Data and Methodology

Sources and timing

The information in this publication is derived from the early learning and childcare (ELC) census. This took place in the week commencing 8 September 2025. The additional tables for this publication were published at the same time as this report.

The ELC census covers all centres providing funded ELC as defined in the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 (‘the 2014 Act’). This was previously referred to as pre-school. Eligible children are entitled to receive 1,140 hours of funded ELC annually.

In 2010 the date of the ELC census was moved from January to September. As a result of this, data collected prior to and after September 2010 are not directly comparable.

Centres

A centre is a local authority, private or voluntary setting providing funded ELC. Around 2,600 centres that provide funded ELC in Scotland complete the census.

A small number of children receive funded ELC from childminders. This provision is not currently included in the ELC census, but we are looking to capture this provision in the future. Information on funded ELC delivered by childminders is available in the Scottish Childminding Association (SCMA) Audit and Care Inspectorate Early Learning and Childcare Statistics report.

Only centres providing funded ELC at the time of the census are included; there may be additional centres able to provide funded ELC that are not counted here as they did not have any children registered for funded provision between 8th and 12th September 2025, the reference week for the census this year.

Eligibility for funded ELC

Local authorities have a duty to provide funded ELC to all ‘eligible children’ in their area. They also have a power to provide (discretionary) funded ELC to any other child (before school starting age), as they see fit. Statutory entitlement begins the term after the child turns three, but local authorities can provide funded ELC earlier at their discretion.

From August 2021, the statutory entitlement to funded ELC is 1,140 hours per year. Prior to this, children were entitled to 600 hours per year, but may have been offered or provided with more than this at the discretion of the local authority. The increase to 1,140 hours was due to occur in August 2020 but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, many local authorities rolled out the expanded provision as planned so may have been offering the full entitlement prior to August 2021. This report does not include information on the number of funded hours children are registered for, but more information on this can be found at the Improvement Service website.

‘Eligible children’ are all three and four year-olds from the relevant start date, children who turn five after the commencement of the school year, and two year-olds who meet statutory eligibility criteria. For three year-olds, only around half of children are eligible at the time of the census. The census counts children registered for funded ELC during the period 8 to 12 September 2025.

The profile of eligible two year-olds has changed since the 2014 Act first introduced a duty on local authorities to provide funded ELC for this age. Eligibility criteria were set out originally in 2014 and these have been subsequently amended in 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2021. The changes from 2014 to 2015 expanded the eligibility criteria (to more closely match criteria for Free School Meals). The change in 2017 and 2019 made a technical change to account for the roll out of Universal Credit and changes to account for threshold freezes for Tax Credits. Eligibility was expanded to include children of care experienced parents in 2021. Current eligibility includes: those on qualifying benefits; children who are looked after by a local authority; children in kinship care; children who have been appointed a guardian; and children who have a parent who has experience of care.

From 2023 Scottish Government has access to aggregate data on households in Scotland in receipt of the majority of ‘qualifying benefits’ and with a child of the relevant age. Using this new data source, and combining it with information on children who are eligible due to non-economic reasons (with an element of the overlap of criteria estimated), it has been possible to estimate the eligible two-year-old population, and therefore estimated uptake rates, at a national and local level.

As of 1st August 2023, all children who turn five after the start of the school year are eligible for an additional year of funded ELC if they defer entry to primary school. Prior to this, children born in January and February were entitled to additional funded ELC, while children born between September and December were funded at the discretion of the local authority.

A pilot scheme for the increased entitlement to funding for children deferring was run in five local authorities in 2021 (Angus, Argyll & Bute, Falkirk, Scottish Borders, and Shetland Islands) with an additional five local authorities joining the pilot in 2022 (Aberdeen City, Clackmannanshire, Fife, Glasgow City, and Stirling). A further two local authorities (City of Edinburgh and East Lothian) agreed to fund an additional year outside the pilot scheme. When considering deferral uptake trends in individual local authorities, there are variations which may in part be as a result of whether a local authority was part of a pilot or not.

Child registrations

Data on child registrations is collected at setting level, and includes information on the number of registrations by age group, disability status and additional support needs (ASN), ASN support plans in place, and child’s home language. For the majority of local authorities, children are counted once for each centre they are registered with, so the same child may be counted multiple times if they attend more than one centre. Six local authorities (East Dunbartonshire, East Lothian, Falkirk, Na h’Eileanan Siar, South Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire) identified and removed instances of children who were registered at more than one setting being counted multiple times.

Eligible population calculations

The number of eligible children in each age group at the time of the census is estimated for the current year using the 2022-based National Records of Scotland population projection figures, the latest available projections, adjusted to the date of the ELC census. For years 2012 to 2024, the previous estimates of the eligible population and subsequent uptake rates have been revised due to the publication of revised mid-year population estimates by NRS, based on Scotland’s Census 2022 data.

Teachers

Teachers are included in the ELC census if they are working in a centre providing funded ELC during census week. A teacher included in the ELC census may also be included in the schools staff census if they are working in both the ELC setting and a school. An individual teacher cannot exceed one FTE either within the ELC census, or across both the ELC census and schools staff census. Vacant posts are not included.

