WIREDGOV

CBI recently commented on the childcare funding announcement for two-year-olds by the Department for Education.

Neil Carberry, CBI Employment & Skills Director, said:

“We welcome this. It is vital that disadvantaged children get high quality early education – or we risk them being behind their peers before they even start school.

“Funding alone won’t do the job.

“We’ve set out radical reforms to raise standards by having a qualified teacher in each setting and targeting provision at areas with weak education performance. And we’re calling for it to be more - reforming family tax support and cutting unnecessary regulation, including lowering adult-to-child ratios.”

Notes to Editors:

1. The CBI set out propsals to reform the childcare system in its First Steps: A New Approach to Schools published on the 16 November 2012:

The CBI is calling for:

• The Government to target structured childcare provision in areas where educational performance is low, as this is one of the best ways to raise attainment

• Raising the quality of pre-schools by aspiring to having at least one person with Qualified Teacher Status

• The Government to look at tax support and childcare regulation, including shifting support to parents in the early years.