MSPs urged to take opportunity to end discrimination in government-funded nursery provision

Expansion of provision will be watered down unless amendments are backed

Reform Scotland, the independent non-party think-tank, is calling on members of the Scottish Parliament’s Education and Culture Committee to back amendments which will end the wide variation in children’s entitlement to government-funded nursery provision.

As Reform Scotland has previously highlighted, currently only 50% of children born in Scotland are entitled to two years’ provision, while others receive as little as 15 months.  This can also mean a difference in over £1,000 towards the cost of a partnership nursery. (See table in Notes to Editors)

Amendments to the Scottish Government’s Children and Young People (Scotland) Bill, put forward by Elizabeth Smith MSP, are set to be considered by the Education and Culture Committee today (14 January).  During the stage 1 debate, MSPs from Labour, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats all indicated that they wanted all children to be given the same basic provision.  However, the Scottish Government has indicated that it is its intention for the current variation in entitlement to remain in place.

The Scottish Government has suggested that the current system takes “proper account” of a child’s development.  However, Reform Scotland would argue it does no such thing and instead applies three arbitrary points in time – no qualifications, such as being fully toilet trained, must be met for the entitlement to begin, and the age at which entitlement begins varies between 2 years 11 months and 3 years 5 months.

Reform Scotland proposal is based on a specific entry-point (probably the August two years before the child starts school), but crucially, under our system every child would be treated equally and receive a basic two years of government funding before starting school.

Commenting, Alison Payne, Research Director of Reform Scotland, said:

“The Scottish Government put childcare and nursery provision at the heart of its white paper on an independent Scotland, no doubt because this is an issue of importance to many Scots.

“I am, therefore, disappointed that the Scottish Government has not yet taken the opportunity to ensure that all children in Scotland have a basic equal entitlement to government-funded nursery provision.

“That can change today. Liz Smith’s proposed amendments are a simple solution – just as all children are entitled to seven years of primary education irrespective of their date of birth, they should be entitled to a basic two years of government-funded nursery provision.  To achieve this, Reform Scotland believes that nursery provision should start at a fixed point in the year, probably in August, just as it does for school.

“These amendments are also necessary to ensure that disadvantaged 2 year olds receive a full additional year of nursery.

“I hope the members of the Education and Culture Committee will take today’s opportunity to ensure that all children in Scotland have the same basic right to nursery provision.”

ENDS