Commenting on new research from the Institute of Fiscal Studies showing the beneficial impact Sure Start centres have on children and the support they offer to families, Niamh Sweeney, Deputy General Secretary of the National Education Union, said:
“The Institute of Fiscal Studies new research is further evidence that Early Years investment matters. Sure Start Centres gave families the services they need and deserve, enabling them to give their children the best start in life. The results are clear: improved attainment, especially for children from low-income households and early intervention and support for those with SEND.
‘Unfortunately, such valuable support has been decimated, leaving families in desperate need of support. Now it’s early years professionals who are picking up the pieces. Our members tell us their work has expanded far beyond early education and can now include Speech and Language therapy; emotional and mental health support for families; parenting class and much more. No sustainable Early Years system can be built on the back of a workforce subject to such excessive and complex workloads in a context of deepening social crisis.
‘Family services need investment, so the all-round needs of children can be met. This must be alongside investment into early years settings, including Maintained nursery schools which provide the highest quality of early education”.