The Plaid Cymru Welsh government has promised more detail on its flagship childcare policy before the middle of July in a Senedd debate where it survived a vote with Tory help.

The Government should review the two-to two-and-a-half year health and development check to increase numbers of children finishing Reception with a good level of development (GLD), a think tank says.

A recent survey reveals that many of England’s 376 maintained nursery schools face severe financial struggles. 

Many maintained nursery schools are struggling to stay afloat, research shows – at a time when the government is talking up early years’ role in getting children school-ready.

New partnerships between primary schools and early years settings will be given grants of up to £50,000 to improve reception readiness.

Sue Robb has urged the early years sector to ‘work as one’ amid concerns that the Government’s Best Start in Life strategy ‘pits private, voluntary and independent (PVI) nurseries against school-based nurseries’.