In response to today’s Comprehensive Spending Review, Sir Peter Lampl, founder and chair of the Sutton Trust and chair of the Education Endowment Foundation, said:

“The Chancellor is right to recognise that a strong economy is one where opportunity is available to everyone, regardless of background. Yet there are serious challenges across all stages of education that need addressing before this ambition is realised.

“Today’s Spending Review was a landmark moment for the government to do this and show their commitment to disadvantaged children and young people, who have been most impacted by the pandemic.

“It was good to see such a strong focus on the first years of a child’s life, which is a crucial point for social mobility. The fund for training and development for early years staff is something we’ve long called for. It is a welcome commitment to early years staff who have long been undervalued despite the important role they play in shaping young lives. However there was a missed opportunity for the Chancellor to reform the 30 hours childcare policy, which locks out many working families from vital early education opportunities.

“Sadly, the funding allocated to schools and colleges for education recovery is not enough to address the scale of the challenge they face. We would have liked to see even more funding targeted specifically at disadvantaged pupils to recognise the additional barriers these pupils face.  The impact of not doing this will be felt for years to come.”