General Election 2019: Conservatives win majority - early years and schools reaction

With just one seat in St Ives left to declare, the Conservatives have 364 MPs, Labour 203, the SNP 48, Liberal Democrats 11 and the DUP eight.

A minor reshuffle is expected on Monday.

It is not yet known who will be part of the new ministerial team for education and early years at the Department for Education.

Education secretary Gavin Williamson retained his seat in South Staffordshire.

School standards minister Nick Gibb, the Bognor Regis and Littlehampton MP, who is currently minister responsible for early education and childcare covering funding, support for the workforce, curriculum, quality and the early education entitlements, also retained his seat.

Where does the election result leave the early years and education sector?

While promising more wraparound childcare for working parents, the Conservative Party manifesto did not provide detailed costed pledges for how it would pay for this expansion, and made no new commitments to increases in funding.

Analysis by Ceeda of manifesto pledges prior to the election revealed that a Conservative win would cost the sector the most.

It estimated that a Conservative win would mean providers facing an estimated deficit of £571 million in 2020/21 to deliver funded places for two- to- four-year-olds. This deficit would rise to an estimated £824 million when cross-subsidies for younger age groups are factored in, it claimed.

Initial reaction from the early years sector was muted and warned of further funding shortfalls for providers.

Dr Jo Verrill, managing director at Ceeda, said, 'Childcare providers will find some relief in the fact that the funding freeze will not accompanied by further expansion of free-entitlement places.

'There is no doubt however, that many in the sector, and the communities they serve, face a very challenging future. We are likely to see increasing divergence between communities, in the quality and availability of early education and childcare, as providers struggle to bridge the gap between funding rates and rising costs.'

Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Early Years Alliance, said, ‘Childcare providers may have been hoping for a change of direction for the sector as a result of this election. Sadly, with the Conservatives failing to commit to any further funding for the early years, many will still be concerned about the future and long-term viability of their businesses after last night’s result.


‘This Government could leave the sector facing an £800 million funding shortfall by the end of this parliament that will further increase parent fees and force more providers to close. We can't go on like this – we need urgently need funding levels to cover the true cost of delivering childcare and a firm commitment for them to be reviewed annually.’

Purnima Tanuku, chief executive of the National Day Nurseries Association, said, ‘This election, NDNA and our members contacted thousands of candidates up and down the country to call for children to be put at the heart of early years policy. It’s clear that the 30 hours policy is here to stay but we need to make sure it is working for children, parents and childcare providers.
 
‘There are still many challenges in delivering this policy, which the new Government need to face up to and address. Funding rates need to cover costs and allow nurseries to deliver the high-quality care we all want to see for our children. At the same time, the growing burden of business rates on nurseries must be addressed as promised.

‘There were no manifesto plans from the Government on how to tackle the workforce crisis in early years but we will continue to campaign hard on this issue as it affects nurseries across the whole of the UK. A dedicated, skilled and well rewarded workforce is critical to improving children’s outcomes at a vital stage of their development.’

The Professional Association of Childcare and Early Years (PACEY) chief executive Liz Bayram said, ‘We welcome the new Westminster government and their commitment to create more affordable childcare including before and after school. 


‘Registered childminders are uniquely placed to provide high quality out of school care. Key to this and current early education commitments will be the development of a comprehensive and sustainable funding strategy. 


‘Too many childminders, nurseries and pre-schools are at breaking point because the current funding for government-subsidised early education is not enough to cover the cost of delivering the high quality experience all children, especially our most disadvantaged, deserve. This should all be backed up with a strategy that ensures practitioners are better valued and rewarded, and families better informed why early education is so important and the types of support available to them.’

Schools
 
The National Education Union said that Mr Johnson’s government had inherited ‘a daunting To Do list on education’, which it said should include ending school cuts and investing in education, ending child poverty, addressing the teacher retention and recruitment crisis, replacing Ofsted with a fair way of evaluating schools, and ending high-stakes primary tests.
 
Dr Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, said, ‘There are massive problems in the system which the incoming government must address fast. Schools, colleges and nursery schools face continuing, interlinked, crises in funding, teacher retention and workload.

‘Disgracefully, a third of children live in poverty, and this has a devastating impact on their life chances and their access to education. Whilst the Conservative manifesto said little new about children and education, schools across the country are collecting for food banks over Christmas or opening on Christmas Day to support children and families. Ignoring the scale of child poverty and the damage it inflicts isn't an option.’