Education (Right to Nursery Places) (Hansard, 13 July 1988)

§ Mr. Keith Vaz (Leicester, East)

I beg to move, That leave be given to bring in a Bill to place on local authorities the statutory duty to provide free nursery places for all children at local authority nurseries. Education begins from birth. The true value of our society is the way in which we prepare for our future. Investing in our children and securing for them the best possible opportunities and facilities is the greatest investment that we can make. What I propose is neither radical nor new. In 1936, the Board of Education on nursery schools and classes described pre-school classes as on the fringes of official organisation, more or less acknowledged, better or worse provided for as opinion varied in regard to them. The Education Act 1944 placed a duty on local authorities to provide a discretionary power to provide nursery education. In 1967, the Plowden report strongly advocated nursery provision for all three-year-olds and four-year-olds. In 1972, a White Paper on education published by the Prime Minister in her previous incarnation stated that the Government's aim is that within the next 10 years nursery education should become available without charge … to those children of three and four whose parents wish them to benefit from it. Sixteen years later, the Goverment's position has changed but it is still hampered by the Treasury. The White Paper "Better Schools" stated: In view of the benefits of education for the under fives, and parental demand for provision, the Government will make it its aim that its plans for local authority expenditure should allow provision attributable to under fives to continue in real terms". The Select Committee report on primary schools dealing with provision for the under-fives strongly set out the arguments for pre-school education.

Local authorities have a statutory duty to provide full-time education for children from the beginning of the term after they reach their fifth birthday. In 1983, only 23 per cent. of three and four-year-olds received any form of nursery education, and 700,000 of them received none. Today, a little more than I million of them are receiving some kind of education. The state provides only half in formal classes, for a total of 308,000 children. There are more than 3.5 million children uder the age of five. Ninety per cent. of parents with three or four-year-old children, and 40 per cent. of parents of children under three years of age, want some form of nursery places for them.

Over the past decade, the voluntary sector has flourished. It is right that I should pay tribute to two organisations that have led the fight. They are the Pre-School Playgroups Association, which links an estimated 600,000 families in 430 branches, and the National Children's Bureau, which launched an under-fives unit in 1986. Playgroups provide 34 per cent. of the places for under-fives, and it is estimated that 52 per cent. of all three and four-year-olds in England attend playgroups compared with 22 per cent. of the same group in nursery schools and classes and 23 per cent. in primary schools. Although playgroups account for more than half the number of pre-school places, local authority financial support is low in most areas and non-existent in others.

Government statistics reveal enormous differences between one part of the country and another. Some have reached impressive levels of three and four-year-olds in 374 nursery schools—Hounslow, 69 per cent.; Newham 63 per cent.; and Wolverhampton, 56 per cent. Others ought to be ashamed of themselves., with the percentage of three and four-year-olds in nursery schools in Suffolk being 13 per cent.; Norfolk, 5 per cent.; and Bromley, 1 per cent.

The chances of a nursery place depend entirely on where one lives. In Leicestershire, where only 23 per cent. of three and four-year-olds are in nursery classes, there are huge differences within the county. Fifty-nine schools have provision for three-year-olds, 52 schools for four-year-olds, and 188 schools no provision at all. Lack of staff, capitation and accommodation are the reasons given. In my constituency, as in those of other hon. Members, I am sure, other groups and organisations provide certain facilities, ranging from playgroups in local churches—such as at St. Mary's, Humberston—to the Avalon youth project, and to the mothers' and toddlers' groups that meet in the neighbourhood centres of Netherhall, Northfields, Evington, Coleman and Thornby Lodge. I have visited all of them and they are all starved of resources.

In terms of child care, we are sliding behind the rest of Europe. Belgium and France provide free nursery education for children from the age of three, and Sweden is working towards an integrated system of child centres, community care and education under the same Ministry.

The role of women has changed dramatically, and that has added to the demand for nurseries. Women now make up 43 per cent. of the work force; 23 per cent. of all women with children under five work, and many more would like to do so.

In this area, there is a multiplicity of organisations with which to deal—playgroups, mothers' and toddlers' groups, child minders and nursery places. But separate management and planning systems for pre-school provision remain one of the greatest barriers to the development of a coherent policy. Only Strathclyde authority, whose record I commend to the House, has so far centralised the management of services for the under-fives in one department. A further 21 authorities have an under-fives sub-committee.

My Bill would establish a national policy framework for under-fives provision that will include a statement of objectives of provision and regulations for the coordination of statutory and voluntary sector provision. It will give three and four-year-olds an opportunity for pre-school education and care in whatever setting. It will establish the fact that statutory provision does not mean just nursery schools and classes but includes playgroups, mothers' and toddlers' groups, and possibly child minders.

My Bill will also ensure that local authorities will have an obligation to consult with and be empowered to fund the voluntary sector. Parents will be consulted, so that resources will be based in the community, within pram-pushing distance.

There should be a national, interdepartmental body concerned with the under-fives. The dispute between education and social services must cease. At a local level, local authorities will be made to establish new under-fives sub-committees and submit plans for the provision of pre-school services. Finally, my Bill will give workers access to training and opportunities.

All recent surveys show that some form of pre-school education gives children an enormous intellectual boost. This Bill is a toddlers' charter. With a rattle in one hand and with a book in the other, our children can be endowed with the incalculable gift of knowledge. If we fail to 375 respond, in later years our children will be able rightly to accuse us betraying their trust and squandering their future. I commend the Bill to the House.