Delivering a speech on Labour’s education policy this morning in Kent, the Labour leader detailed the last of the party’s ‘five missions’, to ‘break down the barriers to opportunity at every stage, for every child’.
He warned that a ‘class ceiling’ is currently holding children back who are not born privileged.
The Labour leader said his party would put more focus on 'teaching speaking skills'.
He pledged to use money raised by removing tax breaks for private schools to invest in early language intervention in primary schools, if Labour wins the next general election.
Charity Speech and Language UK called the goal an ‘admirable aim’, but warned how far away ‘we are from the ambition in the UK, with at least 1.7 million children struggling with the basics of talking and understanding words.’ The charity called for tools and training for nurseries and schools to turn things around.
Similarly, the National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA), said that Labour needed to see more detail in regard to its plans for early education as the ‘foundations of communication and development starts before children reach school.’
Early Learning Goals
Labour highlights that the number of children achieving a good level of development at the end of Reception – meaning they have achieved the expected levels in the Prime and Specific areas of the EYFS – has fallen from 71.8 per cent pre-pandemic, to 65.2 per cent in the latest 2021/22 data.
Labour has pledged that this percentage will rise over the period as the impact of its policies take effect, with 90 per cent of children hitting the metric by 2030.
Early years and childcare
The Labour leader also outlined plans to tackle the availability of childcare, including:
- Removing legislative barriers so local authorities can open new childcare provision.
- Providing early years and childcare professionals with opportunities for high-quality training and recognition for the skilled work they do.
While the Early Years Alliance welcomed the proposals, it said it hoped they were a ‘starting point’, warning that ‘whatever model of delivery of childcare entitlements the party opts to pursue is adequately funded.’
During his speech, the Labour leader also claimed his government would be ‘laser focused’ on reducing poverty, but failed to commit to expanding universal free school meals to all primary pupils.
Ahead of another school strike day tomorrow (7 July), he said that Labour would negotiate with teaching unions every day until strikes are resolved.
Poverty
In response, Anna Feuchtwang, chief executive of the National Children’s Bureau, said, 'Over four million children are living in poverty in this country and unless we can drastically improve this any set of education reforms will only go so far.
'To truly unlock opportunity for all children we also need to ensure comprehensive access to affordable childcare and early education, high-quality SEND provision, as well as investment in the wider services that many children rely on outside the school gates, like social care and mental health services.'