Today, Labour leader Keir Starmer spoke of his pledge to shatter the UK’s “class-ceiling” by reform early education and the school system if his party wins the next general election

Speaking in Kent, Starmer claimed that the “snobbery” surrounding the “academic/vocational divide” must stop to ensure children from working class backgrounds have an equal grounding for accessing high quality care and education.

He stated: “There’s also something more pernicious. A pervasive idea, a barrier in our collective minds, that narrows our ambitions for working class children.”

Earlier in the week, Labour spoke of plans to tackle the workforce crisis in early years education by place significantly more graduate teachers into nurseries. Furthermore, the party aims to place more nurseries into primary schools to align it centrally within the entire education system.

The speech focused on the last of the five missions set by the party to “break down barriers to opportunity”.

It will include pledges of skills reform to offer more chances for young people to engage in vocational learning and for adults to retrain in new areas getting more people into the workforce, as well as to ensure every child has a specialist teacher in their classroom.

The funding to support these promises will most likely come by ending tax breaks currently offered to private schools. It is estimated that this would raise around £1.7 billion.

Labour early years: A need to go further

Asked about childcare costs after the speech, Starmer said Labour has already set out “a number of measures”.

” I do acknowledge straight away that that is a barrier particularly for women, and it’s important for the child as well. We have set out the down payment of what we would like to do in relation to childcare.

“Of course, we would like to go further because it is very, very important.”

Policy leaders respond

Commenting, Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Early Years Alliance, said: 

“It is positive to see that Labour has recognised that the early years sector is not only in urgent need of support but that it should also be valued and recognised as a crucial part of the education system.  

“England’s early years sector is facing an extremely challenging time, with settings closing at an alarming rate and educators leaving in their droves. As such, it is absolutely right to focus on the workforce and the importance of providing high-quality education.  

“That said, given that much of the sector’s challenging stem from years of underfunding, ensuring that whatever model of delivery Labour opts to pursue is adequately funded must be central to any long-term plan for the sector.    “As such, we hope that today’s proposals are a starting point for Labour’s plans for the early years, and that the party strives to actively engage with the sector to ensure any potential policies eases pressure on providers, rather than simply piling more on.”

Purnima Tanuku OBE, chief executive of National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) said: “The nursery sector would agree that supporting children to reach their early learning goals is vital. We need to see more detail in terms of Labour’s plans for early education. The foundations of communication and development, that ‘curiosity and love of learning’ that Sir Keir mentioned, starts before they reach school. Investing in early years gives the best return on investment.

“If Labour is serious about wanting to incorporate early years within mainstream education, we will need to see an equity in funding and costs for early years providers. Funding for three and four-year-olds lags way behind the actual costs of delivering high quality early education and is the main reason 50% more nurseries are having to close their doors forever. They must be supported to remain sustainable and continue the wonderful work they do every day.

“Early years practitioners and teachers must be treated the same as school teachers with the £2,400 retention fee and the same pay scales. The current and future governments must give immediate attention to addressing the alarming recruitment crisis in early years. Without qualified practitioners and teachers, there won’t be enough places for all children to benefit from early learning and care which gives them the best life chances.”