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Stephen has welcomed a new report from the Institute for Government (IfG) which shows that boys eligible for free school meals in Newham are among the most likely in the country to be ‘school ready’ by age five.
One of the Government’s key missions is to Break Down Barriers to Opportunity, aiming to close the gap between a child’s background and their future success. The benchmark for this mission is for 75% of children to be ‘school ready’ by the time they start school.
The IfG research reveals that Newham is leading the way in supporting disadvantaged children, with 57.7% of FSM eligible boys being school ready by age 5. Boys from low-income families who qualify for free school meals often fall behind their peers in early education. However, over the past three years, Newham has achieved the best results nationally in preparing these boys for school.
Speaking about the report, Stephen “This new Institute for Government research is encouraging. We know Newham’s early years provision is among the best in the country. I believe young children in Newham also benefit from our very supportive community. This is a heartening example of excellent progress in the borough.”
The Institute for Government is now conducting further research to understand what is driving this success in Newham.