Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support (a) early education and (b) childcare providers.

The government is committed to giving children the best start in life and has set the ambition through the government’s Plan for Change for a record proportion of children starting school ready to learn.

The department has set a target for 75% of children to achieve a good level of development by the end of reception, by 2028. This target aims to ensure that children are school-ready and have met their early learning goals by the age of five.

Next year alone, the department plans to provide over £8 billion for early years entitlements, which is a more than 30% increase compared to 2024/25.

The early years pupil premium rate has increased by over 45% compared to the 2024/25 financial year, which is equivalent to up to £570 per eligible child per year. The department is also providing further supplementary funding of £75 million for the early years expansion grant and £25 million through the forthcoming National Insurance contributions grant for public sector employers in early years.

State-funded primary-phase schools have submitted bids for up to £150,000 of capital funding to refurbish spare internal space to create or expand school-based nurseries. This is the first stage in our plan to deliver 3,000 school-based nurseries and will help deliver on the department’s commitment to ensure families across the country have access to high-quality childcare and early education.

The department is also delivering programmes to support the sector to attract talented staff and childminders by creating conditions for improved recruitment, alongside programmes to better utilise the skills of the existing workforce.