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centred government, and confirmed the first phase of its plans to increase the number of school-based nurseries.

The Secretary of State for Education said: “So much in life depends on those crucial early years: before school, when the gaps between rich and poor open up. It is my first priority; the life chances of our children, and the future of our country demand nothing less.

“Conference, a year ago I told you that we were launching a review of early years education. Our manifesto pledged 3000 new school-based nurseries.

“Today, I can tell you that change begins, and delivery begins: those extra places start opening next year – the first phase of our new nurseries of high-quality early education, boosting life chances for children and work choices for parents.”

The speech also noted Labour’s plans for funding and standards, saying that tax breaks for private schools will end in just under a hundred days to help fund school-based nurseries alongside stating a dedication to end child poverty.

Commenting, Neil Leitch, CEO of the Early Years Alliance, said: “For far too long, education has been viewed as something that starts at the school gates. As such, we warmly welcome the education secretary’s recognition of the pivotal importance of early education and care, and her commitment to a child-centred approach to government.

“With the expansion of the early entitlement offer now well underway, it is absolutely right that the government looks at how it can increase provision to ensure that every child can access and benefit from early education and care, especially given that many families – and particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds – are likely to find it increasingly difficult to access places as the rollout of the scheme continues.

“That said, while the government has now confirmed the initial phase of its plans to increase the number of school-based nurseries, it must not be forgotten that private and voluntary nurseries, pre-schools and childminding professionals still provide the vast majority of early years places. We know firsthand that the educational professionals working in these settings are experienced at delivering the high-quality early education and care needed to support children's learning and development, the benefits of which can be seen throughout their time in school and beyond. As such, we're clear that this vital part of the sector must be central to any reform plans.

“What's more, while increasing physical capacity must undoubtedly play a role in meeting rising demand, such action can only ever be effective if we have enough educators to deliver these places. It is therefore critical that steps are also taken to address the sector’s longstanding staffing challenges – namely, a comprehensive recruitment and retention strategy – alongside funding that reflects the costs of delivering high-quality early education in the long term.

"But in the face of the significant challenges that lay ahead, it remains both positive and refreshing to see a growing recognition of the importance of children's earliest years. We look forward to working closely with the government to help ensure that every child, without exception, gets the start in life they deserve."

Parents are being urged to get their children vaccinated following the publication of new NHS figures showing that nearly one in six had not received both doses of the MMR vaccine by the age of five.

According to the latest annual data on vaccinations, published by NHS England, 16.1% of children who turned five between 1 April 2023 and 31 March 2024 had not received both doses of the MMR vaccine – the lowest level since 2010-11. The data did, however show that, 91.9% of five-year-olds had been given at least one dose of the vaccination.

The figures also show one in nine children (11.1%) who had their second birthday in 2023-24 did not get the first dose of the MMR vaccine, and one in 12 babies (8.8%) had not received all three doses of the 6-in-1 vaccine, which includes protection against whooping cough and other serious diseases such as diphtheria and polio, by the age of one.

Two doses of the vaccine give long-term protection against measles, mumps and rubella, which can cause serious illness and complications such as blindness and meningitis.

The NHS is encouraging parents and carers to check their children are protected against these illnesses and, if not, to contact their GP practice to book an appointment.

Steve Russell, NHS national director for vaccinations and screening, said: “Too many children are still not fully vaccinated against diseases like measles and whooping cough, which can cause serious illness and are preventable.

“Vaccinations have been protecting children for decades and are offered free as part of the NHS routine immunisation programme, saving thousands of lives and preventing tens of thousands of hospital admissions every year.

“We would advise parents to urgently check their child’s vaccination records and ensure they’re protected from becoming seriously unwell. Just speak to a healthcare professional like a school nurse if you’d like more information about vaccines, and contact your GP practice if you’d like to arrange a vaccination appointment for your child.”

