Labour Milestones Review: Giving children the best start in life

During the 2024 General Election campaign, the Labour Party raised concerns that too many children arriving at primary school were not ready to learn. Across England, 33% of all children in the 2022/23 academic year were considered not school ready when starting reception. This included a quarter not having basic language skills and 30% being unable to communicate their needs to teachers. While the long-term implications of low school readiness are well researched, stakeholders called for the Government to act quickly to reduce the effects of poor spoken language, literacy and numeracy. They also noted that children from less affluent backgrounds face a high risk of low educational attainment, which could entrench intergenerational disadvantages.

In December 2024, the Government committed to increasing school readiness as part of its six key milestones for this parliament. The term ‘school readiness’ often refers to a child’s preparedness and their ability to succeed in school through cognitive, social, and emotional skills. It most commonly refers to children around the age of five and the start of formal education. A child’s development is considered ‘good’ if they meet the expected requirements across five early learning categories. These include communication, personal, social and emotional development, literacy, mathematics, and physical development. Assessments are made at the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

In its pledge, the Government has committed to increasing school readiness to 75% of all five-year-olds by 2028. Progress will be measured against children reaching a ‘good level of development’ across the five areas of learning in the Early Years Foundation Stage, and would mark an increase of 40,000 to 45,000 a year reaching the standard. In November 2024, the Department for Education reported that 67.7% of children in 2023/24 met a good level of development at the start of the academic year.

To meet this milestone, the Government has rolled out multiple initiatives across early years education, targeting improvements in accessibility, quality, family support and local services. The Government’s commitment to early childhood is centred around collaboration and partnership with parents, teachers, and communities. The Government’s strategy has included a £1.5bn commitment to structural reform across family services and early years education, and will work in tandem with broader Government strategies, including the 10-Year Health Plan.

Firstly, the Government has committed to reforming family services, critical to supporting early development. It is launching over 1,000 Best Start Family Hubs across the country by the end of 2028, ensuring that there is a hub situated in every local authority by April 2026. These services will also be integrated by a new national digital service, which will centralise information and guidance from local service providers for families.

The Government has also targeted accessibility and affordability for early education and care. This has included Government funded childcare which is reported to save families an average of £7,500 a year by providing 30 hours of childcare a week. The Government has stated that over 500,000 children are currently benefitting from the initiative. There have also been efforts to expand access to the early years sector, with up to 6,000 new places opening in school-based nurseries. The expansion marks efforts to reduce a regional attainment gap, with the majority of new nurseries opening in phase one in the North and the Midlands.

The strategy has also centred on inclusion and accountability. The Government has raised the Early Years Pupil Premium to its ‘highest level’ to increase support for low-income families, increased accountability through reforms to the frequency of Ofsted inspections and focused training support on evidence-based programs that support those identified with SEND. Broader reforms to the early years system are further being supported by targeted skills development and teacher retention to tackle a broader teaching ‘crisis’.

As the Government enters its second year in power, stakeholders have acknowledged the Government’s strategy as both wide-reaching and ambitious, with many noting the complexity and importance of improving school readiness. However, concerns have been raised about the plausibility of the ‘75%’ goal and the financial stability that is required to ensure a sustained and progressive rise in early years development. A survey by Schools Week indicated that 80% of teachers believe that the Government will miss its target.

The Sutton Trust, similarly to the Institute for Government, emphasised the scale of disparities in school readiness between different demographic groups. They noted that targeted intervention must be focused on the most deprived areas, where 51.5% of children from disadvantaged backgrounds reach school readiness by the age of five. The gap between children who are eligible for free school meals and their peers has widened since 2017 and poses a complicated challenge for the Government to address.

While there remains an acknowledgement of support in the Government’s efforts to reform early years education, how the Government tackles an increasing attainment gap will be crucial in reaching its milestone. The Government’s ability to resolve the issue at speed, whilst ensuring sustained financial support, will be critical to supporting vulnerable children and its overarching ambition of raising school readiness to 75% for all children at the age of five.

For more on how the Labour Government is delivering on its promises, read the Vuelio Political team’s take on its housing and policing commitments.