Commenting on the passing of an urgent motion at the Annual Conference of the National Education Union, Dr Mary Bousted, Joint General Secretary of the National Education Union, said:
“In its treatment of Early Years education, the government is making its usual mistake of promising improvement while running the risk of disaster.
“The funding of early years expansion is likely to fall well short of what’s needed. Growth will bring new problems, including a worsening of staff-to-child ratios for two-year-olds. Neither parents nor education workers have called for expansion on the cheap, yet this is what the Chancellor’s policy will bring about. Maintained Nursery Schools are public education at its best, yet they continue to be shamefully underfunded.
“Government is now effectively in charge of the funding of 80% of all pre-school childcare. It has the power to support a high-quality early-years system, properly staffed by well-trained educators. But it has a long way to go before it can claim to be delivering it.”
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2023-067-NEU