Responding to Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson’s speech at the Labour Party Conference, Sir Peter Lampl, Founder of the Sutton Trust, said:

“The Government’s plan to set up new nurseries in schools is an excellent one given the pressures on the early years system to deliver the expansion of funded hours. Early years is the most important part of the education system. The Education Secretary is right to say that for many people, the system isn’t working as it should. We now urgently need a plan to equalise entitlements for children from poorer backgrounds. These children stand to benefit most from early years education but are excluded from expanded provision. For a government saying it will break down barriers to opportunity, this is the wrong approach. Without action, we are likely to see disadvantaged children falling further behind their peers.”