Every day children, families and schools deal with the consequences of the educational vandalism that led to the closure of more than 1,000 Sure Start centres since 2010.
Now, with the launch of the new Best Start in Life strategy, I am hopeful that education secretary Bridget Phillipson has restarted a national conversation that should never have stopped: about how we give all children the chance to succeed before the odds are stacked irreversibly against so many.
For those of us who have worked in schools for years, the impact of early disadvantage is glaringly obvious. We see it in the children who arrive in Reception unable to speak in full sentences, those still in nappies, those unable to hold a pencil or those who have encountered few books.
Early intervention
And we know that when we meet those children in secondary school, life is going to be difficult. Because we know, in our heads and our hearts, that early gaps widen into a lifelong gulf.
It doesn’t have to be this way, and it damn well shouldn’t be.
The new strategy represents the most significant attempt in a generation to confront this injustice - one that echoes the spirit of Sure Start, but with a 21st-century lens.
Where Sure Start once stitched together health, parenting and early learning, Best Start in Life may go further; placing early development at the heart of education policy, with statutory targets, a new school-readiness data tool and a commitment to practical support for families and schools alike.
Getting children school-ready
This is not a blame game. It’s right to say that parents, schools and government all have a role to play.
This strategy does not point the finger at families; it offers them support. It does not just tell schools to fix all of society’s ills; it gives us tools. And it puts the early years squarely back at the heart of our education system, right where it should always have been.
This looks like a serious plan to reverse decades of entrenched inequality.
The numbers are stark. One in three children is not school-ready at age 5. Nearly half of the attainment gap at 16 is already baked in before a child puts on their first school uniform.
If we are serious about equality, equity and economic growth, then early childhood must become the frontline of the fight. And I say this as someone who trained as a secondary school teacher.
Tool for schools
The school-readiness data tool looks promising. We don’t need more inspection - we need more insight. We need to know how we compare, where we can improve and what support we need. This signals a welcome departure from only relying on top-down accountability to something more dynamic and intelligent.
This strategy also recognises that early years teaching is foundational. It’s complex, specialist and far too often it is undervalued. The education secretary’s recognition of Reception teachers - so often the unsung heroes of our system - is long overdue.
We must all make this work. It will require us to become evangelical in a belief that no child should have the door to opportunity slammed shut before they’ve even stepped into school. As school leaders of all phases, we should embrace it - not just because it’s the right thing to do, but because it’s our best shot at building a country where background no longer dictates destiny.
Jonny Uttley is CEO of The Education Alliance, a Yorkshire-based multi-academy trust
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