The significant role that nurseries play in a child’s development cannot be overlooked. They lay down the foundations for children to pick up skills as they progress through the school system. They also equip children with the confidence to start taking steps towards independence. Nurseries also provide much needed childcare, allowing parents to return to work.

And it’s not just about parents but also wider family members such as grandparents, who may be assuming childcare responsibilities, who get some time back.

That is why on the surface Labour’s plans to turn primary school classrooms into 3,300 new nurseries to create an extra 100,000 childcare places are to be welcomed.

Empty or under-used classrooms in England’s primary schools could be converted to nurseries, under the plans. This is a pragmatic approach that makes sense.

Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer during a visit to a primary school in Nuneaton. PIC: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire

However, what looks good on a spreadsheet sometimes doesn’t translate to reality and that is the fear with these proposals.

As is highlighted by Sarah Ronan, director of the Early Education and Childcare Coalition, a new workforce strategy that will attract more people into the sector is needed. Simply repurposing classrooms will not provide the answer.

It also comes down to meeting demand. Spare capacity in primary schools may not necessarily correlate with the needs of communities up and down the country.

As Christine Farquharson, associate director at the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), said: “Targeting provision at childcare ‘deserts’ could help to expand access to childcare in under-served areas – but a sensible plan would take into account the likely local demand for childcare, not just the (lack of) supply.”

Labour's nursery plan looks pragmatic on paper but will it translate into reality?

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