Early Years Education

Lord Watts Excerpts

Wednesday 14th January 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)]

I am not apprised of the actual details. Obviously, this is something that has been picked up and will be looked at very seriously going forward.

[Lord Watts (Lab)]

My Lords, middle-class parents whose children fall behind at an early age often turn to private tuition on a one-to-one basis. It is proven to be very effective and is popular with middle-class parents. Should not the same thing be applied to children from poor backgrounds?

[Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)]

My noble friend picks up on an area of enormous debate, including whether the approach that he suggested is indeed the best value for money. I am sure that there are occasions when that is the case, but we need to be careful that we look at providing an education where such additional support is not a 100% requirement. I know there is split opinion on this, and I am sure we will watch it carefully.