CREC response to the 'Best Start in Life Strategy' launch

Professor Tony Bertram facilitating an NPQICL day for integrated centre leaders at CREC back in 2010

As you will no doubt have seen, the UK Government yesterday published its Best Start in Life Strategy which sets out its vision for Early Years in England. We are delighted that, after a year in office, this government has committed to the importance of early child development broader than just ‘childcare’, and are proud of the part CREC has played in advocating for change and investment, on our own and as part of the Early Education and Childcare Coalition and other cross-sector groups.  

Much to applaud

Having reflected on the announcement overnight, we particularly welcome the references to integrated family support, recognition of workforce quality and qualification, and a focus on the most deprived communities to ensure all children, particularly those that face the greatest disadvantage are given the opportunity and support to flourish. We also applaud the understanding that a universal offer, including a wide range of partners, is a key mechanism to raise outcomes for all children.  We do however feel that there is still much work to do to ensure that this vision is adequately realised and that there are some notable gaps in this plan that we will continue to advocate for.

Some areas which need greater consideration

The importance of a well-qualified workforce is recognised and there is a commitment to raising the status of the profession, as well as the numbers of Early Years Teachers trained and working across the sector. Whilst additional funding (£4500) to work in areas of disadvantage is welcomed, the wider (in)ability for the sector to employ and appropriately pay more qualified staff (and thereby raise their profile and status) is not addressed. The commitment to consultation on funding is promising and we hope that this leads to appropriate, sustainable financial security for the sector to grow and invest in its people.

Also of concern is the continued disparity between an ‘early years teacher’ and a ‘QTS’ teacher that would teach in a primary school, an issue raised as far back as 2012 (if not before) in the Nutbrown review who recommended that ‘A new early years specialist route to QTS, specialising in the years from birth to seven, should be introduced’. In fact, we would suggest re-reading the Nutbrown Review recommendations would be a valuable starting point for anyone looking to rebuild the sector in a sound and secure manner.

We also have concerns with the seeming over-reliance on evidence-based programmes in the vision. Whilst short intervention programmes are an incredibly valuable resource to provide effective interventions they are a resource to support and aid a well-qualified practitioner and not an alternative to a highly skilled workforce. It is fantastic to see that the benefits of place-based integrated working is being recognised once again as a highly effective and impactful way to support children and families – it is important however to remember that it was the people and processes involved who made Sure Start and Early Excellence work effectively by knowing their communities, developing trusted relationships, and offering holistic, individualised responses; it was not low-paid technicians prescribing intervention programmes in isolation that brought about the benefits that this Vision document wishes to replicate, and we hope that this more complex reality is reflected in the service design.

In conclusion

As with the development of quality, we know that building the best early years system is a journey which takes time, and that every positive step forward should be applauded and encouraged. We also believe that the best solutions are co-created and therefore we hope that this vision document is the start of further, deeper dialogue with the sector and with children and families, to ensure that we build and embed the right integrated systems and processes from the start.

CREC will continue to advocate for the development of a high quality early years system that works for all children and families but (after too many years of hope and frustration) we are optimistic that, with an ambitious yet realistic plan such as this, the country can start to move in the right direction.