The Labour Party has pledged to create 100,000 additional childcare places and establish more than 3,000 new nurseries as part of its comprehensive childcare plan.
Labour plans to transform existing primary school classrooms into "school-based nurseries" at an estimated cost of £40,000 per classroom. The funding for this initiative would come from the VAT levied on private schools—a move that has faced criticism from within the sector and other political parties.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer stated that, if elected, his party would "create the childcare places needed to turn the page, and rebuild Britain.”
Despite predictions of a decline in the number of nursery and primary school children in England over the next four years, Labour intends to use the available space in primary schools to establish 3,334 new "high-quality" nurseries. These nurseries will be set up in high-need areas that currently lack sufficient childcare places. They could be managed either by the primary schools themselves or by local private and voluntary sector nursery providers.
The funding for this project will come from Labour's plan to remove what it describes as "unfair tax breaks" from private schools.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak previously criticized Labour's proposal to remove these tax breaks and impose a 20% VAT on private schools, calling it part of a "class war" intended to "punish" aspirational parents.
On Sunday, Labour's shadow attorney general Emily Thornberry acknowledged to GB News that the policy might temporarily increase class sizes. However, shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson refuted this, explaining on the BBC's Today programme that falling pupil numbers would prevent class size increases.
Labour's childcare announcement is part of its long-term strategy to develop a modern childcare system that supports parents from the end of parental leave to the end of primary school. Sir Keir commented, “After 14 years of Conservative government, too many children are starting school already behind, and too many parents are being held back from fulfilling their career ambitions."
Ms. Phillipson emphasized the party's commitment to "fix" the childcare system. She highlighted that the 3,300 new nurseries are crucial for achieving Labour’s mission of enabling half a million more children to reach early learning goals by 2030, thus providing them with a solid foundation for success.
Labour had previously committed to establishing free breakfast clubs in every primary school in England. Earlier this year, the party also vowed to uphold the government’s expansion of funded childcare, which will provide additional free childcare hours to working parents starting in April 2024.
The Department for Education has stated that around 85,000 extra childminder and nursery places are necessary for this expansion to be effective.
The BBC has approached the Conservative Party for comment on Labour's plans. A spokesperson from the Liberal Democrats told BBC News that "flexible, affordable childcare is critical for giving parents more choice over how to organise their lives, helping them return to work if they want to, and tackling the gender pay gap." The spokesperson added that the Liberal Democrats would also present plans to "transform" parental leave.
The gender equality charity, the Fawcett Society, praised Labour's plan, stating it was "about time childcare became an election priority." The charity stressed the need for childcare to be a key issue in every party’s manifesto and for genuine, long-term commitments that extend beyond this election. The charity highlighted that 85% of mothers struggle to find childcare that fits around their jobs, forcing many to stop working. Photo by Lucélia Ribeiro, Wikimedia commons.