Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she plans to take to improve nursery care to ensure that all children are ready for school age at five.

The latest results from the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Profile show that the number of children who have achieved a good level of development at the end of reception is increasing year on year: 69.3% of children achieved a good level of development in 2016, compared to 66.3% in 2015, 60.4% in 2014 and 51.7% in 2013.

The evidence is clear that a high quality workforce has a significant impact on the quality of provision and outcomes for children. The Government published the Early Years Workforce Strategy in March 2017 to support the development of a well-qualified workforce with the appropriate knowledge, skills and experience. Further information can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-workforce-strategy

The strategy sets out:

• actions we will take to improve the quality of early years training and access to continuous professional development; and
• funding to support the sector to develop quality improvement support in partnership with schools and local authorities.

We are also exploring the content of the early learning goals and how the EYFS Profile might be improved to better assess a child’s level of development at the end of the early years, through the Department’s recent consultation on assessment arrangements in reception (part of the wider Primary Assessment Consultation).

The consultation closed on 22 June, and a Government response will be issued in due course.