Government announces intent to work with local authorities towards meeting targets to improve ‘school-readiness'
by Jessica Gibson
New measures will be introduced to help the government meet its ‘school-readiness’ targets, education secretary Bridget Phillipson has announced in a speech.
Delivering the speech at the government’s regional improvement conference in Sunderland, the education secretary also outlined her plan to ensure more children get the best start in life and reduce the number starting school still in nappies or unable to hold a pencil, while calling for a “renewed recognition” of the work done by early educators and teachers.
She highlighted that, though two in three children (66%) on average meet a good level of development, for children in social care or facing other challenges, just 38% meet a good level of development, with this gap in development only increasing.
New measures seek to make early development a priority for local leaders, with local authorities working with the government to agree to statutory targets to improve ‘school readiness’ in their areas.
Each local authority will be required to start developing Best Start plans for their area that will help the government achieve its Plan for Change milestones – including 75% of children achieving a good level of development by 2028.