Lib Dems would triple early years premium, says Laws
Laura McCardle
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
The Liberal Democrats are calling for the new early years pupil premium to be more than tripled in the next parliament.
Schools minister David Laws said increasing the early years pupil premium from £300 to £1,000 would benefit more than 170,000 disadvantaged three- and four-year-olds during 2015/16.
He said the proposal will be included in the party's manifesto for the 2015 general election.
At present, the funding, which will be introduced in April 2015 to support three- and four-year-olds taking up 15 hours of free childcare a week, values each child’s care at 53p an hour, based on the 570 hours of free care each child receives annually.
Laws said it is vital that extra money is invested in the initiative, which was first unveiled by Prime Minister David Cameron and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg in March, in order to give children the best possible start in life.
He said: “Investing in early years is one of the best ways to build the fairer society that Liberal Democrats want to see and we are ambitious about delivering for future generations.
“This extra investment will mean a huge amount of support for the people who need it most and demonstrates our strong commitment to education.”
The announcement has been welcomed by charity 4Children, which called for the early years pupil premium to be increased per head to match the funding allocated to primary school children in its response to the Department for Education’s Early Years Pupil Premium and Funding for Two-year-olds consultation.
Helen Berresford, head of public affairs, said: “Investing in some of the most vulnerable children at a young age is the most effective use of funds because it can transform their life chances.
“We would like to see all the main political parties make a commitment to increase the early years pupil premium during the next parliament so it at least matches the amount given to primary school-aged children.
“Early support is the key to narrowing the gap between disadvantaged children and their peers.”
Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Pre-school Learning Alliance, has also welcomed the announcement.
He said: "While the introduction of the current premium was a step in the right direction, at 53p per child per hour, it is likely to do little to address the current funding shortfall and will provide limited additional support to childcare providers.
"The sector has long argued that a significant increase in funding is needed if we are to ensure that all children, and particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, are able to access high-quality early years care and education.
"It is encouraging to see a political party openly recognising the need for, and value of, greater investment in the early years sector, and we hope this will be reflected in all party manifestos ahead of next year's election."
Janet Grauberg, a policy consultant with think-tank CentreForum and a former adviser to Michael Gove when he was education secretary, last week warned that the £300 premium would fail to incentivise the best settings to reach out to disadvantaged children. Like 4Children, she called for the funding to be increased to match the school-age pupil premium in her response to the government consultation.
The 2014/15 pupil premium rate is £1,300 for primary-aged children and £935 for secondary school pupils.