the Autumn Term 2026.
