Written questions by Hayes.

Whether the Government’s new school-based nurseries will be operated by the public or private sector.

High quality early years is central to our mission to break down the barriers to opportunity, give every child the best possible start in life and is essential to our Plan for Change. School-based nurseries are one part of our diverse and vibrant early years landscape, and this government is boosting availability and access to early years places through the School-based nursery programme.The programme’s new and expanded nurseries are being delivered both by schools and private, voluntary and independent (PVI) providers. 27 of the 300 schools awarded funding in phase 1 of the School-based nurseries programme partnered with a PVI provider.Phase 2 of the programme will continue to encourage these partnerships. Schools have until 11 December to apply for up to £150,000 of capital funding.The department will continue working closely with the early years sector to scale the programme effectively, ensuring new provision meets the needs of children, parents and schools, and works within the local market.

Whether she intends to increase the level of free childcare funding for each child.

It is our ambition that all families have access to high quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life. That also means ensuring the sector is financially sustainable and confident as it continues to deliver entitlements and high quality early years provision going forward.In financial year 2025/26 alone, the government expects to spend over £8 billion on the early years entitlements, and we have increased the early years pupil premium by over 45%.Next year, in financial year 2026/27, funding for the early years entitlements is expected to increase to over £9 billion. This funding reflects a full year of eligible working parents being able to access 30 hours of childcare from 9 months until their children start school, and an expected increase in funding rates. Local authority hourly funding rates for 2026/27 will be confirmed in the usual way before the end of this year.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of the number of (a) part-time and (b) flexible childcare places.

In 2025/26 alone, the government expects to spend over £8 billion on early years entitlements, increasing to over £9 billion in 2026/27, and we have increased the early years pupil premium by over 45%. We have also provided further funding of £75 million for the early years expansion grant.At the 2025 Spending Review, the government announced it will provide an additional £1.6 billion per year by 2028/29, compared to 2025/26, to continue the expansion of government-funded childcare for working parents, boosting children’s life chances and work choices for their parents. We will also spend over £400 million over the next four years to deliver school-based nurseries across England.The key measure of sufficiency is whether the supply of available places is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents and children. We have regular contact with each local authority in England about their sufficiency of childcare and any issues they are facing. Where local authorities report sufficiency challenges, we discuss what action the local authority is taking and, where needed, support the local authority with any specific requirements through our childcare sufficiency support contract.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of the number of free childcare places in Bournemouth.

In 2025/26 alone, the government expects to spend over £8 billion on early years entitlements, increasing to over £9 billion in 2026/27, and we have increased the early years pupil premium by over 45%. We have also provided further funding of £75 million for the early years expansion grant.At the 2025 Spending Review, the government announced it will provide an additional £1.6 billion per year by 2028/29, compared to 2025/26, to continue the expansion of government-funded childcare for working parents, boosting children’s life chances and work choices for their parents. We will also spend over £400 million over the next four years to deliver school-based nurseries across England.The key measure of sufficiency is whether the supply of available places is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents and children. We have regular contact with each local authority in England about their sufficiency of childcare and any issues they are facing. Where local authorities report sufficiency challenges, we discuss what action the local authority is taking and, where needed, support the local authority with any specific requirements through our childcare sufficiency support contract.

What steps she is taking to encourage people to obtain early years qualifications.

Our Best Start in Life strategy sets out how we are improving the quality of early education by investing in training and qualifications, increasing understanding of high-quality practice and providing more access to proven, evidence-based early years programmes. This includes introducing a faster assessment only route for experienced staff to achieve Level 3 recognition, similar to those in other education professions.The department is also transforming apprenticeships into a new growth and skills offer, with shorter, more flexible training options. Recent reforms to the English and maths requirements will allow many thousands more apprentices to qualify each year.We are also investing in opportunities to become an early years teacher, aiming to more than double the number of funded places on early years initial teacher training by 2028, providing financial support for employers delivering the new degree apprenticeship route, and offering financial incentives for early years teachers working in disadvantaged areas.Finally, we continue to help more people discover rewarding early years careers through our ‘Do something BIG’ national recruitment campaign.

What recent discussions she has had with children’s nursery operators on (a) the viability of that sector and (b) the adequacy of the level of funding for childcare provided by the Government.

In 2025/26 alone, the government expects to spend over £8 billion on early years entitlements, increasing to over £9 billion in 2026/27, and we have increased the early years pupil premium by over 45%. We have also provided further funding of £75 million for the early years expansion grant.At the 2025 Spending Review, the government announced it will provide an additional £1.6 billion per year by 2028/29, compared to 2025/26, to continue the expansion of government-funded childcare for working parents, boosting children’s life chances and work choices for their parents. We will also spend over £400 million over the next four years to deliver school-based nurseries across England.The key measure of sufficiency is whether the supply of available places is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents and children. We have regular contact with each local authority in England about their sufficiency of childcare and any issues they are facing. Where local authorities report sufficiency challenges, we discuss what action the local authority is taking and, where needed, support the local authority with any specific requirements through our childcare sufficiency support contract.

