Early childhood education policy in England since 2010: an overview

This chapter takes a broad perspective on policy changes and debates in the provision of early childhood education and care (ECEC) services in England since 2010. After a brief overview of ECEC policy during the period, which indicates that the intensity of policy declined significantly after the end of the Coalition Government in 2015, it focuses on three areas. The first is school readiness, a longstanding issue which gained renewed importance in the context of successive Conservative-led governments’ concern with social mobility. The second is the Early Years Pupil Premium, introduced in 2015, which offered additional funding for three and four-year-olds from disadvantaged backgrounds. The final area is the enduring influence of the preceding Labour Government’s Sure Start programme, which was cut significantly by the incoming coalition in 2010, but which continues to dominate ECEC policy discourse in England.