Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of Sure Start children's centres on the proportion of children receiving SEND support from an early age.

The report by the Institute of Fiscal Studies entitled ‘The short- and medium-term effects of Sure Start on children's outcomes’ highlights the powerful, long-term impact of strengthened early years support and shows the difference that integrated, evidence-based services can make to children’s lives. The research showed that access to Sure Start in early life generated widespread, long-lasting benefits, improving children’s health and educational outcomes and reducing the prevalence of identified special education needs and disabilities (SEND).

As our new publication ‘Giving every child the best start in life’, published 7 July 2025, sets out, we are making a significant investment of over half a billion pounds over the 2026/29 spending review period that will build back crucial family services and provide high-quality support to parents and children from pregnancy to age five. Proposals include:

• A new Best Start Family Hub programme that will take the best of the Sure Start and Family Hub and Start for Life programme approaches to create Best Start Family Hubs, bringing together the trusted advice and guidance all parents need in one place and linking families to their local services.
• Funding for Best Start Family Hubs in every local authority, so these services will reach the children and families who will benefit most from this support, including those from lower-income families and with additional vulnerabilities.

More information can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/giving-every-child-the-best-start-in-life.