Alliance welcomes confirmation of early years brief following ministerial reshuffle
Commenting, Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Early Years Alliance, said:
“We welcome Vicky Ford to her new position as children and families minister and congratulate her on her new role.
“There is no doubt that these are difficult times for the early years sector, with the ongoing funding crisis, sustained recruitment and retention challenges, and concerns over proposed changes to the EYFS.
“With the early years having seen countless ministers come and go over the past few years, it is vital that the sector now has some stability and consistency, and ministers who are committed to representing the views of the sector in government, both now and in the future.
"As such, we are pleased to see that schools minister Nick Gibb will retain responsibility for early education curriculum and teaching quality as part of his portfolio, and hope that, working together, he and Ms Ford will actively engage with the sector, listen to the concerns of providers and work in partnership with us to help build and sustain a quality, affordable, sustainable early years sector.”
- The Early Years Alliance is the largest and most representative early years membership organisation in England. A registered educational charity, it also provides high-quality affordable childcare and education to support children and families in areas of deprivation throughout the country.
- The Alliance represents 14,000 members and supports them to deliver care and learning to more than 800,000 families every year. We deliver family learning projects, offer information and advice, produce specialist publications, run acclaimed training programmes and campaign to influence early years policy and practice.
- The Alliance website is