The NHS is also urging pregnant women to get vaccinated against whooping cough to protect their babies, as evidence shows it is over 90% effective in preventing infant deaths if mums-to-be are vaccinated at the optimum time during pregnancy.

early entitlement expansion for eligible parents of children from nine months old.  The research mapped access for 10 million children across nine countries: England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Australia, France, Sweden, Norway, and the Netherlands.

The study, which focused on access to centre-based childcare and nurseries to allow international comparison, found that 45% of families in England live in ‘childcare deserts’ – areas where three or more children are vying for one early years place. When childminder provision is taken into account, this percentage falls to almost a third of the country being classified as a ‘childcare desert’, which while lower, means that accessibility in England is still poorer than most countries in the study.

Victoria University's research also demonstrates huge disparities in childcare access across England.

Of the nine regions across England, the north-west, London and the south-east rank best for accessibility with the fewest number of people living in a childcare desert. Meanwhile, the West Midlands, Yorkshire and The Humber, and the north-east have the greatest number of people living in a childcare desert.

The research found that childcare accessibility is better in the wealthiest parts of the country – a trend correlating with wealthier areas of towns and cities, too – with accessibility in the top 10% of advantaged neighbourhoods in England 16% greater than in the 10% most deprived areas.

This highlights a link between childcare accessibility and price that’s further demonstrated by findings showing that, in areas of London, the most advantaged parts of the capital – Kensington and Chelsea, Hammersmith and Fulham, and Wandsworth – have not only the best childcare accessibility but also the highest fees. This suggests providers go where they can charge more and have the possibility of greater profits, adding to early education and childcare shortages elsewhere across England.

Commenting, Neil Leitch, CEO of the Early Years Alliance, said: "This research from Victoria University’s Mitchell Institute is extremely concerning, and yet entirely unsurprising.

"We know that access to quality early years provision has a proven positive impact on a child’s life chances – and yet, almost a third of the English population live in a so-called 'childcare desert', with England ranking as one of the worst countries in Europe in terms of accessibility. Worse still, it's those children from more disadvantaged backgrounds, who we know benefit the most from access to early education, who are most likely to struggle to find a place.

"At a time when more children than ever are eligible for early entitlement hours, it has never been more important to ensure that there are enough early years places to meet demand. But as these findings show, this couldn't be further from reality – a direct consequence of the sustained lack of support given to the sector over recent years.

"Let’s be clear, the only way that every child – regardless of where they live – will be able to easily access high-quality early education is if the sector is properly supported to increase capacity. This means long-term funding that reflects the true cost of delivering places, and a staffing strategy that addresses both recruitment and retention. Anything less, and those set to gain the most from early education will continue to lose out. "

Ofsted has published its response to the Big Listen consultation, announcing a raft of upcoming changes to its inspections and approach.

The Big Listen – a consultation seeking views on Ofsted's work across the education and care sectors, including the early years – collected a total of 16,033 responses, 783 of which were early years-specific from families, while 1,152 came from early years organisations.

The inspectorate's response includes several sector-specific proposals, including scrapping one-word inspection judgements, introducing a report-card system, developing more nuanced reporting of the strengths of providers, and introducing a reformed inspection framework. This will be better suited to the early years.

Other proposals highlighted by Ofsted in its response to the consultation include:

• the introduction of the Ofsted Academy to improve training for inspectors
  

• the creation of a single point of contact within Ofsted for early years
  

• support for government plans to meet demand for early education and childcare places by streamlining the registration process for providers.
  

Ofsted intends to use the findings from its Best Start in Life research – the third instalment of which is due to be published this autumn – alongside the consultation to shape and implement these changes.

It also aims to align such changes with the government’s plans for early language interventions, raising the standards of maths teaching across nurseries and preschools, and ensuring that early years practice includes a rich diet of texts being read to children to prioritise.

Commenting, Neil Leitch, CEO of the Early Years Alliance, said: "It’s very positive to see that Ofsted has both acknowledged the wide-ranging challenges facing the sector and put in place several measures to address these, including – in collaboration with the Department for Education – the eventual scrapping of one-word judgements.

