Giving evidence to the education select committee about catch-up plans ahead of the reopening of schools next week, Collins was asked by chair Robert Halfon MP if £18m allocated to early years as part of the government’s £1.7bn catch-up fund was “sufficient”.
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Halfon explained that £10m has been allocated to the government’s pre-reception early language programme and £8m has been ring-fenced for Nuffield Foundation’s early language intervention programme.
Collins, who was most recently chief executive at the Education Endowment Foundation and previously director of children’s services at Tower Hamlets Council, said the funding was not sufficient.
“I think the whole package isn’t sufficient, it’s a good start but this is not the recovery plan,” he said.
“I think it’s fair to say over time we have under invested in early years as a nation.”
Collins praised the benefits of “high quality” early years provision with “highly trained skilled adults” as well as the “very well made” language programmes set to receive funding.
However, he added: “Early years has got to be absolutely central to the [recovery] plan.
“The crucial thing about early years, for me, is not overloading it with programmes but creating the time and space for children to be with highly trained skilled adults.
“It’s the quality we need to invest in.
“We need to understand the massive contribution great early years practice makes and great early years experience makes and so I see it as core to my work to say ‘how do we better support early years as the foundation for learning and broad learning in terms of social skills and non-academic development’.”
Fleur Anderson, MP for Putney, asked Collins if changes could be made to funding allocations to allow state maintained nurseries to access programmes boosted by the catch-up fund.
Collins said he needed to “better understand” the situation and vowed to take the question away.
He added: “The issue is the money needs to be with the children, and wherever those children are they need the support.”
Meanwhile, the committee heard from Collins that a range of plans including summer schools and extended school days were being considered to help close the attainment gap for disadvantaged pupils.
“Right now it's a time for all things being considered and all things being available,” he said.
The discussion comes as early years leaders call for Chancellor Rishi Sunak to offer “vital” support to the sector in tomorrow’s Budget (3 March).
