Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-03-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to paragraph 1.89 of the Budget 2016, whether nursery schools are included in the plans to convert all schools to academies; how she expects the changes announced in the Budget 2016 to affect nursery schools; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Sam Gyimah

The expectation that all schools should become academies by 2020, set out in the 2016 Budget, did not include the early years. The government has already announced an ambitious plan to transform early years provision so that working families can receive 30 hours free childcare.

The consultation on the National Funding Formula for schools sets out the government’s plans for replacing the arbitrary and unfair system for allocating primary and secondary school funding with a fairer system. Later this year, we will consult on proposals for a fairer funding system for all of the early years.