"We know early educators go above and beyond to deliver high-quality care and education, but Ofsted inspections have long been a cause of significant stress across the sector. As such, we welcome proposals to recognise the importance of educators in the development of a more nuanced reporting of the strengths of providers. 

"That said, for these proposals to make certain that inspections are a collaborative and supportive process, today must mark the start – not the end – of Ofsted's engagement with the sector. This is especially important given plans to review the early years inspection framework and apply it more flexibly to different types of settings.

"Let's not be under any illusion: there is a long way to go to transform the relationship between the inspectorate and early years providers, but we are hopeful that this marks the first step in a renewed approach."

Single-word Ofsted judgements will be scrapped for schools "with immediate effect" to “boost school standards and increase transparency for parents”, the government has announced.

The announcement states that the removal of headline judgements for other settings inspected by Ofsted – including early years providers – is set to follow, saying: "The removal of single headline grades for other settings inspected by Ofsted – namely independent schools, early years settings, colleges, children’s social care providers, and initial teacher training – will follow."

Though it has not yet been confirmed when this change will be extended to the early years, the Department for Education (DfE) says: "The DfE and Ofsted will work in partnership with the sector over the next year to develop alternative inspection and regulation arrangements that maintain a strong focus on quality and standards, whilst responding to feedback on what needs to change. New arrangements will take account of the unique characteristics of the sector but will broadly reflect the report card approach that is being taken for schools."

The DfE also highlighted that, as it stands, settings' ability to receive early entitlement funding is linked to their most recent overall effectiveness rating, adding: "We are considering whether any amendment is required to the regulations governing the early education and childcare entitlements and plan to provide further information and guidance by the time any new inspections from September 2024 onwards publish their reports."

Commenting, Neil Leitch, CEO of the Early Years Alliance, said: "We know that Ofsted inspections are the single biggest source of stress for early years providers, with our research showing that the vast majority of settings are in support of the removal of single-word judgements. As such, confirmation that this change will also apply to the early years sector is undoubtedly positive and is likely to be warmly welcomed by providers across the country.

"That said, it remains disappointing that despite the fact that this policy change will ultimately impact the entirety of the education sector, this announcement was almost entirely focused on schools.

"While we recognise that there are additional considerations that must be taken into account for the early years – such as the fact that Ofsted judgements are currently linked to early entitlement funding eligibility – it remains vital that this change is also applied to our sector as soon as possible.

"As we have said time and time again, education doesn't begin and end with schools. We therefore urge both the Department for Education and Ofsted to ensure that as this process of change begins, early years are treated as a priority."

The future of the early entitlement expansion rollout remains uncertain without further government support, the Early Years Alliance has warned.

The second phase of the expansion, which will see eligible families of children aged nine months and over able to access 15 funded hours of early education and childcare per week for 38 weeks of the year, began on 2 September 2024 alongside the start of the new academic year.

However, the viability of the offer, which is set to increase to 30 hours per week for eligible children aged nine months and above from September 2025, is being called into question amid staff shortages and the struggle to accommodate the number of child places needed to fulfil demand.

Commenting, Neil Leitch, CEO of the Early Years Alliance, said: "With early entitlement hours now available for eligible children aged nine months and over, even more families are understandably expecting to make use of the offer. However, at the Alliance, we know that for many the reality is likely to be very different.

"As our own research shows, settings simply do not have the capacity to meet the likely surge in demand, with 78% of settings struggling to recruit and more than a third actively considering leaving the sector. On top of this, years of underfunding has made it increasingly difficult for providers to deliver enough high-quality early years places using funding alone, prompting many to limit intake or increase fees for hours that fall outside of the expansion just to keep their doors open.

"Despite now being at the midway point of the expansion, the success of the rollout remains incredibly uncertain. As such, we hope the government is not just listening to the concerns of the sector but puts in place swift and meaningful action to address the historic levels of underfunding and the sector’s severe staffing crisis. And, at the Alliance, we look forward to continuing to work with them to make certain that this is not just a policy priority but a reality."