Nursery World - Nursery schools win new Labour respect

The Government appears to have made a U-turn in its approach to nursery schools in England.

Early years minister Catherine Ashton told the Forum for Maintained Nursery Schools conference in London last week that nursery schools were at the heart of Labour's policies for young children. She said, 'One might reflect that the McMillan sisters' vision of early education and support for parents living in poverty in Deptford is still the model for the comprehensive and universal services we want to see established.'

Baroness Ashton said many countries on the Continent had recognised the value of the nursery school approach early on and had 'configured services on a national scale accordingly'. The Government now wished to embrace this approach, she said, as nursery schools represented an 'invaluable resource and a powerful network'.

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