Secretary of State calls for funded childcare to include families on benefits
Bridget Phillipson, Secretary of State for Education, is reportedly calling for the childcare offer to extend to families on benefits in a move towards universal childcare.
She is expected to give a speech on this topic in Oxford this evening (8 July).
She argued that increasing access to funded childcare will help to counter youth unemployment. Around half of children from low income families do not receive formal early education, mostly because their parents are not working. Extending the childcare offer into these communities would support these parents into work and also support disadvantaged children fulfil their potential, she told the audience at Ruskin College.
Although NDNA welcomes the principle of supporting disadvantaged children with early education and care, the many flaws in the current system must be fixed before any further expansion is on the table.
Tim McLachlan, Chief Executive of National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) said:
“High quality early education, especially for children from disadvantaged backgrounds, is the closest thing we have to a silver bullet. Research shows that it improves their life chances and reduces the attainment gap which is imperative in the week when we hear that four children in every class are destined for unemployment.
“Every pound of government investment that increases children’s access to high quality early education places is a good thing for families, society and the future of our country’s economy.
“However, our recent survey found that 87% of English nurseries make a loss on each three and four-year-old funded place. NDNA has repeatedly said that the current funding is not viable. Any decision on expansion of the existing offer MUST depend on fixing the current underfunded system first, so all types of nursery provider can thrive and deliver sufficient places to meet demand.
“The CMA is currently looking at provider sustainability in its investigation into the nursery sector and the IFS reported that the Government – which pays for 80% of all places – is already paying £1bn more than they expected. This policy would mean huge numbers of new children coming into nurseries, at a time when the sector is still playing catch-up from the 30 hours expansion for children of working families from nine months old.
“There are issues with the current universal offer as take up has fallen from 97% in 2018 to 90% now. Issues of underfunding and take-up MUST be addressed first and foremost.
“If the Government is fully committed to supporting children from disadvantaged backgrounds, they need to be fair and extend payments for free school meals to ALL early years settings, not just those in schools. They must also fix the Universal Credit system which is currently forcing some working parents on low incomes out of work because UC won’t pay for meals (which are unfunded) and additional hours for their children.”
Bridget Phillipson’s speech is not from the Department for Education but is from the Labour Party. With a change in Prime Minister due in the coming weeks, the proposal is currently speculative.
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