The beginning of this week was marked by a profoundly disappointing and troubling moment for children’s development across England.
Without any official announcement or explanation, the Department for Education declined to renew funding for the Early Years Professional Development Programme (EYPDP), forcing it to shut down and leaving practitioners, families and vulnerable children without vital support at a critical time.
The decision is nothing short of baffling. Support for early years staff is at an all-time low, and the government also this week confirmed the first wave of 300 new school-based nurseries.
We currently face an unprecedented crisis in children’s communication development with 1.9 million children experiencing speech and language challenges across the UK - the highest number ever recorded.
The loss of early years training
Yet the one programme offering quality support and training for early years educators addressing the needs of the most vulnerable children ended 48 hours before the announcement about the new nurseries.
The inexplicable contradictions within the government’s stated priorities have been laid bare.
Ministers repeatedly emphasise the importance of early intervention and child development in public statements and headline announcements, while simultaneously dismantling one of the most successful initiatives in this area.
Extra nurseries are, of course, needed and welcomed. But what matters most is what happens inside them. What support for the record number of children with speech and language challenges will these school-based nurseries offer?
How will they train staff to practise the critical skills required to help children get school-ready?
The EYPDP wasn’t merely another government-backed scheme. It was a transformative initiative with demonstrable results, and the evidence speaks for itself.
The programme benefited 100,000 children aged 2-4, reached 5,000 nurseries and early years settings, and operated successfully across all 153 local authority areas.
Most tellingly, 94 per cent of participating practitioners reported increased motivation to remain in the sector - a remarkable achievement given the well-documented recruitment and retention challenges in early years education.
In December we presented comprehensive evidence of the programme’s success to the DfE.
Together with other leaders in early years education, we wrote directly to ministers highlighting its exceptional impact and cost-effectiveness. Our evidence-based appeal was met with silence.
The economics of this decision simply don’t add up. Every pound invested in early intervention provides substantial savings in future costs across education, healthcare and social services. By withdrawing support now, the government is essentially choosing to pay considerably more later, costing these children their futures and our society dearly.
For the children and families affected, the consequences are immediate and potentially long-lasting.
Without early identification and support, speech and language challenges extend far beyond the classroom, affecting not just educational outcomes but future employment prospects and mental wellbeing.
These aren’t abstract concerns; they represent real children whose potential is being strikingly limited by this shortsighted decision.
Will the decision be reversed?
This decision will undoubtedly let down the many who trusted the government to prioritise children’s early years development. Campaign promises about investing in our youngest citizens now ring hollow in the face of this programme’s closure.
We can only hope that the decision will be overturned, but in no time the government will see the catastrophic mistake it has made as the number of children with speech and language challenges continues to rise.
The upcoming spending review presents a critical opportunity to reverse this misguided decision.
We strongly urge the government to allocate funding to reinstate the EYPDP and demonstrate genuine commitment to children’s early development in all nurseries, existing and new.
Jane Harris is chief executive of Speech and Language UK
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