Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson is set to propose extending the 30 hours of taxpayer-funded free childcare to unemployed parents on benefits. The proposal, outlined in a speech today, advocates for a 'universal early years' offer intended to help prevent a million young people from becoming not in education, employment, or training (NEET).
Phillipson plans to argue that this expansion would support parents into work and provide disadvantaged children with quality early years education. "There are families out there who can't afford quality childcare because they aren't working, and they struggle to work because they can't afford quality childcare," Phillipson is expected to say. "So their children miss out on quality early years education. Where's the sense in that?"
The initiative, described as a long-term aspiration rather than an immediate policy proposal, would extend the current offer available to working parents. In England, eligible working parents can currently receive 30 hours a week of free childcare for children aged nine months to four years old.
Research suggests that expanding this offer to unemployed parents could add approximately £7 billion annually to the current system's projected £8 billion cost, bringing the total annual expenditure to £15 billion. This projected cost is comparable to a four-year uplift to defense spending announced by Sir Keir Starmer to bolster Britain's Armed Forces.
The speech is being delivered in Oxford and occurs amid speculation about potential cabinet roles under a future leadership led by Andy Burnham. Phillipson's proposal aligns with calls from organizations like Save the Children, which has calculated that the investment could be recouped through increased income tax and National Insurance revenues from individuals moving into employment. They also argue it could help reduce the gender pay gap and create an estimated 130,000 teaching and care jobs.
This discussion also follows a recent independent inquiry that highlighted the need for significant reforms to address the low educational attainment of white working-class children, who are identified as the lowest-performing demographic in England's school system. The inquiry recommended extending free childcare to disadvantaged families not currently eligible and prioritizing reading fluency for white working-class children. The Centre for Social Justice thinktank recently reported that a significant number of children may face unemployment in early adulthood if they fall behind in primary school.
Phillipson's remarks coincide with the 50th anniversary of former Labour Prime Minister James Callaghan's 1976 lecture on public education at Ruskin College, which called for improvements in teaching standards and greater accountability within the education system.