A continued lack of access to quality early education and care in more deprived areas can lead to vulnerable and disadvantaged children falling behind their peers, Ofsted has said in its annual report.
The report notes that disparities in outcomes for disadvantaged and vulnerable children continue throughout the education system. It states that this begins with a “lack of access to good quality early education and care in the most deprived areas, which has a lasting impact on entire communities”.
The Department for Work and Pensions estimates that in 2023–24, 26% of children in the UK lived in households in ‘absolute low income’ after housing costs; 18% lived in ‘food insecure’ households; and 8% lived in a household that had accessed a foodbank within the last 12 months. Each of these figures had increased slightly from the year before.
The report also reflects on serious case reviews for health and safety incidents in early years settings, highlighting the vulnerability of babies and sharing how Ofsted has worked closely with the DfE to “ensure safe feeding practices are included in the EYFS statutory framework”, while also revisiting safer sleep practices in inspectors’ training.
Under Ofsted’s renewed education inspection framework, which came into effect in November this year, inspectors will use the new focus on inclusion to assess the impact of a provider’s policies and practices on different groups of children, particularly those who face the greatest barriers to success.
Commenting on the report, Ofsted chief inspector Sir Martyn Oliver said: “Inclusion matters. It matters because addressing the needs of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children demands a rigour and attention to detail that ultimately benefits all the children, pupils or learners in that setting – from those facing the greatest barriers, to those whose path to adulthood is more straightforward.
“As a country, we should measure our successes in education, children’s services and skills, both by how well we support the most economically disadvantaged and vulnerable, and by how much further we can push forward the boundaries of knowledge through higher learning. We have a duty to improve the lives and life chances of every child and every learner.
“The dedicated staff working in education and children’s social care are helping children and older learners achieve their potential – day by day and week by week. I would like to thank them all.”
Neil Leitch, CEO of the Early Years Alliance, commented: “We know that, as this report rightly highlights, the gap between disadvantaged children and their peers starts early and, in many cases, only widens as a child continues through their educational journey.
“While the number of Ofsted-registered early years places has risen overall, there is a wealth of research – including Ofsted’s own modelling – which shows huge disparities in the accessibility and availability of provision in more deprived versus less deprived areas. Simply put, far too often, a child’s postcode is determining whether or not they can access an early years place, meaning that the already-significant attainment gap is only getting bigger.
“If the government is genuinely committed to giving all children, regardless of background, the best possible start in life, it must prioritise building – and crucially, funding – an early years system that works for all families. This means investing what’s needed to ensure that providers are able to deliver the affordable, accessible care and education that families need, both now and in the future.”
