Labour to expand the 30 hours and Sure Start

Today (Saturday), leader of the Labour party Jeremy Corbyn will make the announcement during a visit to an early years arts project in Leeds with shadow education secretary Angela Rayner.

According to Labour, since the Conservative party entered government, 1,000 Sure Start children’s centres have closed.

Mr Corbyn will also outline Labour’s plans to expand the 30 hours of childcare to all two– to– four-year-olds, which the party says will save families thousands of pounds a year.

New analysis by the House of Commons Library, commissioned by Labour, reveals the following benefits if the 30 hours was expanded :

• The ‘average’ parent of a two-year-old would save over £5,000 a year.
• Parents who are only eligible for the 15 hours currently would save over £2,500 a year.
• The offer would benefit over 880,000 three and four-year-olds and 500,00 two-year-olds by the end of the parliament.

The political party also plans to increase funding rates, starting at over £5 an hour for three and four-year-olds and reaching to £9 an hour for two-year-olds. The full hourly rate would go direct to providers (see the comment from the shadow early years minister for more info - under our Opinion tab)

A Labour government would also provide free school meals for all primary school pupils, invest in schools to reverse funding cuts, end the public sector pay gap, introduce a Real Living Wage of at least £10 an hour, remove the two-child benefit limit and scrap Universal Credit.

Jeremy Corbyn, Leader of the Labour Party, said, ‘The Conservatives are failing a whole generation of children. Labour will deliver the real change Britain needs.

‘Parents are struggling to afford the childcare support they need, while many children are going hungry and growing up homeless.’

Angela Rayner, Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary, added,‘Investment in the early years can transform the lives of children and their families across this country, just as the last Labour government transformed mine.

‘Labour will make high-quality early years education and access to Sure Start Plus a right for all families, in a country for the many, not the few.’

Kevin Courtney, Joint general secretary of the National Education Union (NEU), said, ‘The fight against disadvantage begins in the early years, and Labour’s policies recognise this. The closure of Sure Start centres under Coalition and Conservative governments was deeply damaging. Rebuilding the Sure Start programme is essential. A recent survey of NEU members showed strong support for such a move.

'Free and universal provision of 30 hours of nursery education from age two upwards is an essential social investment. It will lift a financial burden from parents. Juggling the demands of employment and childcare will become that much easier.'

Jonathan Broadbery, National Day Nurseries Association’s (NDNA) head of policy and external relations, commented, 'The election is a chance to put high-quality childcare at the heart of the agenda and recognise the benefits of investing in our children at the earliest age. Access to affordable childcare helps children reach their full potential and supports parents in work or training.

'However, politicians need to avoid an arms race of ever-expanding promises that cannot be kept. It is vital that any pledges are fully costed and part of that should involve telling nurseries and childcare providers the planned funding rates for the promised hours. 

'The system needs to work for children, parents and providers. Before parties publish their manifesto promises they need to set out how they will fix the current challenges and ensure their policies won’t leave providers high and dry, or parents without childcare because their local nursery is forced to close.'

• Read our exclusive comment piece from the shadow early years minister Tracy Brabin here