A Sutton Trust report urges the Government to reverse its ‘ill-advised’ decision not to extend the childcare offer for 3- and 4-year-olds to non-working parents, which risks increasing the gap in school readiness between disadvantaged children and their peers. Working parents are currently entitled to double the standard fifteen hours of free weekly childcare that is available universally. In a survey, 80% of head teachers said that many children arrived at primary school not ready for classroom activities, and 86% said the situation is worse now than five years ago. The trust said that early years childcare increased the benefits for children whose parents have lower incomes or lower levels of education, or whose first language is not English. Although it is understandable that the Government wants to improve access to childcare for working parents, this must not be at the expense of good early education for disadvantaged children.
Childcare plan widens school readiness gap
Written by David Fletcher 29 Sep 2017Additional Info
- Pray: for needy families to receive support to improve their children’s chances later in life. (Leviticus 19:15)
- More: schoolsweek.co.uk/30-hour-free-childcare-plan-would-widen-school-readiness-gap/
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