Teach Early Years - Issue 14.2

There are mixed feelings across the sector about the plan for 200 school-based nurseries, scaling to 300 to create 6,000 places. Many of us remember when the Sure Start expansion produced new, shiny, cheaper nurseries right next to small, local, established nurseries, which then closed. But when Sure Start closed, it left no provision in many poor or rural neighbourhoods. So, stewarding the market takes long-sightedness! INVESTING IN STAFF Of course, these plans won’t translate without well-trained staff. Therefore, we’re promised £400 million over three years to provide £4,500 tax-free incentives for 3,000 early years teachers in 20 of the most disadvantaged areas, establish an Early Years Professional register, and establish career frameworks and funded training places, including SEND workforce support and resources. Is this enough to address the low quality of many training providers and increase pay and conditions? There is much talk about Good Level of Development (GLD), along with school readiness, a much-contested concept. The strategy focus is strong on language and literacy. No one will disagree that language development is a key to children’s success and that the 16-month vocabulary gap that exists between children in poverty and their wealthier peers is unacceptable. It’s therefore useful to see that the strategy aligns with the NHS Start for Life campaign. This is designed to encourage parents to chat, play, read, and recognise the power of conversation-rich environments to activate the brain regions responsible for language. Hopefully they will learn the importance of reducing their phone use during routines, which correlates with 16% less infant speech. Of course, all of this will count for nothing if there are no measurable commitments and accountability, so the ministers (Stephen Morgan MP is ours) must deliver on the promises made. It’s important to be informed about these developments, as it could make all the difference to your sustainability – find out more at tinyurl. com/TEYgovBSL June O’Sullivan OBE is the CEO of the London Early Years Foundation. Visit juneosullivan.com or connect on @JuneOSullivan The government’s blueprint for the sector is ambitious, but ministers must deliver on their promises… JUNE O’SULLIVAN This is a plan to transform early education” IN JULY 2025, THE GOVERNMENT PUBLISHED Giving Every Child the Best Start in Life, a three-year, £1.5 billion plan to transform early years education, childcare, and family services in England. Its core ambition is for 75% of five-year-olds to reach a good level of development by 2028. This is a key document for all of us working in the early years, as it’s the policy and political blueprint for how we will deliver our services for the next three years. Labour wants to put the future of children at the heart of its government plan. Having seen the Institute for Fiscal Studies’ findings that children living near Sure Start centres had better outcomes at ages 7, 11, and 16, higher GCSE scores, lower school absence, fewer hospitalisations or need for SEND services, and fewer mental health challenges, it’s unsurprising that they have introduced a similar, though more slimline, version called Best Start Family Hubs. This is a plan for 1,000 Family Hubs focusing on disadvantaged communities, with at least one per local authority by April 2026. The hubs will offer parenting classes, stay-and-play sessions, SEN support, referrals to housing, employment and health services, and a new digital parenting platform to provide guidance from pregnancy to school entry. Alongside them, there will be a national database linking the hubs with Wes Streeting’s neighbourhood health centres to proactively identify vulnerable children. EXPANSION AND INSPECTION I probably don’t need to rehearse the expansion of the 30-hour entitlement for working parents starting in September and the targeted drive to increase take-up of 15-hour entitlements, particularly for two-year-olds, children with SEND, and those in care. There is also a plan for more Early Years Pupil Premium in high-need areas. For the first time, a government strategy has recognised that a mix of private, charitable, and social enterprise providers are credible market partners, key to sustainability and equity. Come April 2026, Ofsted will inspect all providers within a four- year cycle, and I’m pleased to see all new providers will be inspected within 18 months. The strategy is strong on language and literacy Teachearlyyears.com 9