Commenting on the Sutton Trust’s latest Coronavirus impact brief
COVID-19 and Social Mobility Impact Brief #4: Early Years, which
shows that a third of nurseries in the most disadvantaged areas
may be forced to close permanently, Kevin Courtney, Joint
General Secretary of the National Education Union, said:
"The Sutton Trust briefing on Early Years is further
confirmation of what the NEU has been warning for quite some time
– maintained nursery schools (MNS) and the Early Years sector are
in financial crisis and unless the government acts now, many
settings will close in the coming
months. MNS provide specialist education
provision that help children from deprived areas and those with
special needs attain better outcomes in school and later
life. This week, the NEU along with the
NAHT and Early Education have written to the Prime Minister and
Secretary of State for Education to raise our concerns and demand
immediate emergency funding for MNS and a longer term funding
solution for the Early Years sector.
"If MNS are forced to close, this will have a devastating
impact on local communities, some of the most deprived in the
country, and severely harm the educational attainment and life
opportunities of the children these settings
serve. The NEU is alarmed that the
recently announced additional £1 billion for schools does not
include any funding for MNS or the wider Early Years
sector. We urge the government to rethink
this and also provide additional funding for Early Years and MNS
in particular.
"The government must quickly recognise the vital role MNS
play and act now to keep them open."
ENDS
Editor’s Note
Education experts call for Downing Street to prioritise
Maintained Nursery School Funding, 30 June
2020: https://www.naht.org.uk/news-and-opinion/press-room/education-experts-call-for-downing-street-to-prioritise-maintained-nursery-school-funding/
