Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the benefits of joining up early education, family support, health services, and community and voluntary organisations to create an integrated early years system.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)

Children’s early years are crucial to their development, health and life chances.

As set out in the Plan for Change, antenatal classes, health visitors, parenting support, baby and toddler groups and access to affordable, high quality early education and childcare are all vital to guiding parents, improving the home learning environment and supporting child development. Evaluations of Sure Start demonstrate significant positive impacts on a range of outcomes for children and families of providing an integrated parenting support offer, and early findings from the Evaluation Innovation Fund suggest Family Hubs are having positive impact on child development.

Through the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme, the department is building a joined-up system of support from pregnancy through early childhood, with over 500 hubs now open across the country. Local authorities should consider existing infrastructure and local need when deciding where to locate services. Libraries and community spaces can, and often do, form part of family hub networks.

At the Spending Review, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer committed to continuing to invest in and expand the Family Hubs programme.

Departmental officials are working through the Spending Review settlement and will share more detailed plans in due course.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking to support libraries and other community spaces that host early years services.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)

Children’s early years are crucial to their development, health and life chances.

As set out in the Plan for Change, antenatal classes, health visitors, parenting support, baby and toddler groups and access to affordable, high quality early education and childcare are all vital to guiding parents, improving the home learning environment and supporting child development. Evaluations of Sure Start demonstrate significant positive impacts on a range of outcomes for children and families of providing an integrated parenting support offer, and early findings from the Evaluation Innovation Fund suggest Family Hubs are having positive impact on child development.

Through the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme, the department is building a joined-up system of support from pregnancy through early childhood, with over 500 hubs now open across the country. Local authorities should consider existing infrastructure and local need when deciding where to locate services. Libraries and community spaces can, and often do, form part of family hub networks.

At the Spending Review, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer committed to continuing to invest in and expand the Family Hubs programme.

Departmental officials are working through the Spending Review settlement and will share more detailed plans in due course.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking to ensure that children in poverty receive early years support.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)

The government’s Plan for Change commits to giving children the best start in life. From age 2, children from low-income families, those with education, health and care plans, and looked-after children are eligible for 15 hours of funded early education. Disadvantaged children may also receive the Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP), which supports high quality early education. In December 2024, EYPP funding was increased by 45%.

As part of the Opportunity Mission, £37 million has been awarded to 300 primary schools to create or expand nurseries, opening from September 2025.

From September 2026, all pupils in school-based settings whose families receive Universal Credit will be entitled to free school meals. This will benefit over 500,000 children, lift 100,000 out of poverty, and support families ahead of the Child Poverty Strategy.

Additionally, £126 million will be invested in 2025/26 to expand the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme. Already, 75 local authorities have opened over 400 family hubs in some of the country’s most deprived areas.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to boost (1) literacy, and (2) communication skills, of children aged 0–5 years old.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)

Giving young children the best start in life is the foundation of the government’s Opportunity Mission. The department has set a milestone of a record proportion of children starting school ready to learn. We will measure progress through 75% of children at the end of reception reaching a good level of development in the early years foundation stage profile assessment by 2028.

To support early language and literacy skills, the department is:

• Funding the Nuffield Early Language Intervention programme (NELI), which is an evidence-based programme targeting reception aged children needing extra support with their speech and language development.
• Funding the Early Years Evidence Store, which includes a theme on Communication and Language and supports educators to put evidence-informed approaches into practice.
• Working with NHS England to deliver the Early Language Support for Every Child pathfinders.
• Working with partners to deliver the Early Language Local Innovation and Excellence programme, which includes implementation of Speech and Language Communication pathway guidance and an early language identification measure.
• Funding the English Hubs Programme, which is dedicated to improving the teaching of reading, with a focus on phonics, early language development and reading for pleasure. The reading framework provides guidance for schools to help improve reading for all pupils.
• Investing £10.7 million in 2025/26 to deliver home learning environment services through Family Hubs. These services help parents create language-rich, nurturing settings that support early communication, confidence, and literacy. The Little Moments Together campaign complements this by providing free, accessible resources that encourages parents to chat, play and read with their children, simple, everyday actions that support early development.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to provide support to families with (1) children in early years, and (2) school-age children, in poverty.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)

The Child Poverty Taskforce will publish a fully funded strategy this autumn, tackling the root causes of poverty across four themes: increasing incomes, reducing essential costs, boosting financial resilience, and strengthening local support, especially in the early years.

Family hubs offer vital services from birth to age 19, or to 25 with special educational needs and disabilities; supporting health, education, and wellbeing, particularly for families in poverty. In 2025/26, £126 million will be invested through family hubs and Start for Life to give every child the best start in life.

An additional £57 million for the Start for Life services was announced in January, covering mental health, infant feeding, breastfeeding, and access to local services.

Early education support includes 15 funded hours for disadvantaged 2-year-olds and all 3 and 4-year-olds. A 45% uplift to the Early Years Pupil Premium was announced in December 2024 to improve outcomes.

Through the Spending Review, the government is expanding free school meals, which are expected to lift 100,000 children out of poverty, and has committed to free breakfast clubs and limiting branded school uniform requirements specifically for school aged children.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking to tackle the impact of low levels of literacy on the economy through interventions in early years education.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)

The department recognises a strong foundation in early language, reading and writing is crucial for children to achieve and thrive.

We are:

• Funding the Nuffield Early Language Intervention programme (NELI), an evidence-based programme targeting reception-aged children needing support with their speech and language development.
• Funding the Early Years Evidence Store which includes a theme on Communication and Language.
• Working with NHS England to deliver the Early Language Support for Every Child pathfinders.
• Working with partners to deliver the Early Language Local Innovation and Excellence programme which includes implementation of Speech and Language Communication pathway guidance and an early language identification measure.
• Funding the English Hubs Programme to improve the teaching of reading.
• Enabling schools to access the department’s list of high-quality phonics programmes.
• Investing £10.7 million in 2025/26 to deliver home learning environment services through Family Hubs helping parents create settings that support early communication and literacy. The Little Moments Together campaign provides free resources that encourage parents to chat, play and read with their children.

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Found: BARONESS GREY-THOMPSON _ After Clause 26, insert the following new Clause— “Serious childhood illness

Found: BARONESS GREY-THOMPSON _ After Clause 26, insert the following new Clause— “Serious childhood illness

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