Take-up of funded early education by council, England

The share of eligible children registered for funded early education in January, 3 and 4-year-olds for the universal entitlement and 2-year-olds for early learning for 2-year-olds, in each of England's 153 councils with education duties, with the regions and England, from the DfE.

England

90.15%

January 2026 · 3 and 4-year-olds

Verified against source, 31 October 2026, 11:20 UTC

Take-up of funded early education by council, England

Source: Department for Education. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In order

Ranked by the hub January 2026

Every place, the highest figure first. The number before each is the hub's own position in the list, not the publisher's: equal figures share one, marked =.

No figure published for Isles of Scilly.

Data table

163 rows

Area	3 and 4-year-olds	3-year-olds	4-year-olds	2-year-olds
Isles of Scilly E06000053	120%	103%	140%	not applicable (z): the DfE's ‘not applicable’
Northumberland E06000057	104%	106%	102%	91.12%
Calderdale E08000033	100%	96.98%	104%	84.01%
Solihull E08000029	100%	98.36%	102%	83.37%
Windsor and Maidenhead E06000040	99.82%	96.83%	103%	76.67%
West Berkshire E06000037	99.41%	97.51%	101%	63.68%
Gateshead E08000037	98.87%	95.77%	102%	58.98%
Dorset E06000059	98.86%	97.93%	99.73%	89.66%
Stockton-on-Tees E06000004	98.82%	98.16%	99.45%	71.73%
Warrington E06000007	98.71%	98.95%	98.48%	81.77%
Redcar and Cleveland E06000003	98.62%	97.49%	99.71%	84.35%
Hartlepool E06000001	98.39%	95.61%	101%	81.01%
Westmorland and Furness E06000064	98.04%	96.75%	99.27%	72.70%
Rutland E06000017	98.03%	93.03%	103%	70.37%
East Riding of Yorkshire E06000011	97.79%	97.34%	98.20%	137%
Herefordshire, County of E06000019	97.69%	95.60%	99.67%	59.20%
Richmond upon Thames E09000027	97.55%	92.81%	102%	70.06%
Cumberland E06000063	97.02%	96.46%	97.55%	76.95%
Staffordshire E10000028	96.43%	95.25%	97.54%	74.40%
Nottinghamshire E10000024	96.38%	93.94%	98.66%	59.71%
North Somerset E06000024	96.35%	92.02%	100%	75.08%
North Tyneside E08000022	96.20%	95.03%	97.32%	74.88%
Derby E06000015	96.03%	94.31%	97.63%	82.67%
South Tyneside E08000023	95.97%	96.26%	95.71%	64.79%
York E06000014	95.94%	97.25%	94.68%	78.60%
Cheshire West and Chester E06000050	95.70%	95.76%	95.65%	93.43%
Warwickshire E10000031	95.64%	93.27%	97.86%	62.25%
Lancashire E10000017	95.61%	93.79%	97.35%	84.32%
St. Helens E08000013	95.31%	96.81%	93.89%	87.06%
Devon E10000008	95.27%	92.66%	97.75%	96.83%
Wiltshire E06000054	95.03%	95.14%	94.92%	69.82%
Gloucestershire E10000013	94.90%	91.88%	97.78%	66.19%
North East Lincolnshire E06000012	94.82%	95.56%	94.11%	77.10%
Shropshire E06000051	94.81%	94.33%	95.24%	92.82%
Bath and North East Somerset E06000022	94.67%	91.91%	97.27%	73.76%
Tameside E08000008	94.66%	92.02%	97.17%	62.74%
North Yorkshire E06000065	94.65%	94.37%	94.91%	64.11%
Doncaster E08000017	94.63%	92.59%	96.54%	58.67%
Swindon E06000030	94.55%	91.91%	97.00%	87.5%
Wirral E08000015	94.51%	93.33%	95.63%	90.10%
