The Centre for Young Lives think tank, is today (Monday) publishing a new report, ‘Starting Well: Lessons from local areas on how to ensure all children are school ready’. 

[.download]Download the report[.download] [.download]Download executive summary[.download]

The report highlights the challenges that put at risk the Government’s key school readiness target for children in England. Drawing on interviews with local authorities across the country, the report highlights both what is working to improve early years outcomes and the systemic barriers that are holding progress back, including workforce shortages, fragmented services, and gaps in data sharing.

The report argues that the Government’s Best Start in Life strategy has created welcome renewed focus on the early years and calls for stronger national leadership and long-term reform to boost progress. It urges Government to use its strategy to fundamentally reshape how services for young children and families are designed and delivered, placing early childhood at the centre of policy across departments.

Almost one in three children are still starting school without the skills they need to thrive, and statistics published at the end of last year show 68% of children are currently reaching a good level of development by age five, short of the Government’s ambition to reach 75% by 2028. 

The report calls for urgent action to strengthen early years systems, otherwise inequalities in child development will continue to widen, with children growing up in poverty and those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) at the greatest risk of falling behind. 

The report finds:

• Progress has been slow: Nearly one in three children are not school ready by age five, and improvements are still short of the rate needed to reach the Government’s target. 
• Systems matter more than programmes: Drawing on evidence from local councils, success in improving outcomes is not being driven by single interventions, more by how well local systems are coordinated. 
• Local authorities are still facing structural barriers to reaching the Government’s target: Fragmented services, short-term funding and workforce challenges are continuing to hold back efforts to improve outcomes. 
• Early identification is inconsistent: Weak data sharing and gaps in universal services are also limiting the ability to identify and support children early. 

The report sets out a series of recommendations to help Government and local areas boost school readiness and close the development gap, including:

Better integration of early years services

• Clear national guidance to support collaboration between health, education and local services
• Stronger data sharing to enable early identification of need

Reform of early education and childcare

• Action to improve quality and access to provision — particularly for disadvantaged children
• A long-term workforce strategy to address recruitment and retention

Long-term commitment to the early years

• Secure, sustained funding for early years services
• A cross-government strategy for children from pregnancy to age five

The report also calls for a stronger focus on prevention and better investment in early childhood to reduce demand for more costly services later in life.

Haroon Chowdry, Centre for Young Lives’ CEO, said:

“Getting it right early is not just the right thing to do - it is the most powerful lever at our disposal to break the cycle of disadvantage and unlock the potential of every child. That is why the Government’s school readiness target in its Plan for Change matters so much. 

“But ambition, on its own, is not enough. We set out in this report what we have learnt about the conditions required for success in boosting child development, and what it will take to achieve the 2028 target. 

“The Government must seize this moment and use the focus, alignment and momentum that have been created to go further. With the right investment, the right systems and the right partners around the table, every child can get a great start in life. This report shows how to make that happen.”‍

[.download]Download the report[.download] [.download]Download executive summary[.download]

ENDS