• Child of the North/Centre for Young Lives publishes new evidence-based plans to tackle the lack of affordable early years and childcare amid concerns at the high number of children starting school not ‘school ready’.
• Report sets out proposals to address the crisis in preschool provision across the country, particularly in the most disadvantaged areas, as well as improved training for professionals to boost home visits to first time low-income mothers, more parenting programmes, and better sharing of information between professionals working with families and young children.
• Report highlights the huge number of young children in England not starting Reception class ‘school ready’. In 2022/23, a third of children were not considered school ready, with 45% of children receiving Free School Meals not being ready for school.
• Report highlights new research warning children deemed not school ready are nearly 2.5 times as likely to be persistently absent from school, and around three times more likely to be NEET. Report shows the postcode lottery of school readiness, with just 59% of children ‘school ready’ in Manchester compared to 84% in London.
• Call for schools in most deprived areas to come forward to run extra 300 government-backed nurseries.
• Paediatricians, scientists and school leaders meet in Birmingham to discuss how the practitioners can support the new government in its ‘opportunity’ mission.

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A new report published today (Friday October 4th) by Child of the North and Anne Longfield’s Centre for Young Lives think tank, makes a series of proposals to tackle the high number of children starting school not ‘school ready’, and the crisis in early years and childcare provision - particularly in disadvantaged areas.

The report, “An evidence-based approach to supporting children in the preschool years”, is the ninth in a series of monthly Child of the North/Centre for Young Lives reports being published during 2024 to support the Government in its ambitious vision for children and to show how putting the interests and life chances of children at the heart of policy making and delivery is crucial to Britain’s future success.

The report will be launched on October 4th at an extraordinary meeting with paediatricians within the Healthier Together Programme. Healthier Together works in partnership with the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) to support integrated working across services to provide high-quality care and help to families. The meeting represents an unprecedented alliance across universities, health, education and care to support the new Government and create a step change in approaches to child health.

The report sets out how high quality early years settings play a crucial role in supporting successful development in young children, including their language, social, emotional, and physical skills, and behaviour. However, the current crisis in preschool early years and childcare provision - with many nurseries closing over recent years and unprecedented recruitment and retention challenges - has jeopardised the quality of provision and opportunities for children.

Last month, the Labour Government announced 300 new state funded nurseries will open in England’s primary schools by next September offering an opportunity for schools and communities in disadvantaged areas to develop new support for children and parents to tackle poverty and boost life chances.

The report highlights the alarming rise in early years developmental delays since Covid-19 resulting in huge numbers of children who are not ready for school. Schools report children arriving at Reception in nappies, and recent surveys of schools and nurseries have shown high levels of concern around speech and language with significant numbers of children below age-related expectations at the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

• In 2022/23, a third of children were not considered school ready, with 45% of children receiving Free School Meals not school ready.
• Over half of children who were not school ready performed below expected in their Key Stage 1 reading assessment.
• An analysis of children deemed not school ready shows that they were nearly 2.5 times more likely to be persistently absent from school than their peers.
• Children who are not school ready are around three times more likely to be NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) by the ages of 16-17.
• The percentage of school ready children varies across the country, from just 59% school readiness in Manchester to 84% in London.

The report warns that unless the Government acts quickly, there will be a downward spiral from poor spoken language through poor literacy and numeracy to longer-term effects on adult employability and the costs to society of intergenerational disadvantage. The report highlights how children from less affluent homes are more likely to enter education with poorly developed language abilities and children who enter school with poor oral language are at high risk of low educational attainment which, in turn, limits their later career opportunities.  

The report highlights the overwhelming evidence suggesting the health and education of a population are greatly influenced by the experiences of children before they enter the formal school system, and the compelling economic case for investing in the early years.

The report calls for:

Investment in Early Childhood Education Programmes that support the holistic needs of families in educational settings within the most disadvantaged areas. There is evidence to show that disadvantaged children who receive early educational intervention from infancy to the age of five have better cognitive and academic outcomes, including positive effects on children’s language, literacy, and socio-emotional development. These programmes can also help ensure access to comprehensive health and nutrition services for young children, including regular health screenings, immunisations, and nutrition assistance.

Improvements and extended training opportunities for professionals and families. Evidence shows that home visits by trained professionals to first-time, low-income parents leads to better pre- and post-natal health, fewer childhood injuries, increased intervals between births, and improved school readiness. There is also good evidence to support the implementation of positive parenting programmes that provide a multi-level system of parenting and family support. These programmes have been shown to improve child behaviour and reduce parental stress and conflict, which benefits children's overall development. “One stop shop” online resources, co-produced with those with lived experience, should be developed to provide professionals and families with information and support.

Connecting systems more effectively through shared information to provide more integrated support throughout a child’s educational journey. Public services, such as education, health, and social care, often work in silos. As a result, health information, for example health conditions, or birth factors that may facilitate earlier identification of problems, is rarely communicated directly to nurseries and preschools. Better sharing of information would connect public services, speeding up provision of support, and reducing structural inequalities. Collaborative working through improved information sharing would also allow professionals to develop practical and quick solutions to everyday issues and barriers that children may face.

