Tiffnie Harris, Primary Specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on a report from the Sutton Trust examining progress on opening new school-based nurseries.
“There does appear to be a limit to what can be achieved through the government’s nurseries policy. Many schools simply lack the necessary space requirements and clearly there remain concerns around funding and financial viability. Where schools do have capacity there is no guarantee this correlates with local demand for childcare places. For this reason, it seems sensible for local authorities to play a greater role in proposing locations for new nurseries, in conjunction with schools and based on the needs of the community. Access to free childcare is so important to giving children a good start in life, and preparing them to thrive in education. It’s vital that places are made available where demand is greatest, where the biggest difference can be made, and that funding is provided to support this.”