In a speech at the Resolution Foundation last month, Elizabeth
Truss MP set out a compelling vision for wraparound childcare in
schools. If her party wins the next election, all schools will offer
nine or ten-hour days, allowing parents to drop their kids off before 8am
and collect them at 6pm.
Help for working parents will, according to the vision, also benefit child development as children can use the extra hours in the school day for homework support and other activities.
Offering parents a more reliable guarantee of childcare around the school day would go a long way to closing the gap in female employment between the UK and the best performers in the world. Unlike in other countries, full-time employment does not pick up in the UK once children reach school age. Many mothers continue to work part time or not at all, and while choice comes into play, there are still practical difficulties with a school day that fits poorly with the work day.
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