The report spotlights innovative programmes which are already boosting school readiness, particularly for children living in disadvantaged communities, including:

The Nuffield Early Language Intervention Preschool has been developed to boost the language skills of children and better prepare them for school entry. This 20-week programme is suitable for children aged three to four years and combines universal enrichment with targeted small group and individual sessions for children with poor language skills. NELI Preschool includes training for nursery workers, oral language assessment, and intervention. A randomised controlled trial in 65 nurseries has shown that NELI Preschool significantly improves the oral language skills of children receiving the intervention, with recipients making the equivalent of three months’ additional progress in their language skills. Approximately 1,500 children took part in the trial and many of their nurseries have continued to include the programme as a key part of their curriculum. An evaluation of NELI Preschool is now being conducted in 155 Local Authorities across eight regions during the 2024-2025 school year.

50 Things To Do Before You’re Five is an initiative that provides ideas for fun, low or no-cost activities for families with young children that aim to help children develop the skills, language, and resilience needed for starting school and beyond. It can also be used by nurseries, childminders, schools, health teams, cultural settings, and community organisations, or by anyone who wants to improve outcomes for young children. The associated website and app are free for parents and practitioners. They provide details of each activity, including local links to parent groups, parks and green spaces, museums, and libraries. There are suggested age and stage-appropriate words and vocabulary to use in conversations during the activity to increase children’s vocabulary, adaptations that can be made if children have additional needs, and a list of related books. Parents have reported increased confidence in communicating more purposefully with their child during play. Other benefits are reported to include improved relationships with parents, and improved engagement and interactions between children and practitioners.

Sheffield Small Talk is an innovative and established speech and language therapy clinic, providing inclusive no-cost provision for all preschool children with SEND. Children and their families are at the heart of Sheffield Small Talk, where they are welcome to engage for as long as they would like, up until formal school entry. Children may be identified with (or waiting for identification) for autism, learning difficulties, complex developmental difficulties, and other developmental difficulties. Pre-registration speech and language therapy students are integral to the delivery of Small Talk, and it is one of their core placements they complete as part of their degree qualification. Small Talk is evidence-based, building on existing research to implement known effective interventions, exemplifying excellent knowledge exchange and impact. It is recognised both regionally and nationally, being shortlisted by the Communications Trust for a national award.

Anne Longfield, Executive Chair of the Centre for Young Lives, said:

“I have heard many concerning experiences from school staff about children arriving at Reception wearing nappies, still using buggies, and unable to communicate at the expected level or to socialise with other children.

“Some of these children have developmental problems, struggle with speech and behaviour, and can require significant extra attention and support from already overstretched schools.

“The Government’s commitment to 300 new state nurseries is an opportunity for schools and communities in disadvantaged areas to tackle these problems head on by establishing new early years support to boost children’s development and tackle poverty by providing childcare support to help parents work.

“None of these problems will fix themselves. Our preschool system is disjointed, is struggling with a recruitment and retention crisis, and has been historically underfunded.  

“This report provides affordable, realistic proposals and shares best practice that will support a new focus on transforming support for children and families. If we get it right, we can transform the life chances of millions of children.”

Professor Mark Mon Williams, Child of The North report series editor, said:

“The UK has forgotten that healthy trees grow from well nurtured seeds and saplings. The evidence shows clearly that many of the problems blighting the NHS, school and criminal justice system exist because we didn’t adequately support young children before they arrived in school.

“The cost to the children and families who are left unsupported is heart wrenching. But there are also immense long term costs to our economy and our society. We need a radical overhaul of how we support children in their early years and especially in areas suffering from structural disadvantage.

“The time has come for everyone throughout the UK, including politicians, to help nurture the next generation through their early years so our country can enjoy the benefits of a healthy and well educated population.

Judy Clegg, Professor of Speech and Language Therapy, University of Sheffield, said:

"Many children are starting school without the speech, language, and communication skills they need to begin learning. Urgent action is required to provide support, so every child can listen, talk, and engage with others—skills essential for thriving in the classroom, learning to read, making friends, and succeeding in school. Increased funding for health and early years education to collaborate effectively is crucial and expanding speech and language therapy services is vital to ensuring no child is left behind."

Dr Lauren Powell, Lecturer in Psychology and Education, University of Sheffield said:

"There is a clear and urgent need to transform support for children, families and the early years' workforce. As a researcher, I believe it is our ethical and moral responsibility to meaningfully include voices of those with lived experiences in the design of information and services that aim to support them. My hopes are that this report will lead to just this - ensuring children and their families are listened to, considered, and harnessed to improve current support provisions."

Dr Camilla Kingdon, Former President of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said:

“As a neonatologist I talk to parents in my follow up clinic about parenting and how they can support the development of their baby.  Most parents are desperate to do the best for their children and while common sense is often all that is needed, we all know that extra support and guidance can make a world of difference.

“The years leading up to starting school are fundamental to how a child transitions into education.  The data is telling us that far more needs to be done - especially in our more disadvantaged communities.  I am so delighted with this report and the examples, some of them really simple, of how we can turn our current situation around.  The loss of human capital cannot continue.  Our children deserve more - and we can do better.”  

ENDS

[.download]Download the Report[.download]