Policy and Politics
Government fleshes out coalition policy on Sure Start and early years
Details of what the next five years has in store for children, families, Sure Start and early years education under the new coalition Government were published today.
Speaking at a news conference in London on Thursday morning, Prime Minister David Cameron and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg unveiled the full programme for the coalition, which includes pledges to cut funding to Sure Start outreach services and increase the number of health visitors by 4,200.
The programme does not pledge to abolish universal Sure Start services, but does say that the Government will increase its focus on the neediest families, investigate ways of paying providers by results and ‘take Sure Start back to its original purpose of early intervention’.
On education, the coalition agreement includes the Conservatives’ flagship policy of allowing parents, teachers, charities and community groups to come together and start new schools.
Other policies include the Liberal Democrat promise to allocate extra funding to help disadvantaged children which would come from outside of the schools budget, and giving schools more freedom over the curriculum.
Government plans for helping families include maintaining free nursery provision. No mention is made of ruling out the Tories' proposal to allow 'top-up fees' to be charged by struggling nurseries, although the LibDems had come out against such a move. The agreement also says Government will strive for a greater gender balance in the early years workforce.
The coalition agreement also pledges to tackle the commercialisation and sexualisation of children and to simplify inspections of schools and the regulation of education.
The foreword of the programme, by David Cameron and Nick Clegg says, ‘We both want a Britain where social mobility is unlocked; where everyone, regardless of background, has the chance to rise as high as their talents and ambition allow them. To pave the way, we have both agreed to sweeping reform of welfare, taxes and, most of all, our schools – with a breaking open of the state monopoly and extra money following the poorest pupils so that they, at last, get to go to the best schools, not the worst.’
Alison Garnham, Chief Executive of Daycare Trust, commented, 'We warmly welcome the commitment from the coalition government to support the free entitlement. It is a landmark policy that has meant for the first time nearly all children are starting school with the essential benefits of good quality early years education and care – giving them the start in life they deserve.
'This, along with the extension of flexible working and parental leave, is exactly the kind of family friendly policy that must be built upon in order to support children and parents.
'Daycare Trust now calls on the government to give us a cast-iron guarantee that extension of the free entitlement to 15 hours per week will go ahead in September as planned and that the universal provision of Sure Start children’s centres will be protected. It is because these centres are open to all that they have been so effective at reaching the parents who would not normally use such services but who stand to gain the most from them, and this must not be put at risk. It is well documented that children do best in a mixed environment.'
Read the full coalition agreement at http://programmeforgovernment.hmg.gov.uk