In 2014, local authorities supplied information on centrally employed ELC teachers separate from the teachers recorded at centres for the first time. ELC home visiting teachers are included within the centrally employed ELC teacher figures.

Graduate staff

The Scottish Government continues to invest in the early years profession. The BA in Childhood Practice ensure that growing numbers of practitioners have achieved graduate status, leading to a new generation of pedagogical leaders. These graduate courses teach the professional knowledge, skills, and values required of lead practitioners and managers in early years and childcare. The mix of graduates and teachers working within early years is a local authority decision. 

From 2017, data was collected on the number of graduates (other than teachers) working to deliver funded ELC. Graduates include ELC staff that hold either: (1) a degree level benchmark qualification required by the SSSC for registration as a manager (see list of qualifications below); (2) a degree level (SCQF level 9) qualification relevant to early years and are working towards a degree level benchmark qualification required by the SSSC for registration as a manager; (3) or a degree level qualification sufficient to meet the registration standards of another regulatory body (e.g. Nursing and Midwifery Council, General Medical Council). Data was also collected on the number of ELC staff that don’t currently hold a degree level (SCQF level 9) qualification relevant to early years, but are working towards one of the SSSC benchmark qualifications required by the SSSC for registration as a manager. Note that these staff may hold degrees in subjects unrelated to early years, such as physics or accountancy, or may hold early years qualifications below SCQF level 9.

SSSC Benchmark qualifications

• BA Childhood Practice
• BA (Honours) Childhood Practice
• Graduate Diploma Childhood Practice
• SQA Professional Development Award Childhood Practice (360 credits at SCQF Level 9)
• Postgraduate Diploma in Childhood Practice
• Master of Education Childhood Practice

Equity and Excellence Leads

From 2018, data has also been collected on staff working in ELC funded through the commitment to fund additional graduate level posts in all local authorities. These staff are also known as Equity and Excellence Leads. This is a Scottish Government commitment to fund additional posts in nurseries located in the most deprived areas of Scotland. These posts are for either teachers with early years expertise, or graduate practitioners with, or working towards, one of the benchmark qualifications required by the SSSC for registration as a manager. These staff are also counted in the relevant teacher and graduate staff tables associated with this publication.

Improvements to the ELC census

Estimates of the eligible population from 2012 to 2024 were revised in 2025 using updated mid-year estimates from National Records of Scotland. This has resulted in more accurate estimates of the eligible population, and therefore more accurate estimates of uptake rates.

An error was identified in the calculation of the estimated eligible two year old population in 2024, and the resulting uptake rate. The national uptake rate for 2024 was published as 59%. The correct figure for 2024 is 57%. Corrected figures at local authority level are available as part of the revised time series published on the Scottish Government ELC statistics webpage.

The method for calculating the percentage uptake of ELC has been improved from 2018 to account for local authorities who use different eligibility criteria for three year-olds to the statutory criteria that a child becomes eligible for funded ELC in the term after their 3rd birthday. More information on this change is available in Appendix 1 of the additional ELC tables accompanying this publication.

Previously, if a centre that was providing funded ELC did not return any data then information from the previous census was imputed (i.e. rolled forward). From 2016 onwards, data is no longer imputed so the quality of data should be higher.

In 2015, for the first time, local authorities were able to check and amend data for centres within their local authority before submitting it to the Scottish Government. This additional validation process has continued, and resulted in higher data quality. Increased scrutiny of the funded ELC data by local authorities has affected all funded ELC data from 2015 onwards.

In particular, the recording of children aged under three has improved (as previously children who were not receiving funded ELC, but were attending centres had been wrongly included by centres), and of ELC teachers (as teachers had been double counted), leading to lower numbers in these categories than in previous years.

In 2014 an additional check was added to the quality assurance process which identified a small number of teachers (less than 0.5% of the total) that had been recorded across ELC and the school census with an FTE over one (i.e. recorded as working more than full time hours). We worked with local authorities to resolve this issue, leading to reductions in FTE in both sectors but the majority were removed from ELC. This check has continued from 2015 onwards, and working with local authorities cases where teachers are recorded with an FTE over one are resolved, often resulting in a decrease in teacher FTE within the ELC sector.

Quality assurance of the 2012 data identified the possibility that some teachers who worked in early learning and childcare and primary could be double counted. This was addressed in 2013 by giving local authorities the opportunity to re-submit their teacher numbers for 2010, 2011 and 2012 to remove this double counting. As a result of this, eight local authorities amended their early learning and childcare teacher numbers (Angus, East Dunbartonshire, Midlothian, North Lanarkshire, Perth and Kinross, Shetland Islands, South Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire), three local authorities amended both primary and early learning and childcare teacher numbers (Aberdeenshire, Highland, Orkney), and one local authority (West Lothian) amended their primary school teacher numbers only. This resulted in minor changes to the primary teacher numbers and substantial changes to the early learning and childcare teacher numbers in 2010, 2011 and 2012.

Quality assurance of the 2021 data identified the possibility that some centres were listed as being managed by a teacher or head teacher without the teacher being included as a member of staff. This was addressed in 2022 by introducing an additional check to ensure all centres included a staff member with the appropriate manager qualification. This may have resulted in an increase in the FTE of teachers working in ELC centres.