Pupil premium extension to pre-schools wins backing from Clegg
Laura McCardle
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has pledged his support for extending the use of pupil premium funding into the early years sector.
Speaking at the launch of 4Children’s Making Britain Great for Children and Families manifesto at the House of Commons, Clegg said targeting funding at children at the earliest possible stage would make the best use of budgets.
He said: “How do we make sure that the money we have we use to the greatest effect?
“Firstly, start young where you can, and the second thing is to aim scarce resources at those that need it most – that’s the dominant force with the £2.5m pupil premium that we’re introducing in schools.
“I think the idea of a premium to help disadvantage is something that should be reflected in pre-schools as well.”
Clegg also voiced his support for the creation of local children and family centre hubs.
The hubs, a recommendation of 4Children’s manifesto, would allow families to access a range of support services, including advice on parenting, debt and drug addiction, in one place.
The manifesto calls for an overhaul of the public support services available to children and families.
As part of this, 4Children wants a universal childcare guarantee up until the age of 14, a national policy focus on early intervention and for part-time and flexible working to become the norm for all parents.
The charity’s recommendations are based on findings of a YouGov poll of 2,221 adults, which reveals that 56 per cent of parents think family life is harder today than it was 20 years ago.
Anne Longfield, chief executive of 4Children, said services need to adapt to meet the changing needs of families.
“We need to have a major shift in ambition if we’re going to make Britain great for families," she explained.
“If we want a country where families and children are valued and flourishing, then politicians, policymakers and those providing public services and running businesses all need to change the way they listen and respond to what families want.
“It’s clear from what people are telling us that this country’s systems and approaches are not working for many families, and they are now demanding smart thinking from all political parties to make Britain a better place to bring up children.”
