Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of children eligible for free school meals reached a Good Level of Development at age five in Stockton South constituency in each of the last three years.

The requested data is shown in Annex A, which is attached.

The 2016/17 Early Years Foundation Stage Profile results show that the proportion of all children achieving a ‘good level of development’ is improving year on year – in 2017, 71% achieved a good level of development compared to 52% in 2013.

The proportion of children eligible for free school meals (FSM) achieving a good level of development is also increasing year on year. In 2017, 56% achieved a good level of development compared to 36% in 2013. The gap between disadvantaged children (children eligible for FSM) and others achieving a good level of development continues to narrow. It decreased from 19% in 2013 to 17% in 2017.

The department’s ambition is to provide equality of opportunity for every child, regardless of background or where they live. Good early years education is the cornerstone of social mobility and we are making record investment in this area, including providing 15 hours of free early education for disadvantaged two year olds and £100 million of investment through our ambitious social mobility action plan ‘Unlocking Talent, Fulfilling Potential’.