He has just announced plans for affordable and flexible childcare for parents of all under-fives, and says it will be financially possible to meet the pledge by the end of a third Labour government.
"There's a large amount of money that is already being spent in terms of childcare," he says. "There is public money that is going in, for example, through Sure Start and children's social services, individual money that parents pay, and some relatively small contributions from employers as well.
"But I think there's a serious argument about whether we're getting the best bang for our bucks. We need to bring those streams together, using children's centres as the organisational base. In addition we have got the extra resources the Chancellor has allocated through the Comprehensive Spending Review, so we can put that money from the state in. And I also think we ought to generate more money from employers in this area."
Affordable for the Government, then, but what about parents? What does he actually mean when he promises affordable childcare?
"Affordable varies from one part of the country to another and I feel that this system needs to be delivered very locally, so I haven't got an answer right across the range on that," he replies. "But if you look at the Daycare Trust's work I think they would say, and we agree with them, that individuals who pay for childcare don't usually get value for money and can't often get the highest quality.
"Statutory provision is for children of three and four and the question is how we make that statutory provision more flexible and allow one and two to be in there as well."
And he won't just be relying on tax credits to pay for childcare. Money will also be ploughed into making childcare more available and pushing prices down.
Tackling the shortage of childcare workers will be another major priority and challenge, he says. "I think this is the biggest single problem in terms of delivery, which is why we were cautious and said it would take more than one term in government to deliver.
"A, there's a shortage; B, the qualification structures are completely higgledy-piggledy; and C, there are significant examples of low pay, low training and so on. So the sector skills council that we're establishing will be specifically there to raise the levels of all those things, and to co-ordinate it."
He also says he's not concerned about the choice agenda in schools pulling against the inclusion agenda implied by extended schools. "It's simply a question of everybody working together. The local authority through the children's trust would have a great deal of authority in this area. I don't believe there will be a big problem of head teachers and governing bodies not wanting to make their schools extended schools. In fact, the story is exactly the opposite; they are involved and committed. I am sure we can do this by voluntary agreement."
And he's not preparing to back down in the face of the campaign to give school governors a duty to promote the educational attainment of looked-after children.
"I think the duty lies with those who act as parents to looked-after children, and the organisation which is in loco parentis is the local authority. I think it's right they should have the obligation. I myself think that giving schools a legal obligation for particular sub-groups but not for others becomes very difficult in practice."
The Government's most wide-ranging target is to eradicate child poverty by 2020, and he acknowledges that the interim target of halving it by 2010 will be very difficult.
But he says: "It's about the child benefit system and how that whole system operates. And I think this whole affordable childcare strategy really will impact on it."
BACKGROUND - The education public servant
- Clarke was president of the National Union of Students from 1975 to 1977
- He was chair of the housing committee and vice chair of economic development in Hackney between 1980 and 1986. He also worked as a researcher then chief of staff to former Labour leader Neil Kinnock from 1981 to 1992
- He has been MP for Norwich South since 1997, and was appointed as secretary of state for education and skills in October 2002.