What the role of early years settings is in helping to identify and support the needs of SEND children.

The government recognises the important role the early years sector plays in early intervention to ensure the right support is put in place for children as soon as possibleThe early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework sets the standards and requirements that all early years providers must follow. It stipulates that providers must have arrangements in place to support children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), and that all providers who are funded by the local authority to deliver early education places must have regard for the SEND code of practice.On 7 July, we published our commitment to giving every child the best start in life. This means a stronger focus on early identification, inclusive access to early years education, and tailored family support.We have already invested in the Early Language Support for Every Child programme, as well as the Nuffield Early Language Intervention, supporting children in the early years with their speech and language.We are looking at wider SEND reforms and interventions to give children and young people the opportunities they need to achieve and thrive.

What steps she is taking to help ensure that early years educators can have long, fulfilling and fairly-paid careers in the early years sector.

The early years workforce is at the heart of the government’s mission to give every child the best start in life and deliver our Plan for Change. The Best Start in Life strategy sets out our plans to work with the early years sector and local authorities to tackle challenges in recruitment and retention and make early years a career people are proud to start and rewarding to pursue.This includes investing in opportunities to become an early years teacher, by aiming to more than double the number of funded places on early years initial teacher training by 2028. It also sets out financial support for employers delivering the new degree apprenticeship route, and financial incentives for early years teachers working in disadvantaged areas. Plans to co-design a new professional register are designed to raise the value of the profession and give all early educators the recognition they deserve.

What recent assessment her Department has made of the financial sustainability of higher education institutions; and what information her Department holds on the proportion of higher education institutions that are operating in deficit.

​​The Office for Students (OfS), the independent regulator of higher education (HE) in England, monitors the financial health of providers to ensure it has an up to date understanding of the sustainability of the sector.​Its latest report, published on 8 May 2025, highlighted a decline in financial performance across the sector in 2023/24, with 44% of institutions forecasting a deficit in 2024/25.​The government recognises the financial pressures facing the sector and acknowledges that some providers are making difficult restructuring decisions to safeguard long-term sustainability. As autonomous institutions, universities must take appropriate financial decisions to remain viable. However, we expect providers to work with staff, using their knowledge and experience to help identify how best to operate efficiently. All efficiency measures taken by the sector should provide a better long-term future for staff, students and the country.​

What plans her Department has to support support students affected by (a) course closures and (b) redundancies at universities in financial deficit.

​​The Office for Students (OfS), the independent regulator of higher education (HE) in England, monitors the financial health of providers to ensure it has an up to date understanding of the sustainability of the sector.​Its latest report, published on 8 May 2025, highlighted a decline in financial performance across the sector in 2023/24, with 44% of institutions forecasting a deficit in 2024/25.​The government recognises the financial pressures facing the sector and acknowledges that some providers are making difficult restructuring decisions to safeguard long-term sustainability. As autonomous institutions, universities must take appropriate financial decisions to remain viable. However, we expect providers to work with staff, using their knowledge and experience to help identify how best to operate efficiently. All efficiency measures taken by the sector should provide a better long-term future for staff, students and the country.​

What steps she is taking to ensure that new Best Start Family Hubs can access high quality data collected by the NHS.

Ensuring every child has the best start in life and the chance to achieve and to thrive are the foundation stones of the government’s Opportunity Mission.Local authorities have their own data sharing agreement with the NHS. These are crucial for enabling population health management and integrated care services to better inform and co-ordinate care for babies, children and families.We encourage Best Start Family Hubs to harness the power of networks to drive progress on joining up professionals, services and providers though co-location, integration, partnerships, data sharing, shared outcomes and governance.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of awareness of the Sure Start brand on take up of services by Sure Start Children's Centres.

The Childcare and Early Years Survey of Parents 2024, published in July 2025, includes the latest data on the awareness and take up of family hubs and children’s centres. The data is available under section 5: Home Learning environment, family hubs and children’s centres (tables 6.13 to 6.16), which is accessible at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/childcare-and-early-years-survey-of-parents/2024.

How many former Sure Start children’s centres are no longer operated by local authorities and have been transferred into the third sector.

The department does not hold data on how many former Sure Start children’s centres are operated by the third sector.

What steps she is taking to ensure that new Best Start Family Hubs embed a strong local parental voice in their governance.

