аÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø¿ª½±

Please find below a comment from the Early Years Alliance in response to the exclusion of the early years sector in today's Autumn Statement. 

Commenting, Neil Leitch CEO of the Early Years Alliance, said: 

“Given the significant increase in the national living and minimum wages coming into effect next year, it is absolutely appalling that no additional support for the early years was announced at today’s Autumn Statement.  

“While we of course believe that educators should be fairly paid for the work that they do, increasing and extending the living wage without backing this up with additional funding for the sector is a recipe for disaster, and will pile on more pressure on settings at the worst possible time: not only are providers facing their most severe crisis in years – with аÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø¿ª½± figures released just last week showing a drop of nearly 18,000 early years places and 3,000 providers in the last year alone â€“ but we are just months away from the biggest expansion in the sector’s history.  

“Given that we know that the funding announced in the Spring Budget won’t even come close to making up for years of underfunding, it was vital that the Chancellor used today’s Autumn Statement to provide the financial support that nurseries, pre-schools and childminders need to deliver affordable, quality and sustainable care and education. Instead, government’s actions are likely to achieve the exact opposite, tipping many settings over the edge. 

“Let's be clear: urgent action is needed to safeguard the future of the early years sector in England. If the government is as committed to early education and care as it claims to be, then it is absolutely critical that it invests what is needed to deliver the places that children and families need. Anything less, and the sector will be damaged beyond repair."