Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government plans to take in response to the findings of the Effective Pre-School, Primary and Secondary Education project by the Institute for Education; and what steps the Government plans to take to improve access to high quality early years education.

We know from the findings of the Effective Pre-School, Primary and Secondary Education (EPPSE) study that early education has a significant impact on child outcomes, and that attending high quality pre-school provision has a positive and long term impact not only on children’s attainment progress, but also on their social-behavioural development.

We have now invested in a major longitudinal Study of Early Education and Development (SEED) to update evidence from EPPSE and evaluate the effectiveness of the current early education model in England. Evidence from SEED will be used to continue to ensure that all children receive an effective, high quality early education experience that prepares them for school and allows them to fulfil their potential; that future investment is targeted correctly and policies are developed in the most effective way.

We understand the importance of quality and its impact on children’s outcomes. The Common Inspection Framework recently introduced by Ofsted will give greater clarity, coherence and comparability on early years and education settings to parents and providers. The most recent Ofsted early years and childcare inspection report shows that, 85% of all providers currently on the Early Years Register were judged "good" or "outstanding" for overall effectiveness. This is a 5 percentage point increase on the previous year to 31 August 2014.

And as part of our wider reforms, we will continue to work in collaboration with the early years sector to further develop our workforce strategy to improve the quality of the early years workforce. This will include a review of progression routes to identify what more can be done to ensure that good quality staff can maximise their potential and forge a successful career within the early years.

We want all children, regardless of their starting point, to have access to high quality early education and childcare, as we know this is what makes the difference to outcomes. We are currently funding 15 hours a week of free childcare for all three- and four-year-olds, worth around £2,500 a year per child to parents; and funding 15 hours a week of free childcare for the 40% most disadvantaged two-year-olds, worth around £2,500 a year per child to parents.

We know that the current model is extremely successful with 99% of four-year-olds and 94% of three-year-olds taking up a place. Based on survey data collected from local authorities in the autumn of 2015, it is estimated that 182,000 two-year-olds - around 72% of eligible children - have taken up a place on the two-year-old programme.

From September 2017, we are introducing 15 hours of free childcare a week for the working parents of three- and four-year olds, worth around a further £2,500 a year per child – on top of the existing early education entitlement.