Ruth Cadbury MP raises concerns of nurseries with Shadow Minister

On Tuesday 26th January Ruth Cadbury MP met with heads of local nurseries based in Hounslow and Shadow Children’s Ministers Tulip Siddiq MP.

Ruth and Tulip heard the difficulties and problems that early years providers have faced during the Covid pandemic - including access to coronavirus testing, staff morale and funding shortfalls from the Government.

Following this meeting Ruth is writing to the Children’s Minister Vicky Ford to raise these issues which are impacting on the future of nursery schooling in the borough.

Speaking after the meeting Ruth said,

‘‘It was great to be able to listen to local nurseries and head teachers of schools with nursery classes, about how the coronavirus has impacted them first-hand.

They’ve been working tirelessly over the last year and we owe them a huge debt of gratitude for their hard work.

It was very concerning to hear about the challenges they are facing; from the difficulty in getting staff tested for the coronavirus, uncertainty over furlough rules to worrying gaps in funding.

It’s clear that they have not had the support they need from the Government, which has made their already tough job even harder. I will be raising this as a matter of urgency with the Government.’’

Shadow Children’s and Early Years Minister Tulip Siddiq MP said,

“The Government has refused to publish the scientific basis for keeping early years settings open in lockdown. And, despite being asked to provide an emergency childcare service in this pandemic, the vast majority of nursery and pre-school workers have been excluded from the mass rollout of Covid home test kits.

Nursery workers and the families they support deserve a plan to keep them safe, including proper access to testing.

With many settings being forced to close due the health crisis and others warning that they may soon follow suit, the Government must not punish providers financially for taking safety precautions.

The government must urgently rethink these funding changes and provide targeted support to providers, or risk decimating the early year’s sector.”