Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the Early Language and Support for Every Child pathfinders programme on attainment for pupils in Central Suffolk and North Ipswich; and what the cost is per child of the programme.

Early Language Support for Every Child (ELSEC) is a pilot ‘test and learn’ programme being delivered across nine pathfinder sites, one in each English region, covering 12 local authorities. Central Suffolk and North Ipswich are not part of the pilot programme.

According to the programme’s reporting data, therapy support teams have helped 13,000 children so far, and just over 1000 setting staff have been upskilled in delivering interventions. The interim programme evaluation is allowing the department to explore insights into the effectiveness of ELSEC delivery at a local level. A final evaluation will take place following the end of the summer term 2025.