Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the guidance published by his Department on 25 March 2014, on Sure Start centres: local authority duties, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the core purpose of Sure Start children's centres.

Sure Start children's centres statutory guidance was published in April 2013; the web page containing it was last reviewed on 25 March 2014.

The statutory guidance states the core purpose of Sure Start children's centres is to improve outcomes for young children and their families, with a particular focus on those in greatest need. The Department extensively consulted on draft statutory guidance, including the core purpose, in 2012. The response was positive, with 85% of respondees (local authorities, children's centre managers, voluntary sector bodies and others) finding the document clear on statutory duties.

As I said to the Education Committee on 18 June, Ofsted is going to be moving to a local-authority-based inspection regime for children's centres and I am very happy to look at the core purpose, particularly in the light of what Ofsted put out as their inspection regime, if there is a lack of clarity.