Commenting on a new policy briefing from the Sutton Trust warning
of widening learning gaps in early years, Daniel Kebede,
General Secretary of the National Education Union,
said:
“The findings of this latest report on early years provision by
the Sutton Trust are not surprising. Early Years education
is vitally important but Early Years policy is heading in the
wrong direction. Funding is not responsive to families with the
greatest need. Staff are underpaid, and lack access to training
and qualifications. By constantly representing early years
provision as ‘childcare’ the present government has neglected the
importance of high-quality education and lowered ambitions to a
point which nobody should accept.
“Maintained nursery schools (MNS) provide the highest quality of
early education which has a significant impact on children’s
learning and development, the effects of which last long beyond
their early years. MNS serve a disproportionately high number of
children with SEND, and/or those from disadvantaged backgrounds,
who may otherwise not access early education entirely. MNS
will be forced to close without adequate funding. Good quality
early years provision that is universally available will close
the attainment gap and improve social mobility.
“The NEU calls on the present government to use the Spring Budget
to provide sufficient resources to stabilise the sector, prevent
further closures, support the recruitment and retention of a
well-trained early years workforce and enable all types of
families to flourish. The government must ensure that the most
disadvantaged can access the free hours entitlement and the
demands created by its plan to expand free hours from April 2024
is fully funded.
“Whoever wins the next election will have to go beyond the
current commitment for early years. That government will have to
increase funding and prioritise investment in disadvantaged
areas. More than anything, it must ensure the long-term supply of
a well-paid and well-trained workforce, qualified to support
children's learning.”
