New local action to get children ready for school
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Every child to get best start in life as Education Secretary sets
out clear direction for local councils and schools as part of the
government's Plan for Change Statutory targets to be
introduced for every council to make child development a
priority New tool launched to give schools smart
insights into how to target support in crucial reception year
A national effort begins today to transform the life chances of
every child – as the...Request free
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A national effort begins today to transform the life chances of every child – as the Education Secretary sets out a clear direction to local councils and schools to come together to tackle the shocking reality that 1 in every 3 children start formal school at age 5 not yet ready to learn. School readiness isn't just a classroom issue — it's a catalyst for national renewal. The challenges across local areas and action needed will be different but getting it right at a local level means a stronger, more prosperous society, where more young people thrive in education, succeed in work, and contribute fully to their communities. Ensuring every child gets the best start in life means setting a clear ambition around which local areas, schools and partners can organise and to work together, as they must, to achieve better outcomes for children in the short and long term. Speaking at the government's regional improvement conference in Sunderland, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson will outline the scale of the challenge and her plan to ensure more children get the best start in life – bringing down the number of children starting school still in nappies or not able to hold a pencil. The government's Study of Early Education and Development (SEED) found that high-quality early education is associated with better academic outcomes and life chances. For children from the most financially disadvantaged families, each additional hour of formal childcare per week in the early years was linked to a 5% increase in the odds of meeting expected standards in reading, writing and maths — reducing the risk of becoming Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET) later in life. Evidence also shows that children who attend early education go on to earn £37,000 more on average over their lifetime. Coming ahead of a wider ‘Best Start in Life' strategy expected to be published by the government early next week, Phillipson's speech will focus on the importance of reception year, and call for renewed recognition of the work done by teachers and early educators. It follows a raft of government action backing parents with much greater access to early education and childcare opportunities, including through the expansion to 30 government funded hours for working parents from September and new school-based nurseries, as well as the extension of early maths and language programmes proven to boost children's development by months at a time. Outlining that “this government's Plan for Change sets a target of a record 75% of children reaching a good level of development, “the Education Secretary is expected to say to the audience of 300 school leaders: “How can there be a fair race to success in our society when whole groups of children start so far behind? “Nearly half of the disadvantage gap at age 16 is already there by age 5. “It breaks my heart that, for these children, here in our country, a quarter of the way through the 21st century – background still means destiny. “It's a national scandal.”
As part of reforms to make early development a priority for local leaders across the country, the Education Secretary will confirm that every local authority will work with government to agree statutory targets to improve school readiness in their area. It comes as school readiness has also been included as a ‘priority metric' in the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government's new draft Local Government Outcomes Framework, published yesterday for engagement with the local government sector. Areas will be tasked with developing ambitious Best Start local plans to achieve the Plan for Change milestone to get a record number of children school ready every year by 2028, working in partnership with Government. This will build on local innovation already in place as part of the government's test, learn and grow agenda, with projects to improve the uptake of family services in Manchester and Sheffield already showing the value of this approach. To drive local innovation, a school readiness data tool being launched this Autumn will be demonstrated at the conference, to better support schools in decision making about where to focus their efforts in reception year. It will show schools the development target they should be aiming for based on comparator schools, and single out areas of focus for schools to improve their current scores. It builds on learnings from this government's approach to driving up school attendance, where contextual comparison data against other similar schools has helped drive 3 million more days in school already this year compared to last. Delivering on this vision means transforming how early education is delivered — not just through targets, but through practical support for schools, families and communities.
Closing her speech, the Education Secretary will
say: “To give every child the best start in life, to make sure every child can succeed in school, we've all got to recognise our responsibilities. “As government we have ours. As school leaders you have yours. “And parents have responsibilities too. “To make sure their children arrive at school ready to learn. “Whether that's their first day in reception, or last day in year 11. “Our Best Start in Life Strategy will support parents to do just that – and to do much more for their children as they move into school and beyond.” […] “Now is the time to revolutionise the early years, to light those lamps of learning, right from the start, and to give each and every child the start in life they deserve.”
Felicity Gillespie, Director, Kindred Squared, said: “It's great to see the government continuing to put such energy and focus into meeting its pledge to increase the number of children who are ‘school ready'. “Starting Reception with the age-appropriate life skills gives every child the best chance to thrive. We know parents want the best for their children and need to normalise discussions about what healthy development and good parenting mean. “Closing the disadvantage gap early is best for children, schools and for the society we want to be - and too important for us to be afraid to discuss.” ENDS NOTES TO EDITORS
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