Sutton Trust response to the Spring Budget

Responding to today’s announcements on childcare in the Spring Budget, Sir Peter Lampl, founder and Chairman of the Sutton Trust and Chairman of the Education Endowment Foundation, said:

“While many families will benefit from extending funded childcare for one- and two-year-olds, investing in this expansion without addressing the issues with eligibility means that inequalities will widen. As things stand, most of the country’s lowest-income families are shut out of the entitlement to 30 hours of funded provision at age three to four. The state doesn’t provide longer hours for better-off families in schools and this should also be the case in early years.

“While increased funding for early years providers is welcome and long overdue, it is unlikely to be sufficient for provision to be expanded.

“Our research shows that early years education is most beneficial for children from less well-off families and so the focus should be on those in greatest need and most likely to benefit.”