Tulip Siddiq responding to the Early Years Alliance survey on safety concerns in nurseries

“The Government has refused to publish the scientific basis for keeping early years settings open in lockdown. And, despite being asked to provide an emergency childcare service in this pandemic, the vast majority of nursery and pre-school workers have been excluded from the mass rollout of Covid home test kits.

“The predictable result of the Conservatives’ incompetence and neglect is that early years staff are seriously concerned about their safety. Nursery workers and the families they support deserve a plan to keep them safe, including proper access to testing.

“With many settings being forced to close due the health crisis and others warning that they may soon follow suit, the Government must not punish providers financially for taking safety precautions. They must urgently pull back from the brink of funding changes that could lead to viable early years providers going bust.”