Labour pledges to protect early years budget

In its education manifesto, launched today, Labour also reiterates a commitment to Sure Start, creating up to 50,000 more childcare places by ensuring centres ‘open their doors to local childcare providers.’

The party says it would ‘protect the entire education budget in real terms’, including early years funding, schools, and education and skills funding for young people over 16, should it win the general election.

The manifesto is being launched today (9 April) by Labour leader Ed Miliband and shadow education secretary Tristram Hunt.

Labour says that it will ‘reinvigorate the role of Sure Start centres giving them a renewed remit to act as a base for universal family services including childcare.’

The party has also pledged to extend free early education places for three- and four-years-olds from 15 hours to 25 hours a week, paid for by an increase in the bank levy.

Parents would be given a legal guarantee of access to childcare from 8am to 6pm through their primary school.

Other proposals include:

• ensuring all teachers achieve qualified teacher status and introducing a new ‘Master Teacher’ status so that teachers can become highly-skilled, for example, in maths and English teaching at primary level;
• capping class sizes for five-, six- and seven-year-olds at 30, paid for by ending the Free Schools programme;
• Labour has also said that it would guarantee children from the age of 11 one-to-one careers advice.The new plans would cost around £50m and would be funded through a partnership between universities, schools, colleges and employers.

Commenting on the plans, Christine Blower, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, the largest teachers’ union, said, ‘There are some positive elements in the Labour education manifesto such as the right for a child to be taught by a qualified teacher, smaller class sizes, the restoration of Sure Start and face-to-face career guidance.

‘Ending the costly and ineffective free schools programme is certainly an essential step for whoever forms the next Government, as is protecting the education budget. Schools are desperately struggling to make ends meet as it is. Education funding not only needs to be protected, but also needs to be restored to the levels required to support schools, including improved pay and conditions for teachers.’