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In a rush? Here’s the quick rundown:
With the UK general elections coming up, it's time to start thinking about how the results might impact your Early Years setting and the sector as a whole. Being prepared and informed will help you make a wise decision on election day. It will also help you be ready for whatever comes next. Stay informed to navigate changes and continue providing quality care and education for children.
Voting with young children in mind is important because today's decisions will affect the support and resources they get. It’s important to do anything we can to speak up for the children’s needs, especially because they can’t. By being proactive, we can help shape policies that ensure a better future for them.
The Early Years sector has been facing a lot of challenges. From a shortage of educators and inadequate pay to a lack of recognition and respect, it's been a rough ride - for lack of a better word. While these issues won’t be fixed overnight, many educators and experts are hopeful that changes in policy can turn things around for the better.
That’s why it's crucial to understand what each UK political party is planning in terms of policy changes before we vote.
The Early Years Alliance has put together a manifesto to advocate for the changes needed to improve the quality of Early Years education, staff retention and staff wellbeing.
But, before I summarise their key recommendations, you might be wondering so who are these guys and why should we trust their recommendations? The Early Years Alliance is the largest and most representative Early Years membership organisation in England. Their goal as a charity is to provide affordable, high-quality education and care to help children and families in need. This helps bridge the education gap between these children and their peers.
This January Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Early Years Alliance, said:
"The government constantly talks about the need to close the attainment gap, and yet their approach to the Early Years is likely to achieve the exact opposite. It's clear that the whole approach to childcare and early education needs a complete rethink – otherwise, it is those children who need the most support who will lose out."
So you're probably thinking that all sounds great but what’s next and what's the plan? Well, that is largely determined by the political vote. So, to help you make the best decision for the Early Years sector, we’ve gathered key information to help you understand the different parties' plans and policies if they were to win the election.
Let's dive into the proposed changes and what they could mean for the sector.
Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Early Years Alliance, says that while these promises are a good start, they’re not enough to secure the sector’s future or handle the likely increase in demand for childcare spots over the next few years.
Currently, only 20% of families in the bottom third of income can access the existing offer of 30 hours of early education for three- and four-year-olds, and parents in full-time education or training are ineligible. Expanding to younger age groups will extend this inequality. Labour aims to address this.
Labour has always focused on access and equality in Early Years education. They aim to reduce inequalities so all children, no matter their background, can get high-quality early education. In the past, they have increased funding for Early Years and supported disadvantaged families.
Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Early Years Alliance, comments :
“With recent research showing that lower-income families and those living in more disadvantaged areas face the biggest challenges when it comes to accessing Early Years provision, it’s clear that whichever party comes into power next month, tackling so-called ‘childcare deserts’ and ensuring equity of access to early education must be a policy priority, and so Labour is right to focus on these important issues.”
The Liberal Democrats promise to invest in Early Years to ensure flexible, affordable, and fair education and childcare for all families. Their plans include:
The Liberal Democrats push for progressive policies that are flexible. They support measures to help working parents balance work and family life, like extending parental leave and boosting childcare funding. They aim to create an inclusive Early Years system that supports all families.
Commenting, Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Early Years Alliance, said:
"At the Alliance, we have long called for an early years strategy which recognises the vital need for every child to access high-quality early years while ensuring that the sector itself can sustainably deliver this. As such, it is positive to see that the Liberal Democrats’ manifesto includes several policies that look to address this – particularly the pledges to treble Early Years Pupil Premium, review funding rates and implement a career strategy for the workforce."
"Ultimately, however, the devil is in the detail. While we welcome the party's commitment to the sector and the big promises it has put forward today, so far, detail on how these would be implemented remains scant.
The party mixes green policies with left-wing ideas, like well-funded, locally run public services. They push for a balanced economy, tighter control on capitalism, and support fair voting with proportional representation.
The Conservative, Labour, and Liberal Democrats all promise to improve support for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). They plan to do this by promoting inclusivity in schools. The Liberal Democrats want to create a national body for special education.
The Conservatives plan to add 60,000 school spots and build 15 new free schools for children with special educational needs. This is to reduce regional differences. But there's not much talk about tackling the increasing challenges faced by SEND in Early Years settings, where vital early support begins.
This upcoming election is crucial for the Early Years sector. Each party has their own ideas and plans to help young learners. Knowing these can help us fight for the best results. Let's make informed choices to ensure a bright future for the children in our care.
As Neil Leitch OBE, CEO of the Early Years Alliance, puts it:
“You can judge the strength of a government by the way it cares for its youngest children – but more importantly, by the way, it cares for those people who educate and care for those children.”
Guidance from the Danish Health Ministry, translated in full to English.
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The full recommendations from a working group of over 70 nursery chains in the UK.
Please note: here at Famly we love sharing creative activities for you to try with the children at your setting, but you know them best. Take the time to consider adaptions you might need to make so these activities are accessible and developmentally appropriate for the children you work with. Just as you ordinarily would, conduct risk assessments for your children and your setting before undertaking new activities, and ensure you and your staff are following your own health and safety guidelines.
