Social Mobility Commission calls for pupil premium extension to early years

The commission, which has been asked by the government to develop policies to improve social mobility, is calling for the premium to also apply to early years education for three- to four-year-olds.

In its report, Social Mobility – The Next Steps, the commission says: “We believe this will help incentivise a narrowing of the attainment gap between less advantaged and more advantaged children earlier in life.”

The commission also calls for more rigorous assessment of children’s development in reception, “so that children at risk of falling behind can be identified early and appropriate support put in place”.

Anne Longfield, chief executive of the charity 4Children, backed calls for an extension to the pupil premium.

She said: “The pupil premium is a sizeable and important source of funding and for it to be most effective in addressing social mobility it needs to start working earlier. Starting at three and four years of age will also help with the early identification of need.”

The report also calls for the targeting of antenatal and parenting classes at disadvantaged families. 

The commission wants to see better promotion of support among low-income parents with a greater focus on online promotion, children’s centres and through “trusted intermediaries", such as health visitors.

The commission also wants the government to do more to tackle low pay and require large companies and public sector organisations to publish the number of staff on low pay.

Improvement to careers advice in schools is also called for. This is a policy area the government has already pledged to take action on following the publication this week of a damning Ofsted report into schools careers advices services. This found just one in five were giving pupils information about a sufficiently wide range of career options.

Commission chair Alan Milburn said: “We identify early years, youth transition and wage progression as absolutely critical for life chances but too often they fall between the cracks in the responsibilities of different departments and agencies. We now look to government to take action.”

The commission is to publish its first annual report next month looking in detail at the progress that has been made by ministers, employers and schools to improve social mobility.

Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Pre-school Learning Alliance, said: “We would greatly welcome the extension of the pupil premium into early years for three- and four-year-olds if it would mean the introduction of targeted additional funding for these disadvantaged children and give them additional help during these formative years.

“However, we are concerned that this proposal comes with the suggestion that it be linked to the introduction of the proposed robust assessment for children in reception. We remain to be convinced of the need for change and view this as part of the creeping ‘schoolification’ agenda of top-down pressures on early years."