Government to invest in school nurseries in deprived areas

The plans, unveiled by Education Secretary Damian Hinds, will see "successful" schools bid for a share of a £30m funding pot to develop nursery facilities so they can increase their pre-school pupil numbers.

Hinds said schools will be invited to run projects that demonstrate "innovative" approaches to close the attainment gap between disadvantaged children and their more affluent peers.

It follows latest Department for Education research which shows more than a quarter of four and five-year-olds lack the early communication and literacy skills expected by the end of reception year.

The "expected level" includes a child being able to express themselves clearly and read simple sentences.

Hinds said the initiative will include a focus on creating partnerships between schools and councils, multi-academy trusts (MATs) or charities.

More than £45m has already been announced for successful MATs in a bid to help tackle underperformance and improve schools in areas that lack capacity.

Hinds reiterated an earlier commitment to spend £20m to improve the speech and language development skills of early staff in disadvantaged areas.

He said the funding aimed to drive up standards in pre-school settings so children will be better prepared for primary school.

The range of new measures will also look at ways of supporting parents with helping children learn new words and develop their communication skills, he added.