Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of art and design education on the school-readiness of children entering primary school.

The government’s Plan for Change sets out the department’s ambition for 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 (EYFS) profile assessment by 2028.

Expressive Arts and Design is one of the areas of learning within the EYFS, as the department recognises the importance of this area within the early years curriculum to spark children’s innate curiosity, build artistic abilities and interests, and develop self-expression and communication skills. In the 2023/24 academic year, 84.7% of children achieved the expected level of development in Expressive Arts and Design in the EYFS profile assessment. This is one of the highest percentages among the different areas of learning.

To improve the department’s understanding of children’s progress throughout key phases of learning and education, we have commissioned and funded the ‘Children of the 2020s’ study. We continue to monitor all available data to consider how we shape future policy for early education, to ensure every child has the best start in life and is prepared for school.