Invest in early years to level-up attainment

The reasons are complex, with rising child poverty likely a factor, however the National Audit Office also questions whether the billions of pounds a year spent on government-funded childcare could give better-off families an extra leg up. Official data shows take-up of the entitlement for three- and four-year-olds is higher in affluent areas, while use of 15-hours of funded childcare for the most disadvantaged two-year-olds remains stubbornly low (see special report).

Fears are now growing that the pandemic could turn this stall into reverse. Experts believe the pandemic’s economic hit will push child poverty above five million by 2023 which could reverse the hard-won gains on the attainment gap. Communities with the most entrenched poverty of opportunity, such as those highlighted in the education select committee’s recent white working class report, will be hit the hardest. The report calls for more early engagement of families so that children’s needs are met before they reach school age.