Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has vowed to embed a Sure Start-type system of support for deprived children and families so deeply that no future right-wing government could dismantle it. In an exclusive article for the Guardian, Phillipson described closing the attainment gap between poorer and richer children as the government's 'moral mission'.
The pledge follows the announcement of a new wave of family hubs across England, which will receive £500m to open 1,000 centres from April 2026. These hubs are intended as a successor to Sure Start, a network of centres launched in 1998 under the last Labour government, which was largely dismantled by Conservative spending cuts. A study found Sure Start generated long-term savings worth twice its cost.
Phillipson wrote that the family hubs strategy represents 'a watershed moment' and involves unprecedented collaboration between parents, councils, nurseries, childminders, schools, and government. She stated: 'We will ensure any such assault on the system will become the new third rail of British politics.'
In a follow-up announcement, the Department for Education revealed plans to pay qualified early years teachers a tax-free £4,500 to work in the 20 most disadvantaged communities in England. Currently, only one in ten nurseries has a qualified early years teacher. Additionally, Ofsted will inspect new early years providers within 18 months of opening, with subsequent inspections at least every four years, down from the current six.
Sure Start holds a near-totemic role in the Labour party narrative. Deputy leader Angela Rayner credited her local centre with transforming her life as a teenage mother. Phillipson recounted working with the first Sure Start centre in Washington, Tyne and Wear, calling it 'a lifeline' for women fleeing domestic violence. She emphasised that the achievement gap at 16 is 'baked in before they even start school'.
Speaking on Sunday, Phillipson acknowledged that the fiscal cost of the government's U-turn on welfare changes would make it harder to implement other policies, such as potentially scrapping the two-child benefit cap, but reiterated Labour's commitment to tackling child poverty.
