In an effort to create a better childcare system for parents in England, the Labour party has announced their pledge to establish over 3,000 new nurseries and 100,000 extra childcare places within primary schools, as part of their proposed childcare plan. The primary schools will be turned into “school-based nurseries” as their classrooms will be converted for the creation of the nurseries. The estimated cost for such an action is £40,000 for each classroom, which will be provided by VAT levied on private schools.
The Labour party intends to use the space available in the primary schools’ buildings for the new nurseries which are to be set up in high-need areas where there is a shortage of childcare places. The nurseries could be managed by the primary school themselves or local private and voluntary sector nurseries. The proposed new nurseries aim to create more “high quality” childcare spaces resulting in Labour’s mission to strive for half a million more children to hit the early learning goals by 2030.
The funding for the proposed new nurseries and additional childcare places will arise from Labour’s plan to extract “unfair tax breaks” from private schools. In response to this scheme, Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister last year, communicated that Labour’s plan would charge private schools 20% VAT and is part of a “class war” to “punish” aspirational parents. On the contrary, Labour’s Bridget Phillipson clarified that the 3,300 new nurseries proposed will facilitate Labour’s campaign for half a million more children in achieving early learning goals by 2030, thereby providing them with a solid foundation for their success.
The proposed new nurseries are a significant part of Labour’s organized plan toward a more modern childcare system that fosters better parent support from the end of parental leave till primary schools’ conclusion. Labour has commented that these nurseries and additional childcare places are the next step in its long-term mission to reform England’s childcare system. According to the Fawcett Society, a gender equality charity, the organization has given Labour’s childcare plan priority status, indicating that it is an issue that should take precedence in every party’s manifesto and that it demands long-term commitments that outlast the current election cycle
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