Commenting on the Labour Party's commitment to invest in
early years education, Kevin Courtney, Joint
General Secretary of the National Education
Union, said:
‘The fight against disadvantage begins in the early years,
and Labour’s policies recognise this. The closure of Sure Start
centres under Coalition and Conservative governments was deeply
damaging. Rebuilding the Sure Start programme is essential.
A recent survey of NEU members showed strong support for such a
move.
Free and universal provision of 30 hours of nursery
education from age 2 upwards is an essential social
investment. It will lift a financial burden from parents.
Juggling the demands of employment and childcare will become that
much easier.
Labour is right to recognise that expansion is an issue of
quality as well as quantity. Making 3+ education graduate-led ,
is a bold, ambitious and necessary policy. Increasing staff
numbers, introducing national pay scales and raising levels of
staff qualification are vital to creating a system which is truly
expert and inclusive. Addressing issues of inclusion by training
Special Needs Co-ordinators will likewise do much to tackle
issues of early intervention and support.
Expansion and quality improvement can best be achieved in a
context where the public sector plays a leading role. It is
essential that the next government recognises and gives full
support to our world-leading local authority maintained
nurseries, which have suffered greatly from government cuts, and
continue to face an uncertain future.
