Nurseries in England are expressing concerns that recent regulatory changes have shifted their focus from education to managing large groups of children. A new study examining the Conservative government's controversial reforms in childcare indicates that staff members are increasingly engaged in "crowd control" rather than providing quality educational experiences. Since September of last year, nurseries have been permitted to raise the child-to-staff ratios, allowing one adult to supervise five two-year-olds instead of the previous limit of four. This adjustment was made to support the government's initiative to offer 15 hours of free childcare per week for working parents with children aged nine months to three years, which began this month. As a result of these changes, nursery staff report feeling overwhelmed and unable to focus on educational activities, leading to concerns about the quality of care and learning environments for young children.