England’s education secretary is set to request a Competition and Markets Authority review into “hidden” childcare costs charged by providers, including non-refundable deposits and extra fees for essentials such as meals, snacks, nappies, and sunscreen. The move follows government expansion of subsidized childcare hours for working parents, which has boosted uptake. Officials say families are still encountering charges that could blunt the impact of free childcare policies—particularly among cost-pressured households. The CMA review is expected to examine whether competition and consumer-protection gaps are allowing avoidable costs to persist alongside the eligibility changes. Department for Education figures cited in the report show more than 1.7 million parents using government-funded childcare hours, while a separate industry survey tracked a decline in weekly full-time nursery costs for children under two—yet ministers’ focus is on the residual cost barriers families face when securing and using care.