Mr Byers voiced his personal views on the future direction of childcare policy while kicking off discussions at a round-table debate hosted by 4Children in London last week on a model of integrated provision for nought to 16-year-olds.
Many of Labour's policies currently focus on families in the 20 per cent most deprived wards in England. Mr Byers said that he believes a move to universal provision would be popular with the electorate and bring enormous benefits to parents, children and society as a whole.
Mr Byers said Sure Start currently reaches only one quarter of deprived children because half live outside the targeted areas and only half within the targeted wards are benefiting.
Register now to continue reading
Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:
What's included
-
Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month
-
Unlimited access to news and opinion
-
Email newsletter providing activity ideas, best practice and breaking news
Already have an account? Sign in here
