Nursery World - Invest in staff first, providers tell MPs

A Labour conference pledge of universal, affordable childcare for all in ten years can only be realised with substantial investment to ensure sufficiently trained and qualified staff, providers and practitioners warned last week. Education secretary Charles Clarke (pictured) followed Prime Minister Tony Blair and Chancellor Gordon Brown to the podium in Brighton last week to promise 'an education and childcare revolution' which he equated in importance with the founding of the NHS.

Education secretary Charles Clarke (pictured) followed Prime Minister Tony Blair and Chancellor Gordon Brown to the podium in Brighton last week to promise 'an education and childcare revolution' which he equated in importance with the founding of the NHS.

Giving a foretaste of what the Government is likely to reveal in its ten-year childcare plan in November, Mr Clarke told the conference, 'We will create across the country a seamless system of high-quality, flexible and affordable childcare for our under-fives. And we will establish by the end of the next parliament a children's centre in every local community.'

The charity 4Children welcomed Mr Blair's promise of 'universal, affordable and flexible childcare' for the parents of all children up to the age of 14. But chief executive Anne Longfield said that investment in childcare for school-age children would need to be doubled.

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