News

A further ambitious expansion of services for young children has been announced by the government.

Chancellor Gordon Brown in his Spending Review announced an extra £769m to fund 2,500 children’s centres by 2008 - more than the original offer of a children’s centre in each of the 20 per cent most deprived wards in the country.

Also, the Children’s Fund is to be extended to 2008, by which time children’s trusts are expected to be up and running and providing integrated children’s services.

Children’s social services are to receive "significant increases in funding" to enable local authorities to play their part in reforms outlined in Every Child Matters.

Brown also announced a pilot scheme to provide free nursery places to two year olds. The pilot will run in 500 disadvantaged areas, and offer part time early education places to 12,000 two year olds.

He promised investment in extended and full service schools to back the Department for Education and Skill’s promise last week of at least 1,000 primary schools offering "wrap around" child care between 8am and 6pm by 2008.

In time, every primary school should offer study support activities and parent support opportunities on the premises, according to the DfES. The Spending Review promises 240 full service extended schools by next year, offering health services and adult education as well as child care.

The growth is to be paid for by massive cuts in the civil service. As already announced, about one in three posts in the DfES is to be cut.