Best start to life for all our children

As a dad, I know how rewarding and how challenging bringing up children can be.
Supporting parents is my top priority as your MP, and it’s a priority shared by our Labour government.

Last week, the government set out plans to ensure every child gets the best start in life. From early years through to secondary school, we will raise standards in reading, writing and maths, revitalise arts education, and work with employers to bring the national curriculum to life so pupils can see how their learning connects to future careers.

Our vision is simple: no child left behind. As we raise standards for all, we must close the disadvantage gap. White working-class children, for example, have among the lowest GCSE attainment and, since the pandemic, have fallen further behind. That cannot continue.

Even before I was elected, parents, teachers and young people told me the system for supporting children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) was broken. It should never be a battle for families to secure the help their child needs.

Last summer, I met local parents to hear their experiences. I’m pleased that many of their ideas are reflected in the government’s SEND consultation published last week. It proposes earlier, more accessible support so more children can thrive in their local schools – including better teacher training, on-demand access to specialists such as speech and language therapists, and improved facilities for small-group work. Crucially, new national standards will end the postcode lottery. Families in High Peak know this all too well after Derbyshire County Council, under both Conservative and Reform administrations, was judged to have inadequate provision.

But supporting parents is about more than what happens in the classroom.

Childcare costs remain a huge concern. That’s why Labour is delivering 30 hours of government-funded childcare for working parents, saving families up to £7,500 per child each year.

We’re also rolling out breakfast clubs, including at Peak Forest, New Mills and Bamford Primary here in High Peak. This won’t just save parents around £450 a year. We all know how stressful mornings can be, and no child can learn on an empty stomach.

Under the Conservatives, the number of children growing up in poverty despite having a working parent rose by more than 900,000. By the time they left office, over 70% of children in poverty in High Peak lived in working households. No parent should struggle to provide the basics.

Tackling child poverty is a moral imperative and an economic necessity. That’s why we’re expanding free school meals and, despite opposition, abolishing the two-child benefit cap – a policy that disproportionately affects working families. Together, these measures will lift 550,000 children out of poverty.

Alongside this, Labour is restoring economic stability. Inflation is falling, energy bills are coming down, and interest rates are at their lowest level in three years.

More money in parents’ pockets and better support for children: that is how we rebuild services and give every family in High Peak the chance to thrive.