The official government e-petition against the relaxation of ratios in early years settings in England has passed 100,000 signatures, meaning it must now be considered for a parliamentary debate.

The petition was started by Zoe and Lewis Steeper, whose son Oliver tragically died after an incident at a nursery a year ago.

The government is proposing to increase the maximum number of two-year-olds per adult in nurseries and pre-schools in England from 4 to 5. The plans are widely expected to form part of the ‘childcare reforms’ included in the government’s Growth Plan.

The official government consultation on the proposals closed on Friday 16 September.

The fact that this petition has now reached 100,000 signatures clearly shows how worried both providers and parents are about the likely impact of proposed ratios changes on the early years sector in England.  

Neil Leitch, chief executive, Early Years Alliance said: “Let’s be clear: changing ratios is a mindless policy that will do more harm than good to a sector already on its knees. These changes have been falsely sold as a cost-saving measure when, as our own research shows, it will do little – if anything – to deliver savings to parents. Instead, all these proposals will do is put the quality of care and early education children receive at risk, and place even more pressure on an already-overburdened workforce in the middle of a staffing crisis.  

“Given the complete lack of appetite for any changes demonstrated by the success of this petition, it’s clear that this issue must be now debated in parliament as a matter of urgency. 

“We would like to thank Zoe and Lewis Steeper who, during a time of unimaginable personal tragedy, have campaigned tirelessly and selflessly to highlight this issue. We are very proud to join them in calling for the government to scrap this ridiculous policy before it has a disastrous and irreversible impact on our vital sector.”