Child Care

Oral Answers to Questions — Education – in the House of Commons at 2:30 pm on 16 June 2014.

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Photo of Alex Cunningham Alex Cunningham Labour, Stockton North 2:30, 16 June 2014

How many disadvantaged two-year-olds received the 15-hour free entitlement to child care in the latest period for which figures are available?

Photo of Elizabeth Truss Elizabeth Truss The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education

In May 2014, 116,000 two-year-olds were in early learning places, which is 89% of the 130,000 allocation. That means that more two-year-olds are getting a good start in life, preventing a gap emerging with their wealthier peers when they start school.

Photo of Alex Cunningham Alex Cunningham Labour, Stockton North

I do not think that the Sutton Trust feels that provision is that good or comprehensive. Oxford university research shows that the Government are failing to provide sufficient good-quality places for children already covered, and that they should get that right before expanding the scheme. Will the Minister accept its advice, or will she just push ahead with poor-quality provision, which will do our children little if any good?

Photo of Elizabeth Truss Elizabeth Truss The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education

Well, 90% of those two-year-olds are in good or outstanding places. I am pleased to tell the hon. Gentleman that, in June, very high quality places opened in his own constituency of Stockton at Tilery primary school. We are making it much easier for schools to offer those places to two-year-olds, which typically have teacher-led provision.

Photo of Simon Wright Simon Wright Liberal Democrat, Norwich South

The two-year-old offer is strongly welcomed by many families in my constituency, and there are around 3,600 two-year-olds in Norfolk eligible for that support. Will the Minister confirm that all local authorities have the name and address data from the Department for Work and Pensions so that they can contact eligible families to encourage them to take up their entitlement, just as Norfolk county council has done?

Photo of Elizabeth Truss Elizabeth Truss The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education

My hon. Friend is right that the local authorities have that data from the DWP. Furthermore, they have a role in promoting high-quality places. For example, we are giving school nurseries, through the small business, enterprise and employment Bill, the ability to offer places to two-year-olds. Local authorities have the ability to encourage their local schools to offer those places.

Photo of Heidi Alexander Heidi Alexander Opposition Whip (Commons)

New analysis released by my hon. Friend Lucy Powell today shows that two thirds of councils do not have access to good-quality places for the most disadvantaged two-year-olds. I asked the Minister about this in Westminster Hall in March, but we know that some families and children are still missing out. What guarantee will the Minister give me that all two-year-olds who are entitled to a good- quality place in Lewisham and across the whole of England this September have access to them?

Photo of Elizabeth Truss Elizabeth Truss The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education

As I mentioned, local authorities have a role in encouraging schools to offer places. We know that more than 30% of early education places are in schools for three and four-year-olds, but not yet for two-year olds. That is why we are working with local authorities such as Lewisham, which we have given part of an £8 million grant, to make sure that schools are opening from 8 am to 6 pm and offering provision for two-year-olds.

Photo of Lucy Powell Lucy Powell Shadow Minister (Education)

As my hon. Friend Heidi Alexander has said, too many of the most disadvantaged two-year-olds are not in high-quality provision. In addition, the freedom of information request that I released today shows that nearly half of councils lack sufficient places to meet the extension of free child care provision for two-year-olds in September 2014. That is a shortfall of 44,000 places for this year. Added to the shortfall that the Minister has just announced, that makes a shortfall of 60,000 places in the Government’s flagship two-year-old offer. What is she going to do about that?

Photo of Elizabeth Truss Elizabeth Truss The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education

The hon. Lady should be aware that there are 300,000 available places across the country, and that it is the role of local authorities to make sure that they are open for two-year-olds. She might want to listen to comments made by the former children’s Minister, Margaret Hodge, about the previous Labour Government’s role:

“The sensible policy direction would have been to locate more and more of our childcare offer in schools rather than build other buildings.”

This Government are doing what the previous Government did not, by enabling schools to offer those places. Very few school nurseries are currently open between the hours of 8 am and 6 pm. Why does the hon. Lady not work with local authorities to help them make that happen, rather than complaining about their failure to act?