Exclusive: The Minister's View - Let's help to beat the odds

In international evidence released last year, showing the ability of disadvantaged young people to fulfil their academic potential, the UK comes a lowly 28th out of 35 nations.

According to the OECD, poorer young people in this country are less likely to beat the odds than children in Canada, Australia, Finland, Mexico, Tunisia and Singapore, to name just a few. Even some of our very brightest children from disadvantaged backgrounds struggle to outperform their less gifted, but wealthier peers.

Is there a special reason why poorer young people in the UK lack the 'resilience' to beat the odds? Absolutely not. Children here are just as capable of enjoying wonderful childhoods and achieving their potential as any others around the world.

But all the evidence, both national and international, tells us that it is essential to unlock social mobility from the very earliest ages because the gaps in outcomes between children from richer and poorer backgrounds begin at just 22 months.

This is one of the reasons why this coalition Government is committed to strengthening and supporting provision in the early years in any way we can.

That's why we are extending 15 hours of free early education to the 40 per cent of twoyear-olds from less advantaged families by September 2014, and why we funded the extension to 15 hours of free early education for all threeand four-year-olds from September 2010.

That's also why we are focused on removing unnecessary bureaucracy - because it gets in the way of good quality work with children and in the way of social mobility.

FOCUSING ON WHAT MATTERS

The Early Years Foundation Stage framework was independently reviewed in 2010 by Dame Clare Tickell, who looked at how burdens could be reduced. Most of those who responded to Dame Clare's review said they valued the vital difference the EYFS has made to children's life chances. But they also said it needed simplifying.

The coalition Government consulted last year on the slimmed-down EYFS framework that we intend to introduce from this September. The new framework will emphasise the importance of interaction with children, rather than paperwork, and will offer greater flexibilities for practitioners.

We are reducing the number of early learning goals from 69 to 17 and simplifying assessment at age five by replacing a 117-point scale, with a single judgement against each of the 17 goals. It will also be up to practitioners, not Government or Ofsted, to decide whether risk assessments need to be in writing.

A CHANCE FOR EVERY CHILD

The reformed framework will also make clear that the way a provider meets the EYFS learning and development requirements will vary according to the amount of time children spend in the setting.

This drive to reduce unnecessary bureaucracy and allow practitioners to focus on the quality of the interaction with children is reflected in other areas too.

We have just finished a public consultation on reducing the statutory guidance to local authorities on the delivery of free early education places for threeand four-year-olds and on childcare sufficiency more widely. We asked how central prescription could be reduced to allow local authorities more flexibility to meet local needs and to widen the pool of childminders able to deliver the free early education offer. I'll be looking at the consultation responses soon, but if we go ahead, the guidance will reduce from 100 to 20 pages.

In 2012, the drive to reduce burdens on businesses will continue. From September, the new-look EYFS will strike the right balance between a clear focus on keeping children safe, and supporting their development, while reducing burdens on providers.

And even as we introduce the reforms, we will keep on asking if there is more we can do to free up time for nursery staff to spend time with children. Where we find examples of regulation and paperwork that isn't necessary to safeguard children, drive up quality or promote child development, we will take action to remove it.

Our ultimate aim is to support you in any way we can to make sure every child has a fighting chance of achieving on the basis of their talents, not background.