​Ensuring every child has the best start in life, the chance to achieve and to thrive, are the foundation stones of the government’s Opportunity Mission.Best Start Family Hubs will involve parents in hub design and delivery, working with parents through panels. We are investing in targeted community outreach activities, including accessing existing networks via the voluntary and community sector and local data to reach underserved groups, including fathers, minority ethnic communities, and young parents.

What steps she is taking to ensure that new Best Start Family Hubs are integrated with primary care services.

Ensuring every child has the best start in life and the chance to achieve and to thrive are the foundation stones of the government’s Opportunity Mission.Children’s early years are crucial to their development, health and life chances. This government has an ambition to raise the healthiest generation of children ever. Improved health and education go hand in hand, as healthier children are better able to learn and children who achieve well in education go on to live healthier lives. Consequently, the Best Start in Life strategy makes it clear that the integration of strengthened health services within Best Start Family Hubs is critical to achieving these objectives.Best Start Family Hubs will be a crucial part of shifting from treatment to prevention, and from hospital to community care. The department of Health and Social Care’s 10 Year Health Plan sets out how a new Neighbourhood Health Service will build on and coordinate with Best Start Family Hubs and Start for Life services to continue to integrate children’s services, NHS and public health, including primary care.

What role local authorities will have in the (a) delivery and (b) day-to-day operation of Best Start Family Hubs.

​​Ensuring every child has the best start in life, the chance to achieve and to thrive, are the foundation stones of the government’s Opportunity Mission.​The government is investing over £500 million to create a network of up to 1,000 Best Start Family Hubs across every local authority in England by 2028. Best Start Family Hubs builds on previous investment into Family Hubs and Start for Life services between 2022 and 2026 for 88 local authorities.​Local authorities will deliver joined up and enhanced services through family hubs so that all parents and carers can access the support they need, when they need it. Local authorities will receive a programme guide with minimum delivery expectations and will be expected to develop clear plans to establish and enhance family hubs in their area. Their role will include identifying family hub sites, commissioning services within family hubs and the recruitment of staff to deliver services. Services will vary depending on local needs, though examples are: 'stay and play' sessions for child and families, parenting advice and courses, support for children‘s language and emotional development, health services, and support for parents in creating a positive home learning environment.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of Best Start Family Hubs on child safeguarding.

​​Ensuring every child has the best start in life, the chance to achieve and to thrive, are the foundation stones of the government’s Opportunity Mission.​Best Start Family Hubs will provide support for families that need it. They will improve the join up of vital services in an area and making it easier for children and families to access a range of help at the right time, irrespective of their needs. This includes the roll out of Family Help, which is showing positive early impact. We will continue to monitor outcomes for children through our published children in need statistics.​The Families First for Children Pathfinder has also tested radical reforms in local areas, across family help, child protection, family networks and safeguarding partners.​The pathfinder draws on evidence and existing good practice, including from the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme and the ten participating areas are reporting positive early impacts.​The department commissioned Ecorys and consortium to carry out process, impact and value-for-money evaluation of the Family Hubs transformation, home learning environment and parenting support programme elements of the Family Hubs and Start for Life Programme which is ongoing. Findings should be available in early 2026.​Monitoring and evaluation will be a crucial component of the new Best Start Family Hubs. Planning is ongoing but we expect to include continue robust monitoring and evaluation, particularly looking at impact including on the impact on children from different backgrounds.

What discussions has she had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the establishment of Best Start Family Hubs.

Ensuring every child has the best start in life and the chance to achieve and to thrive are the foundation stones of the government’s Opportunity Mission.The government has published 'Giving every child the Best Start in Life', which outlines our commitment to deliver a new Best Start Family Service that will bring together parenting, healthcare and education support services.

What steps she is taking to embed a focus on (a) antenatal and (b) prenatal support for parents in the delivery of new Best Start Family Hubs.

Ensuring every child has the best start in life, the chance to achieve and to thrive, are the foundation stones of the government’s Opportunity Mission.As set out in the Best Start in Life (BSIL) Strategy, Best Start Family Hubs will bring together professionals from health and education, with a continued focus on the 1001 critical days from conception to age 2.The BSIL strategy makes it clear that the integration of health services within Best Start Family Hubs is critical to raising the healthiest generation of children ever, and to ensuring that every child has a happy, heathy start to life. Additionally, it commits the government to strengthening health services in early childhood, improving maternity and newborn care, strengthening health visiting services, making it easier to get vaccinated, supporting healthy eating, tackling tooth decay and giving parents and health professionals easier access to child health information.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of co-location of Best Start Family Hubs and local primary schools.

Ensuring every child has the best start in life and the chance to achieve and to thrive are the foundation stones of the government’s Opportunity Mission.The precise location of Best Start Family Hubs will be for local authorities to decide in consultation with their local communities. We will be providing guidance to local authorities on programme design in time to support service delivery from April 2026.