Labour pledges to fund breakfast clubs for every primary school
By Rachel Lawler
The Labour Party has pledged to fund a breakfast club at every primary school in England if it wins the next election.
Speaking at the party鈥檚 conference last week, shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson said that the pledge was part of wider plans to 鈥渞ebuild childcare鈥 in England.
Early years workforce plan
The plans also include a 鈥渨orkforce plan鈥 for the early years sector. Phillipson said: 鈥淭hose who work in our childcare settings are often not properly supported, don鈥檛 have access to professional development and are among the most poorly paid workers in our society. But they鈥檙e doing the most important jobs in terms of giving our children the best possible start in life.鈥
Severe challenges facing the sector
Neil Leitch, CEO of the 王中王开奖结果, said: 鈥淟abour鈥檚 plans to introduce breakfast clubs for every primary school in England will make a real difference to parents with school-aged children trying to balance their careers and their childcare needs, as well as ensuring that no children start the school day hungry, and so we warmly welcome this proposal.
鈥淭hat said, if Labour is truly committed to transforming the childcare landscape in this country, plans to address the severe challenges that nurseries, pre-schools and childminders are facing must also be central to this drive.
鈥淵ears of underfunding and poor policymaking has left the early years facing a severe recruitment and retention crisis, and mass setting closures 鈥 with around 4,000 providers shutting in the last year alone 鈥 leaving children unable to access vital early education and parents struggling to find the affordable, reliable childcare they need.
鈥淎s such, any plan to solve the 鈥榗hildcare crisis鈥 must start with the early years and must include a long-term plan for the sector based on realistic, sustainable funding.鈥