Speaking at an event in Buckinghamshire this morning, Starmer said that by 2028, three-quarters of five-year-olds will be school ready.
In his speech, Starmer said this would represent a “record proportion” of school-ready children.
He said: “One in three children not ready for school at the age of five…kids in reception, who aren’t starting to read…they’re struggling to speak.
"It is a scandal…an affront to the British value of equal respect…if we do not give every child, whatever their background…a fair chance to succeed.”
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Analysis: Benefits of expanding childcare provision
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Practice: Supporting communication needs in early years of childhood
Research earlier this year by the Centre for Young Lives and Child of the North found that 33% of children start reception class without the skills and knowledge to succeed at school. This rate rose to 45% for children eligible for free school meals.
A report by Kindred2 in February based on interviews with 1,000 teachers and parents of reception-age children found 25% of children are starting school not toilet trained, 30% are unable to communicate their needs and a quarter don’t have basic language skills.
The target – one of six milestones set out by the Prime Minister as part of his government’s mission refresh – would raise school readiness levels to above where they were before the pandemic. In 2019, the proportion of children who were school ready was 72% but this fell to 65% in 2022 after months of Covid-related lost learning from nurseries being closed.
Sutton Trust chief executive Nick Harrison said the target “is absolutely the right ambition” but warned it will be a “momentous task to achieve”.
“The gap between children eligible for free school meals and their peers in meeting these learning goals has been widening since 2017 and there is no sign of this trend reversing.
“Children from better off families are receiving at least double the government-funded early years education that those from poorer families are entitled to. And with competition for nursery places growing, disadvantaged young children risk being increasingly locked out.
“The government must find the resources to end this travesty by equalising access to early education and will also need to invest in the early years workforce to raise the quality of provision, particularly in the most deprived areas.”
Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Early Years Alliance, said: “Today has the potential to mark the start of a new approach to the early years: one that has the needs of the child at its centre, and that at long last recognises and values the important role that our sector plays in the lives of children and families. What we need now are the practical changes – and investment – that will help ensure that the ambitions outlined today can become a reality.”
Purnima Tanuku, chief executive of the National Day Nurseries Association, added: “It’s positive to see the Best Start in Life is all about supporting children with their early learning and development, but we would say that early years professionals do so much more than get young children ready for school. Their first five years should be treated as the most important stage of their development, a stage in its own right, not just as a springboard for school.”
