RIP David Lipsey. A warm, brilliant and inspiring man. Thinking of his wife Margaret and the kindness they both showed my family. Labour peer dies while swimming in river www.bbc.com/news/article...

Some exciting personal news…

Excellent to see free school meals extended to 100k more poorer children. (Even if a bit of a headache for us wonks…). Top graphs and analysis from @ckfarquharson.bsky.social as ever.

Important new work on exceptional needs of babies born in lockdown on @bbcradio4.bsky.social Woman's Hour. 5yrs on, its staggers me how shocked many still are about this. Those of us paying attention saw the babyblindspot play out like a slowmotion crash parentinfantfoundation.org.uk/wp-content/u...

The annual @theifs.bsky.social report on education spending is out. I've always found it incredibly useful so really pleased that @nuffieldfoundation.org fund it. Here's spending by educational stage over the last 35 years. So many policy stories in a single chart. ifs.org.uk/publications...

Amazing news of a 45% uplift to Early Years Pupil Premium, announced while I was literally in BBC Woman's Hour green room preparing to call for this very thing. They must have read my mind (or my childcare report yesterday for @ippr.bsky.social ...)!

Thanks BBC Woman's Hour for making the space to discuss how we can build childcare into a proper public service

Excited to have this out today.

Our childcare report for @ippr and Save the Children out today