NCB response to the Best Start in Life strategy

We welcome the publication of "Giving every child the Best Start in Life", the government’s Best Start in Life strategy, as a vital step toward tackling the deep and persistent inequalities that can limit a child’s life chances from the very beginning. We are encouraged to see the government take steps towards a more integrated and inclusive system that supports children and families in every community, and we stand ready to work with national and local partners to turn this ambition into lasting change. 

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A new Best Start family service  

The strategy rightly builds on the legacy of Sure Start through the planned rollout of up to 1,000 Best Start Family Hubs across the country, backed by £500m in funding targeted at the most disadvantaged communities. By drawing on the learning from successful and innovative models such as the A Better Start programme, these hubs have the potential to provide truly integrated, wraparound support for families, bringing together health, education, and social services in one accessible place. This investment represents a significant step towards ensuring more children are thriving at age five and that parents can access the right support at the right time, without having to navigate fragmented or siloed systems. 

We also welcome the clarity around accountability and the emphasis on collaboration between central and local government to deliver a shared vision for early years. However, it is vital that these targets are developed with flexibility and sensitivity to the local context. A narrow focus on the Good Level of Development (GLD) threshold could risk overlooking children who are furthest behind and miss opportunities to challenge the structural inequalities that often drive how children perceived and evaluated. We must ensure the system recognises and responds to the full spectrum of developmental needs so that all children, not just those near the threshold, are supported to thrive. 

Early education and childcare  

We welcome the continued funding for the early education entitlement scheme for working parents, alongside the government’s commitment to work with local authorities to ensure families eligible for the disadvantaged two-year-old offer are supported to access entitlements. However, more is needed to ensure children from the poorest families benefit from equal access to high-quality early education. Without an increase in the funding rate for funded entitlements, many providers will continue to face significant challenges meeting the cost of delivery. We are therefore pleased to see a commitment in the strategy to consult on funding models, and we look forward to working with the government to ensure these reforms support providers and improve access to early education for the children who need it most.  

It is also encouraging to see that Early Years Stronger Practice Hubs, an initiative already delivering an impact, have funding committed to 2029, with the number of Hubs doubling nationally.  We know from experience that this evidence-informed, peer-to-peer support model is a powerful driver of improvement, recognising the knowledge and expertise held by the hubs and we are pleased to see this recognised in the strategy, and their enhanced role in sensitively supporting settings to improve, where a need has been identified, plus working more significantly with reception classes. 

Central to improving outcomes for children is a skilled, supported, and valued early years workforce. Today’s strategy rightly acknowledges the immense pressures facing the sector, with settings across the country grappling with a worsening recruitment and retention crisis. We are pleased to see the government’s ambition to place a qualified early years teacher in every setting. However, we know that uptake of this route remains limited. To genuinely raise the status of the profession and deliver the high-quality provision children deserve, we must see a broader commitment to creating QTS-led settings backed by suitable pay, recognition and routes for progression. We believe a comprehensive and fully- funded workforce strategy is essential to address the current issues surrounding recruitment and retention. Without it, efforts to improve access and quality in early education will fall short. 

We also welcome the government’s decision to increase the frequency of Ofsted inspections from six to four years to bring early years settings in line with schools, along with their renewed focus on the quality of inspection. 

Special educational needs and disabilities  

Early years educators are vital in spotting developmental delays and ensuring children receive timely support. Yet too often, a lack of SEND-specific training and limited access to wider services means children and families struggle to get the help they need. We therefore welcome the government’s move to embed an inclusive approach in workforce education, training and leadership opportunities to make inclusive practice standard in the early years. We also support the planned increase in funding to help providers better support disabled children and those with special educational needs, and we welcome improvements to the way this funding will be allocated to ensure it reaches the children who need it most. 

Conclusion  

This strategy includes all the ingredients to refocus and revitalise family support in the early years and deliver a more inclusive early education and childcare offer over time. Alongside reforms in the 10 -Year Health Plan and the Families First Partnership programme, there is now a clear vision for supporting child development and families struggling with adversity. We look forward to capitalising on this momentum to deliver a lasting change in the lives of children and families.