GW4 Childcare campaign submits evidence to United Nations and UK Government Child Poverty Reduction Strategy on the right to education and access to childcare

As part of its ongoing postgraduate childcare campaign the GW4 Alliance, the research alliance for the Universities of Bath, Bristol, Cardiff and Exeter, has submitted evidence to two consultations which aim to improve access to childcare.  

The Office of the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to education launched a call for submissions requesting evidence of barriers to accessing free childcare in various countries. Special rapporteur is the title given to independent human rights experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council to investigate and report on human rights situations, either in a specific country or on a specific human rights issue. GW4’s response to this call focused on the barriers to government-backed childcare support faced by postgraduate parents in the UK.  The information received will be used to prepare for the first session of the Open-ended Intergovernmental Working Group on an Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child in September 2025.  

GW4 also submitted evidence to the UK Government’s Child Poverty Reduction Strategy. The Child Poverty Reduction Taskforce has recognised access to childcare as a key component of the Strategy. GW4 submitted evidence highlighting the gap in government-backed support schemes for postgraduate parents.  

Students studying for Masters and PhDs are ineligible for Childcare Grants, which are in place for full-time undergraduates to help with childcare costs for children under 15 years old. They are also ineligible for the childcare benefits available to workers unless they are in substantial paid employment in addition to their studies. GW4 is concerned that this lack of childcare support disincentivises parents from pursuing postgraduate qualifications and has called for the extension of the current undergraduate Childcare Grant to include postgraduate students. 

Billy Davis, Public Affairs Lead at GW4, said: “Postgraduate researchers have fallen between the gaps in government childcare provision, usually unable to meet the eligibility requirements for government schemes or student support. GW4 is concerned that the current childcare grant policy is having a negative impact on the diversity and inclusivity of postgraduate research and is limiting opportunities for parents who are more economically disadvantaged.  

“By submitting evidence to these two important consultations, we hope to raise awareness of this overlooked group, and put forward our proposals to, as a first step, extend the eligibility of existing undergraduate support schemes to postgraduate students.  

“We want to work with government to ensure parents of young children are not disincentivised from upskilling or reskilling and pursuing postgraduate qualifications and then accessing the high-skilled jobs that often require these qualifications. We also want to ensure the children of these postgraduate parents have access to the high-quality childcare that is the aspiration of the government’s Mission to Remove Barriers to Opportunity." 

For more information on GW4’s Childcare campaign visit the GW4 website: https://gw4.ac.uk/gw4-childcare-campaign/