Kate Osborne MP: Labour delivering for our children’s future

Three new school nurseries will open in the MP's constituency as part of a national rollout across 300 schools.

One of the greatest joys of being a Member of Parliament is visiting local schools across Jarrow and Gateshead East. It’s always inspiring to see young people growing into confident adults, supported by dedicated teachers and classroom assistants.

But in recent years, those visits became less hopeful and more heartbreaking. After 14 years of Tory cuts, teachers began approaching me, pleading for basic classroom resources. Parents shared stories of crippling childcare costs. Too many children started school at a disadvantage, lacking the early years support they – and their families – so desperately needed.

Teachers were burned out and under immense pressure. Many left the profession altogether. Meanwhile, our apprenticeship system was struggling to train the numbers our economy needs.

That’s why, just months into office, the Labour government is acting decisively to transform our education system – so that every young person gets the opportunity they deserve.

I’m delighted to share that Jarrow and Gateshead East will be among the first areas to benefit from Labour’s early years childcare expansion. Three new school-based nurseries will open at Dunn Street Primary, West Boldon Primary, and Bill Quay Primary, as part of a national rollout across 300 schools.

This will create up to 6,000 new childcare places, with most ready by September. From then, working parents will be entitled to 30 hours of government-funded childcare per week, starting when their child is just nine months old, right up to school age.

Early years education is absolutely crucial – and having affordable, local options can make all the difference for families.

School-based nurseries put schools at the heart of their communities. They help children build friendships early, ease the transition into formal education, and allow teachers to identify any challenges early on. Children see the same faces, play in the same playgrounds, and feel part of a community from the start.

This is just one part of Labour’s mission to rebuild education and support families. We’re also launching new free breakfast clubs across the country, including here in our constituency. These clubs, beginning this month, will support children’s learning, boost attendance and behaviour, and offer working parents vital childcare at the start of the day. Studies show they can improve academic progress by an additional two months – and save families up to £450 a year.

From 1997 to 2010, the last Labour government lifted over a million children out of poverty. That progress was undone by the Conservatives. Now we are determined to turn the tide again, because this is about more than just education or childcare—it’s about fairness. A child’s background should never determine their future.

It’s been fantastic to see the energy and curiosity of our local students firsthand. Just last week, I welcomed pupils from Ateres Girls High School in Felling to Westminster. They toured Parliament, visited Downing Street, and asked some truly brilliant questions. I look forward to more visits like this through Parliament’s subsidised education programme, which is open to all local schools and youth groups – please get in touch if your school would like to take part.

We also recently celebrated 10 years of Nissan’s Skills Foundation with a brilliant event on the factory floor. Around 200 schoolchildren – including pupils from Wardley Primary and St Augustine’s Catholic Primary – took part in building Lego cars on a real-life production line. It was wonderful to see their confidence and enthusiasm, especially among the many girls stepping into what could be future careers in manufacturing and engineering.

We must value practical education just as much as academic learning. Too often, young people who thrive in hands-on environments have been unfairly labelled as “non-academic” and left behind. That’s why Labour has scrapped the outdated English and Maths requirements for adults returning to apprenticeships. This change opens doors for people who were once written off—helping them gain skills and fill the vital gaps in our workforce.

Only a Labour government is delivering on the scale needed: not just more childcare, but better childcare. Not just more schools, but stronger partnerships with employers to build better apprenticeships and meaningful career pathways.

This is how we get our communities learning, thriving, and working again—and how we give every child the best possible start in life.