Early Years Educators — [James Gray in the Chair]

Mr Andrew Lewer discussed the challenges faced by early learning providers exacerbated by the pandemic and changes in funding from central Government and local authorities. He highlighted the case of Camrose Early Years Centre, which is a maintained nursery school and day care provider facing potential service cuts due to restructuring of funding from the local authority. Mr Lewer emphasised the importance of the 'first 1,001 days' approach and welcomed recent announcements about family hubs.

Ben Bradley highlighted the importance of early years education for children's development and stressed that investing in this sector is crucial. He discussed workforce challenges, suggesting a joined-up strategy to support career progression within education and care pathways. Bradley also addressed funding issues, mentioning £500 million allocated for family hubs and Start4Life advice service, which he sees as beneficial for disadvantaged children.

Ms Mackrory highlighted the importance of early years education for a child's future success, stressing that early communication, language and literacy skills are crucial. She mentioned that 28% of four and five-year-olds finish their reception year without these essential skills. She advocated for better status and remuneration for early years educators to retain well-qualified staff, noting issues such as low pay, high workload, and limited training opportunities.

Stressed the importance of adult attention in early childhood development and called for sufficient funding to support high-quality early years education. Cited research showing that investment in early years has a significant impact on social mobility and academic success later in life. Highlighted the need for professionalisation and cross-sector collaboration to spread expertise.

The hon. Lady noted the importance of viewing early years educators as highly skilled professionals, not just well-meaning amateurs. She pointed out that funding for 30-hour entitlement has not kept pace with wage increases, leading to a widening gap between costs and revenue. Ms. Hayes highlighted the importance of early years educators, paying tribute to their work in nurturing children's development and reducing inequality. She criticized the Government for neglecting the sector during the pandemic, noting that 1,000 Sure Start centres have closed. Ms. Hayes also pointed out structural issues with the implementation of the 30-hour entitlement scheme, which has contributed to rising childcare costs and provider closures. She stressed the need for a plan to support children affected by the pandemic's impacts on early education. Asked if the Minister would give way on Stephanie Peacock's point about SEN funding.

James Daly, chair of the APPG on nursery schools, highlighted the importance of early years education in achieving equality of opportunity. He emphasized the critical developmental stage between zero and five years old for children's academic and social development. Daly shared his experience as a governor at Hoyle Nursery School where they managed to turn a failing school into an outstanding one through focused staff training despite financial constraints. Mr. Daly briefly intervened with a comment indicating that he agreed with Ms. Hayes' points regarding the importance of supporting early years educators and addressing issues faced during the pandemic.

The hon. Member for Strangford noted the significant stresses faced by early years educators during the pandemic, including staffing issues and recruitment difficulties highlighted in a survey where 84% of respondents reported difficulty recruiting suitable staff. He also mentioned the £12 million support package issued by Northern Ireland's Health and Education Ministers to childcare providers. Jim Shannon underlined the importance of wage structures for retaining highly qualified staff and the challenges related to special educational needs provision.

Congratulated the hon. Gentleman on securing the debate, raised concerns about childcare providers' inability to cover costs due to insufficient funding for free hours of childcare and the impact on staff pay and training. The hon. Member for Twickenham is concerned about a report by the Education Policy Institute which found that over 40% of staff working in early years settings do not have access to training for speech and language, an issue exacerbated by the pandemic. She highlighted that the government's funding covers approximately £460 per head of those working in the sector, insufficient to address the professionalisation needs.

The MP thanked her colleague for initiating the debate and highlighted the importance of early years providers. She discussed the challenges families face with childcare costs, urging MPs to explore social media hashtags related to parenting and childcare for a better understanding of these issues. The MP also mentioned high staff turnover rates in nurseries at 24%, compared to 15-18% across other sectors, costing £879 million annually. She stressed the need for more investment in early years education, considering its critical role in children's development.

Stephanie Peacock noted her appreciation for James Daly's speech and questioned the Government's decision to cut over 1,300 Sure Start centres in a decade. She pointed out that this decision has left many children without necessary support and mentioned specific closures in Barnsley. A nursery in Barnsley providing one-to-one support for children with SEN is worried about having to turn away children due to lack of funding. The local council has a £11 million deficit, set to double in the coming years.

Paid tribute to early years educators, noting their average hourly wage of £7.42 and calling for a cultural change in how we value these professionals.