Dear ayoub ,
Today I published the Labour Government's Children's Plan - our vision to make this the best place in the world for children to grow up - and I would like to hear what you thinkThe Children's Plan responds to the concerns and aspirations of parents, children, young people and professionals - who all told us their views during our consultation.Building on the progress we have made over the last ten years, it sets out the next steps we will take to support parents, focus on the individual needs of every child, unlock the talents of all our young people and deliver a world class education.And because we believe no child should be left behind we will break down the barriers that entrench disadvantage - inside and outside school - with earlier intervention, more joined-up services, and extra support for children falling behind.Some of the key announcements in our Children's Plan include:• Up to 3,500 new or rebuilt play areas - the equivalent of 23 in every local authority and seven in every constituency - and 30 new adventure playgrounds in the most disadvantaged areas backed by £225 million of investment.• New things to do and places to go for young people - with £160 million over the next two years to kick-start our ambition of new youth facilities in every constituency. This could mean either 50 new state of the art youth centres, or 500 refurbished centres, or 2,000 smaller scale centres or mobile units.• Free nursery provision for the most disadvantaged two-year-olds - as we raise the entitlement for three and four-year-olds from 12 to 15 hours per week. • Next measures to raise school standards - including a review of the primary curriculum, a move towards "testing when ready" and more catch-up support for children falling behind.• More support for parents and families - including new measures to help parents take a more active role in their children's education.We have also set ambitious long-term goals and reaffirmed our historic commitment to eradicate child poverty by 2020 - with £100 million of new investment for disabled children.You can read more about the Children's Plan. it won't surprise you that the Tories cannot and will not match our ambitions.They attack Sure Start. They've voted against our extension of maternity leave. They oppose our plans to make sure every young person is in education, training or an apprenticeship until the age of 18. They oppose our new Diplomas which will break the old divide between academic and vocational learning.They want to cut £4.5 billion from our school rebuilding programme. And their unfair and unfunded family tax policy will do nothing to support children whose parents are widowed, separated or divorced.So once again David Cameron's Tories stand for opportunity for some .But with our Children's Plan, Labour will unlock the talents of every young person, intervene early so that no child is left behind, and back all parents and families.
Best wishes,Ed Balls MP Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families
