Written question asked by Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat) on Wednesday, 24 June 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 30 June 2026 (named day). It was answered by Olivia Bailey (Labour) on Tuesday, 30 June 2026 on behalf of the Department for Education.

Nurseries

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the educational outcomes of children who spend 30 hours or more per week in nursery during their early years compared to those who spend fewer than 30 hours per week, including outcomes in (a) secondary school entrance examinations and (b) GCSEs.

Answer

We want all families to access high-quality, affordable early education and care, as the evidence is clear that it boosts development.

The study of early education and development shows that among the 40% most disadvantaged children, starting formal early education and care before age two, and attending over 20 hours per week from ages 2 to 4, is linked to a higher likelihood of achieving a good level of development, compared with starting after 3 and for less than 10 hours. These children were more likely to meet expected attainment at key stage 1 than those attending fewer than 10 hours.

Earlier evidence from ‘Effective pre-school primary and secondary education’ found that attending pre-school increased the likelihood of obtaining five or more GCSEs grade A* to C by 8.4 percentage points on average.

The department continues to build evidence through evaluation of the entitlements expansion and new research, such as the new longitudinal study Children of the 2020s.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 12969
Session: 2026-27
Subjects: Nurseries
Link: View this Written question on www.parliament.uk

Nurseries

Secondary information

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