All eyes on early years

A: Delivering a better early years system is a top priority. Through our ambitious Plan for Change, we want to work with ensure that all families can access high-quality, affordable, and flexible early education and care. Later this year we plan to publish more detail on meeting the Best Start in Life objectives working in collaboration with our EY stakeholders and partners.

Despite the fiscal challenges we face, and the tough decisions needed to fix the foundations of our economy, this is the biggest ever investment in early years entitlements. We are making over £2 billion additional funding available next year, bringing total spend to more than £8 billion. That includes a 45% increase to the Early Years Pupil Premium, now worth up to £570 per eligible child per year.

We’ve also updated statutory guidance for local authorities to reflect long-standing legal requirements on charging for funded places, and to support transparency and consistency for parents and providers.

The brilliant efforts of all those working in the early years sector to expand the availability of places is paying off, with over three times more new places last year than the year before. We will continue to ensure you all have the support you need to boost work choices for more parents and life chances for children.

A: I meet regularly with representatives of the sector, and those on the frontline on visits and events, including DfE’s face to face and online roadshows to understand how we can work together to overcome the challenges we face. It’s always a privilege to get out and about across the country to speak with staff directly and better understand what support they need to ensure this years’ expansion is delivered successfully.

This government has a dire fiscal inheritance, including a £22 billion black hole in the public finances, and so we have had to make tough decisions as a result. However, we do recognise the ambition and scale of this expansion, and know the effort and planning required is far from easy. Through our £75 million Early Years Expansion Grant, we want to help providers preparing for September with day-today and operational costs, so they have the support they need as they continue to grow.

This comes within the £8 billion we are providing through core funding rates and alongside a targeted £25 million through the National Insurance Contributions grant for public sector employers in early years. It is clear from the conversations I have with providers across the country that by working together, we can deliver high-quality early education and childcare for families and deliver our promises to parents.

A: I want to make sure the workforce feels truly valued. Every time I visit an early years provider, I’m always inspired by the incredibly hardworking staff who are so committed to delivering exceptional education and care. Early years education was often overlooked and under-appreciated by the previous government, that won’t be the case with this one.

We are expanding training and career routes to help early years professionals – new and experienced – building rewarding, long-term careers.

Our early years workforce campaign, Do Something Big, is back with a bang – running across TV, radio, cinema and more, and reaching millions nationwide. I love spotting the billboards when I’m out and about or seeing the ads pop up on telly! The campaign celebrates the incredible impact early years professionals have on children’s lives and highlights the wide range of roles available – including flexible childminding options that so many families rely on.

We’re also opening up new ways into rewarding careers in early years. These include an Early Years Teacher Degree Apprenticeship that lets people earn while they learn and work towards Early Years Teacher Status, and a new Experience-Based Route, developed with the sector, so more people can get qualified through hands-on experience – bringing in fresh talent and helping existing staff to progress.

Our ambition is simple: to build an early years system that gives every child the best start in life – underpinned by a skilled, supported and properly recognised workforce.

Stephen Morgan ©House of Commons

A: Both of these goals are hugely important and shouldn’t be seen in silos. By providing more childcare places where families need them, which supports them to work, we are enabling more children to benefit from high quality early education which improves outcomes, giving them the very best start in life.

In our Plan for Change, we’ve set a clear ambition: to see a record proportion of children starting school ready to learn in the classroom. We’ll measure progress through the number of children achieving a good level of development (GLD) at the end of reception, with a milestone of 75% by 2028.

Sadly, over a third of children start school not ready to learn. But high-quality early education changes that. Children who attend between ages 2 and 4 are more likely to hit key milestones by Key Stage 1 – and earn around £27,000 more over their lifetime. The benefits are even greater for those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

That’s why, in addition to the many things we are doing to support the sector and families, we’ve backed the new Starting Reception definition from Kindred2 and others in the sector. It’s a clear, practical checklist to help parents, carers, and educators work together to build the skills children need to thrive.

Supporting children in the early years is a shared mission. Together, we can make sure every child starts school confident, curious, and ready to learn.

A: Every child deserves the best start in life – no matter their background.

We already offer 15 hours of free early education for eligible 2-year-olds from families receiving additional support. Take-up is rising, with 75% of those eligible now accessing their place. For those moving into work, childcare costs can be covered through Universal Credit, helping parents balance work and family life without cost being a barrier.

But we know there’s more to do. That’s why we’re increasing the Early Years Pupil Premium to give providers more resources to support disadvantaged children with the extra help they need to thrive, and investing in school-based nurseries, which tend to operate in more disadvantaged communities.

We have a clear commitment to break down barriers to opportunity for every child, and as part of our wider work to remove the stain of child poverty in this country will make sure early education and support is accessible for every family that needs it.

A: We know that every corner of the sector – from childminders, to private, voluntary and independent settings, to school-based and maintained nurseries – makes an invaluable contribution to children’s life chances, and we want to work closely with providers to deliver the childcare places that families need.

School-based nurseries are one part of this country's brilliant childcare and early years market, who together are working to deliver expanded childcare entitlements and ensure children get the best start in life.

Nurseries located on a school site can operate under different delivery models, such as nursery classes run by the school, a PVI nursery leasing space on a school premises or operating on the school’s behalf or provision run by a childminder, or group of childminders, leasing space on a school premises.

I would encourage PVIs and childminders to approach schools to discuss partnership arrangements. Indeed, 27 of the 300 school-based nurseries announced this April will be run by PVIs.

A: It is clear from the conversations I’ve had with childminders and from attending events for them, that childminders are an essential part of the early years system. They provide a unique, high-quality service that is just as valuable as other early years providers. Home-based provision works for so many families looking for more flexibility, or for those who would prefer a smaller-scale setting for their little one.

In recent months, we’ve implemented new flexibilities for childminders, allowing them to work with more people and spend more time working from non-domestic premises if they choose. On top of these flexibilities, the expansion of government-funded childcare is benefiting childminders in a number of ways, including higher hourly rates to those they might ordinarily charge, and an expected increase in demand for places.

Childminders already provide more than 158,000 registered early years places. I want them to continue playing a central role in a diverse and thriving early years sector that gives every child the best start in life.

A: Children’s early years are absolutely crucial for their development and life chances, and early identification of needs is essential to provide timely support, ensuring children with SEND and developmental differences get the best start in life.

Parents, and the education staff who always want to do their very best to support the children they work with, are too often battling to get children the support they need and more importantly, deserve.

We are committed to improving inclusivity and expertise right across the education system, and in early September launched new online resources to help early years educators better support and assess children with developmental differences and special educational needs.

I won’t make false promises. Sadly, there is no ‘magic wand’ to fix these deep-rooted issues immediately, but I am determined to grip the problems. As we push ahead with our long-term reform of early years, children with SEND will not be forgotten.

Experts have been appointed to advise the government on reforming the system for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities to ensure they can achieve and thrive.