Bolton E08000001	94.46%	94.51%	94.42%	68.34%
Sunderland E08000024	94.13%	92.34%	95.81%	64.03%
Stockport E08000007	94.05%	90.10%	97.74%	94.29%
Rotherham E08000018	93.91%	93.01%	94.76%	87.48%
Trafford E08000009	93.77%	91.35%	96.00%	73.58%
South Gloucestershire E06000025	93.67%	91.48%	95.76%	60.66%
Telford and Wrekin E06000020	93.40%	92.71%	94.05%	76.64%
Bromley E09000006	93.30%	90.54%	95.95%	94.24%
Salford E08000006	93.05%	90.55%	95.50%	60.83%
Sefton E08000014	93.04%	91.12%	94.83%	72.50%
Wokingham E06000041	93.04%	87.12%	98.51%	33.92%
Hampshire E10000014	92.96%	90.22%	95.52%	69.11%
Wigan E08000010	92.80%	91.44%	94.07%	102%
Worcestershire E10000034	92.62%	91.36%	93.81%	78.25%
Milton Keynes E06000042	92.54%	89.47%	95.38%	83.39%
Brighton and Hove E06000043	92.33%	85.70%	98.91%	90.44%
Darlington E06000005	92.32%	90.41%	94.13%	76.92%
Blackburn with Darwen E06000008	92.32%	89.74%	94.75%	61.60%
Havering E09000016	92.31%	91.28%	93.28%	70.02%
Essex E10000012	92.28%	90.21%	94.24%	74.17%
West Sussex E10000032	92.25%	88.97%	95.31%	73.30%
County Durham E06000047	92.22%	91.71%	92.71%	92.08%
Somerset E06000066	92.19%	89.87%	94.34%	78.79%
Sandwell E08000028	92.00%	91.03%	92.92%	61.88%
Kent E10000016	91.97%	90.10%	93.73%	70.88%
Cheshire East E06000049	91.76%	90.98%	92.49%	70.18%
Surrey E10000030	91.61%	88.35%	94.65%	62.76%
Leicestershire E10000018	91.46%	88.09%	94.65%	59.98%
Medway E06000035	91.45%	90.65%	92.21%	69.03%
Hackney E09000012	91.30%	82.78%	100%	47.92%
Hertfordshire E10000015	91.21%	87.89%	94.34%	87.99%
Torbay E06000027	91.19%	86.62%	95.55%	77.92%
Reading E06000038	91.17%	93.45%	88.99%	65.36%
Walsall E08000030	91.14%	87.70%	94.39%	67.18%
Lincolnshire E10000019	91.11%	88.99%	93.10%	81.65%
Bracknell Forest E06000036	91.05%	87.01%	94.91%	78.57%
Barnsley E08000038	90.99%	91.03%	90.95%	99.71%
Derbyshire E10000007	90.98%	90.32%	91.60%	54.30%
Oldham E08000004	90.93%	88.36%	93.34%	77.46%
Leeds E08000035	90.93%	87.86%	93.90%	54.59%
Cornwall E06000052	90.74%	87.54%	93.74%	78.21%
Isle of Wight E06000046	90.73%	88.51%	92.80%	58.37%
Liverpool E08000012	90.62%	87.64%	93.56%	81.91%
Kirklees E08000034	90.47%	88.80%	92.04%	74.28%
Blackpool E06000009	90.43%	87.52%	93.26%	78.71%
North Northamptonshire E06000061	90.38%	88.19%	92.44%	63.93%
Bedford E06000055	90.38%	85.23%	95.18%	91.15%
Suffolk E10000029	90.25%	88.58%	91.84%	64.23%
Rochdale E08000005	90.20%	89.58%	90.79%	57.84%
Bradford E08000032	90.12%	88.26%	91.90%	66.22%
Central Bedfordshire E06000056	90.03%	86.64%	93.26%	70.09%
Southend-on-Sea E06000033	89.93%	86.66%	93.06%	58.13%
North Lincolnshire E06000013	89.91%	87.74%	91.90%	70.46%
Plymouth E06000026	89.90%	84.85%	94.79%	76.76%
Norfolk E10000020	89.89%	87.77%	91.92%	68.03%
Dudley E08000027	89.75%	88.01%	91.37%	56.26%
Wakefield E08000036	89.74%	86.77%	92.52%	65.14%
Stoke-on-Trent E06000021	89.73%	87.28%	92.04%	63.04%
East Sussex E10000011	89.69%	87.17%	92.06%	70.44%
Portsmouth E06000044	89.59%	89.30%	89.86%	69.26%
Buckinghamshire E06000060	89.56%	88.10%	90.91%	70.66%
