Recognition of the importance of babyhood and early childhood continues to grow. It is widely understood by many ordinary people, as well as experts, that what happens to us when we are very small, and our brains are at their most malleable, has lasting effects. As the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) put it in a study of early years education, “the first five years of a child’s life represent a window of opportunity, but also of vulnerability”.
New Labour’s grasp of this underpinned its pioneering Sure Start programme. Much of this was dismantled under the Tory-Liberal Democrat austerity programme. But despite that loss, England’s results in this year’s OECD Early Learning and Child Well‑being Study were strong.
This study does not have the high profile of the programme for international student assessment (Pisa) comparing the academic performance of 15-year-olds. It is newer and relies on a far smaller sample size. But while its findings should not be treated as gospel, it is heartening that England’s five-year‑olds were found to be thriving.
On a social-emotional development measure, they came out on top. Concerns about school readiness, with a rising number of children in England arriving in reception classes without basic skills such as climbing stairs, must continue to be taken seriously. So must the attainment gap between economically disadvantaged children and those from wealthier backgrounds.
The recent announcement by the health secretary, Yvette Cooper, that the Healthy Babies programme will be extended to more family hubs should be warmly welcomed as one means of tackling these problems. But as well as addressing the inequalities that restrict children’s chances, ministers should focus on the early years sector’s strengths – which are a legacy of Sure Start and all the investment that went in. While less often discussed than the national curriculum, England’s early years framework is admired internationally.
Early years funding has expanded massively, with eligible working parents entitled to 30 hours’ childcare weekly for children from nine months until school age. The Tories now propose removing the £100,000 earnings ceiling: a £700m policy that rewards richer families. The model sees public money follows working parental demand rather than building universal provision.
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