The number of official visits to nurseries and children's centres made by the minister for education and childcare has been revealed in a parliamentary written answer.
Elizabeth Truss has provided details of the childcare settings and Sure Start children’s centres she has visited in an official capacity since May 2010 in response to a question put to education secretary Michael Gove by shadow children’s minister Sharon Hodgson.
In response, Ms Truss confirmed the name and location of the centres and settings visited by ministers including herself, since the Coalition Government was elected.
Ms Truss has been minister for childcare and education since last September.
In one particular case, Ms Truss made two visits to Durand Academy Early Years Centre in Stockwell, south London, on two separate occasions.
In January, Durand Academy was chosen as the location of choice to launch More Great Childcare.
Ms Truss has also visited Marsham Street Community nursery in Westminster, run by the London Early Years Foundation, the outstanding Chapeltown Children’s Centre in Leeds, and Loughborough Children’s Centre in Brixton, which is on the site of a primary school.
The minister has also been to see the breakfast and out-of-school clubs at Pimlico Academy in London and the out-of-school provision at Norwich Free School.
Nursery World asked the Department for Education for a comment on how many unofficial visits to childcare settings and children’s centres the minister had made.
A DfE spokesperson said, ‘Elizabeth Truss has visited many nurseries and other childcare settings as a parent, before she became a MP, as a backbencher, and as a Minister.
‘She has visited some excellent nurseries but the Government wants more outstanding facilities so that young children get the best start in life.’
The parliamentary answer also shows that the previous minister responsible for early years and childcare Sarah Teather made seven official visits to children’s centres and nurseries during her two-and-a half years as children’s minister.
Durand Academy is popular with Government ministers. Education secretary Michael Gove is backing a proposal for Durand to open the first state boarding school in rural Sussex.
The academy’s executive head Greg Martin was in the news last week with plans to renovate the disused St Cuthman’s special needs boarding school, which will be attended by up to 600 children from the south London school from the age of 13, who will spend four nights a week away there.