Next Government urged to focus on quality of early education

In an open letter, the president and vice-presidents of Early Education call for further investment in high-quality provision for the most disadvantaged children. They say this should be a priority for the next Government, rather than increasing the number of free hours.

Penned by a number of early education experts including professors Cathy Nutbrown, Iram Siraj, Kathy Sylva and Tina Bruce, the letter calls for a focus on up-skilling the early years workforce to create a graduate-led profession, which they say would give children the best possible start in life.

Early Education’s president, Professor Tony Bertram said, ‘This election has seen promises to increase the number of hours of childcare for working families, and much less discussion about the quality of early education, especially for the most disadvantaged children. Every child has the right to the best possible start in life, including high-quality care and education delivered by a well-qualified workforce. This may cost a little more, but all the evidence shows that it is an investment not a cost, with beneficial impacts on the educational achievement and well-being of our poorest children.’

Chief executive Beatrice Merrick added, ‘Politicians of all parties clearly think offering more hours of free childcare will appeal to parents, but they need to look rigorously at the evidence of whether that is a good use of scarce public funds. One clear lesson from every previous expansion of early years provision is that quality does not keep up with quality when the sector is pressured to grow too fast.’