Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, further to the oral evidence of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education on Evidence-based early-years intervention inquiry on 1 May 2018, Q 384 and Q 457, HC 506, which outcome measures have been identified as improving in (a) Staffordshire and (b) Newcastle since children’s centre provision was reorganised.

The percentage of children achieving a good level of development at age five and the gap between children eligible for free school meals and their peers at age five have been identified as improving in Staffordshire and Newcastle since children’s centre provision in those areas was reorganised in 2015-16. Further details are available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/early-years-foundation-stage-profile-results-2016-to-2017.

The Sutton Trust report ‘Stop Start’ found that the proportion of children’s centres in disadvantaged areas has remained constant. We will be writing to the Science & Technology select committee to clarify this point.