Statistics release cancelled
Following the Prime Minister’s announcement on 16th March of government measures to tackle the impact of coronavirus COVID-19 and the subsequent decision to close schools in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland on 19th March, the Department for Education has taken the decision to temporarily suspend research projects that include fieldwork of any kind involving the general public, public bodies and/or external stakeholders etc. The department has taken this difficult decision on an ethical basis, in order to reduce the burden on the public and institutions. In line with this and as announced in the Guidance on reducing burdens on education and care setting published on 20 April 2020, the decision has been made to suspend this data collection and therefore cancel the publication of the Survey of Childcare and Early Years Providers in 2020. It is envisaged that the next publication of this release will be November 2021. We will keep users updated of further changes via the Department for Education Statistics website.