I want children in Reading and across the country to have the best possible start in life. We know that early education is vital in transforming life chances for children and I support the Government’s Best Start in Life Strategy, which will be funded by £1.5 billion over the next three years. This will see a fundamental step change in how the government drives up quality in early education by linking up the services that support children to succeed.
Last September, the Government began delivering 15 hours funded childcare and wraparound care for hundreds of thousands of families. From September 2025, eligible working parents can now get up to 30 hours childcare for children aged 9 months until they start school. This could help parents save up to £7,500 per year, putting money back in people’s pockets. This is backed by a £75 million expansion grant to support the nurseries, childminders and other providers to deliver the 30 hours.
The Government has also begun the rollout of new school-based nurseries, with the first 300 set to open from September. New school-based nurseries will make sure childcare is more accessible and affordable for parents. The first 300 schools will see an average of 20 childcare places per site, with up to 4,000 of these available by September and a further 2,000 later this autumn. Places will be focused in childcare ‘deserts’, where up until now families have been missing out due to a shortage of places.
I would like to pay tribute to the important work being done by childcare providers in Reading and across the country. It is vital that the early years sector attracts and retains high-quality childcare professionals, and the government is introducing a new incentive scheme that will see a tax-free payment of £4,500 to attract the very best talent in early years, and keep 3,000 more early years teachers in nurseries serving the 20 most disadvantaged communities in the country.
This Government is also demonstrating its commitment to giving children the best start by setting up free breakfast clubs in primary schools. Free breakfast clubs deliver better life chances for children, and research by the independent Education Endowment Foundation has demonstrated that they drive up attainment. The clubs also support hard working parents by providing 30 minutes of free childcare at the start of every weekday; this can make a real difference for busy parents doing their best to balance work and family life. I am pleased that Caversham Park Primary School and St Anne’s Catholic Primary School in the Reading Central constituency are two of the 750 ‘early adopter schools’ that have already been benefiting from a free breakfast club, and I hope to see many more across the town.
The renewed vision for the early years is supported by a national approach to family services. The Government is rolling up to 1,000 Best Start Family Hubs out across the country by the end of 2028 to provide wide-ranging help for families. These hubs will act as a one-stop shop for parents seeking a range of support, including on difficulty breastfeeding, housing issues or children’s early development and language. A new Best Start digital service will also be launched so that parents can access evidence-based guidance on a range of topics within seconds, as well as connect parents to their local Best Start Family Hub, and link to the NHS App.
I fully support the work being done by the Government to improve the life chances of children and to break down the barriers to opportunity for children and young people, so that background does not determine a child’s future and successes.
