Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what analysis her Department (a) has made or (b) plans to make of the effect of closures of Sure Start Children's Centres since 2010 on the social mobility of the most disadvantaged children in (i) Enfield North constituency, (ii) the London Borough of Enfield and (iii) London.

The Childcare Act 2006 requires local authorities to consult before they make significant changes to their children’s centre provision. Where they decide to close a children’s centre, councils must demonstrate that children and families, particularly the most disadvantaged, will not be adversely affected and that they will not compromise their duty to have sufficient children’s centres to meet local need. Local authorities are best placed to understand local needs and the different ways children and families can be supported locally.