Alliance urges new education secretary Gillian Keegan to make early years a priority

Please find a comment from the Early Years Alliance on the news that Gillian Keegan has been appointed as education secretary.

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

"We welcome Gillian Keegan as the new education secretary and congratulate her on her new role.

"With six different education secretaries in post over the last 14 months, it’s clear that the education sector is in desperate need of some stability and continuity, and that establishing a clear sense of direction for education policy in this country must be a top priority for Ms Keegan in her new position.

"It is crucial, however, any such policy work recognises that education starts long before the school gates, and acknowledges the absolutely pivotal role that the early years sector plays in supporting long-term learning and development, alongside our primary, secondary, further and higher education colleagues.

"As such, we look forward to working closely with Ms Keegan to ensure that early education and care is treated with the respect it deserves and sits at the heart of her department’s work going forward."