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole E06000058	89.50%	84.51%	94.16%	68.96%
Bristol, City of E06000023	89.49%	85.00%	93.96%	84.0%
Oxfordshire E10000025	89.39%	88.16%	90.56%	65.75%
West Northamptonshire E06000062	88.87%	85.14%	92.38%	47.65%
Bury E08000002	88.86%	86.29%	91.26%	62.09%
Wolverhampton E08000031	88.81%	85.29%	92.13%	65.02%
Newcastle upon Tyne E08000021	88.62%	87.43%	89.77%	96.13%
Barking and Dagenham E09000002	88.62%	85.60%	91.59%	91.67%
Middlesbrough E06000002	88.59%	85.22%	91.87%	96.84%
Cambridgeshire E10000003	88.43%	85.84%	90.90%	67.29%
Sheffield E08000039	88.03%	86.83%	89.20%	58.58%
Redbridge E09000026	87.83%	85.11%	90.46%	67.32%
Knowsley E08000011	87.33%	84.34%	90.22%	68.50%
Sutton E09000029	87.27%	82.27%	92.00%	74.06%
Kingston upon Hull, City of E06000010	87.19%	86.13%	88.21%	82.53%
Slough E06000039	87.09%	87.56%	86.65%	58.69%
Bexley E09000004	86.86%	82.36%	91.22%	60.57%
Luton E06000032	86.04%	85.19%	86.85%	75.33%
Thurrock E06000034	85.99%	81.27%	90.50%	64.69%
Birmingham E08000025	85.78%	82.62%	88.83%	64.46%
Peterborough E06000031	85.76%	83.51%	87.84%	87.86%
Ealing E09000009	85.57%	80.85%	90.21%	58.72%
Halton E06000006	85.09%	79.54%	90.30%	80.50%
Kensington and Chelsea E09000020	85.04%	80.15%	90.00%	72.96%
Lambeth E09000022	84.89%	81.96%	87.90%	60.88%
Coventry E08000026	84.49%	81.33%	87.55%	68.81%
Haringey E09000014	84.24%	78.05%	90.38%	81.32%
Croydon E09000008	83.72%	80.70%	86.65%	71.55%
Leicester E06000016	83.49%	80.67%	86.24%	60.77%
Wandsworth E09000032	82.86%	79.30%	86.39%	56.11%
Kingston upon Thames E09000021	82.81%	83.34%	82.29%	70.05%
Lewisham E09000023	82.77%	78.79%	86.78%	55.84%
Nottingham E06000018	82.64%	79.40%	85.85%	58.19%
Greenwich E09000011	82.62%	81.36%	83.88%	63.30%
Waltham Forest E09000031	82.61%	78.33%	86.87%	70.30%
Manchester E08000003	82.13%	77.74%	86.44%	74.32%
Harrow E09000015	81.78%	74.49%	88.96%	67.66%
Southampton E06000045	81.49%	78.24%	84.66%	71.43%
Hillingdon E09000017	81.44%	79.52%	83.28%	55.56%
Newham E09000025	80.70%	77.65%	83.77%	78.49%
Enfield E09000010	79.86%	76.64%	83.01%	68.69%
Barnet E09000003	79.73%	78.17%	81.22%	63.37%
Hounslow E09000018	79.17%	74.42%	83.77%	57.90%
Merton E09000024	77.93%	75.05%	80.73%	61.89%
Brent E09000005	77.53%	72.53%	82.55%	59.35%
Hammersmith and Fulham E09000013	77.22%	77.18%	77.27%	53.25%
Southwark E09000028	76.99%	73.57%	80.55%	62.09%
Islington E09000019	76.40%	76.56%	76.23%	79.15%
Tower Hamlets E09000030	72.14%	66.70%	77.73%	58.61%
Camden E09000007	65.04%	63.27%	66.82%	77.75%
Westminster E09000033	57.00%	56.73%	57.28%	73.63%
City of London E09000001	50.62%	57.54%	42.58%	42.86%
North East	94.98%	93.90%	96.00%	81.88%
North West	92.43%	90.43%	94.32%	77.27%
Yorkshire and The Humber	91.84%	90.27%	93.34%	71.56%
East Midlands	90.77%	88.31%	93.10%	62.95%
West Midlands	91.30%	89.09%	93.39%	67.74%
East of England	90.15%	87.58%	92.60%	74.21%
London	82.32%	78.83%	85.77%	66.83%
South East	91.39%	89.00%	93.63%	69.58%
South West	93.32%	90.43%	96.06%	78.18%
England	90.15%	87.68%	92.51%	71.60%

