NAHT responds to Sutton Trust research on early years education and childcare

Responding to new Sutton Trust findings that government plans to expand England’s early childhood education and care system risk widening gaps in child development and worsening quality, James Bowen, assistant general secretary at school leaders' union NAHT, said:

“There is almost universal agreement on the importance of the early years in a child’s development.

"High quality early education can make a fundamental and lasting difference to a child’s life chances.

"As this report suggests, we should be increasing the ratio of staff to children, attracting more highly qualified staff and ensuring that disadvantaged children have equal access to early education.

"Sadly, current government policy is designed to do almost the exact opposite. We urge the government to draw on the international evidence of what works when it comes to high quality early years education.”