Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether funding for the Early Years Development Programme has ceased and, if so, what further training will be available to early years practitioners to ensure they have the skills needed to support children with speech and language development; and when any new programme will commence.

This government has a clear plan to break down barriers to opportunity, which starts with investing in high-quality early years education, so tens of thousands more children are school-ready at age five.

The Early Years Professional Development Programme (PDP3) was a key element in the Early Years Education Recovery Programme, which supported the early years sector to address the impact of the pandemic on the youngest and most disadvantaged children.

Now that the Early Years Education Recovery Programme has concluded as scheduled, the department is considering all options for how best to support the sector to help children achieve the best start in life, including support for speech and language development.

As announced in the Plan for Change, the department has set a milestone of a record proportion of children starting school ready to learn in the classroom. We will measure our progress through 75% of children at the end of reception reaching a good level of development in the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile assessment by 2028.

​​The department is continuing to improve access to speech and language therapy by funding the Early Language and Support for Every Child pathfinder project, in partnership with NHS England. This programme aims to improve capacity and knowledge in the workforce, supporting children in early years and school settings with mild to moderate speech, language and communication needs by utilising therapy support assistants.

The department is also providing a range of support and training for early years educators, building a stronger, more expert workforce, to enable settings and childminders to deliver high-quality early education. We have already announced the continuation of support, such as the Nuffield Early Language Intervention (NELI), which provides children with extra support for their speech and language development. The NELI training, which 74,500 staff have completed, includes training for staff more broadly on early language. This is alongside up to £6.1 million in additional funding for the Early Years Stronger Practice Hubs.

We continue to learn from all government programmes, including PDP3, and will provide further updates in the coming months.