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Map

3 and 4-year-olds · 132 areas, each shaded by the fifth of the areas its figure falls in

50.62% to 84.49%
84.49% to 89.74%
89.74% to 92.19%
92.19% to 95.03%
95.03% to 120%

Boundaries: Council boundaries, May 2026, from the geography spine. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v.3.0. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.

Source and licence

Publisher

Department for Education

Check it yourself

https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/funded-early-education-and-childcare

Licence

Open Government Licence v3.0 – Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Retrieved

31 October 2026, 11:12 UTC

Raw files fetched

https://api.education.gov.uk/statistics/v1/data-sets/019efe35-3052-7638-9105-4edbf506eb54/meta?dataSetVersion=1.0SHA-256 3b8b4d042ce779b3f2fdce83626dec9009aadd9b8d322d2019e666c16e1d1bb0 · 13,983 bytes
https://api.education.gov.uk/statistics/v1/data-sets/019efe35-3052-7638-9105-4edbf506eb54/query?dataSetVersion=1.0&indicators=WcUd2,mUdf9,0evCT&geographicLevels.in=LA,REG,NAT&timePeriods.eq=2026%7CRY&pageSize=10000SHA-256 838df4114cac7d1fcb15a65634db787efc216f365fe3ad70981b8559286b2370 · 192,837 bytes

Verification

Verified against source, 31 October 2026, 11:20 UTC Run at 31 October 2026, 11:20 UTC; 652 of 652 figures matched the live source.

Result	Check	Detail
Pass	Provenance recorded	Department for Education; Open Government Licence v3.0; retrieved 2026-10-31T11:12:01Z; 2 raw file(s)
Pass	Raw files match recorded SHA-256	2 of 2 files intact
Pass	Re-parsing raw files reproduces figures	652 of 652 figures and the headline reproduced
Pass	Figures are finite numbers	652 figures, 0 invalid
Pass	Live source matches every figure	652 of 652 figures match exactly after downloading 2 source file(s) again (1 byte-identical); the headline matches
Pass	EES data set is current	latest period January 2026 ended 273 days before retrieval (limit 560)
Pass	The data set's CSV agrees	2475 of 2475 cells of the stored query, figures and marks, equal version 1.0's CSV (https://api.education.gov.uk/statistics/v1/data-sets/019efe35-3052-7638-9105-4edbf506eb54/csv?dataSetVersion=1.0, 825 rows read)
Pass	The councils add up to their region and the regions to England	100 comparisons expected, each region's councils and England's regions in every count and combination: 100 within the rounding the DfE states (99 exactly)
Pass	Each share and average is its count over its whole	823 of 823 shares and averages by area and combination are their counts' ratio, within the rounding the DfE states; not made, 2 for a figure marked 'z'
Pass	Source page answers	https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/funded-early-education-and-childcare – HTTP 200

Notes

Children registered in January for the government-funded entitlements, in any setting, and the DfE's estimate of those eligible: every 3 and 4-year-old for the universal 15 hours, and 2-year-olds who meet the criteria for early learning for 2-year-olds (families on certain benefits or low incomes, children looked after or with an EHC plan, among others).
The estimates of eligible children come from population estimates and, for 2-year-olds, DWP's records, so a council's share registered can pass 100%. The DfE gives the estimates to six decimal places, and the hub keeps them so.
The DfE gives these figures for England's 153 councils with education and children's services duties (its unitary, metropolitan and London councils and its 21 counties), not for districts.

Take-up of funded early education by council, England

In order

3 and 4-year-olds

3-year-olds

4-year-olds

2-year-olds

Data table

Map

Source and licence

Verification

Notes