Early Years News Roundup | Babyzone - Why GCSE Gaps Might Start Before School

Spotlight 🌟

Four In Ten Pupils Do Not Pass English and Maths GCSEs – Early Learning At Home Can Change This

Key Facts:

• In 2025, approximately 40% of students did not pass GCSE English and Maths, reinforcing the urgency of early intervention

• Regional disparities remain stark: for example, 28.5% of entries in London achieved top grades (7–9), compared with 18.6% in the North-West and 17.8% in the North-East

The Gaps that Begin Before School:

This story doesn’t start at Key Stage 4, but at age five. Teachers assess children using the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile, evaluating self regulation, language, and early literacy - skills foundational to later success. Children who begin school behind face an uphill climb to catch up.

Sure Start’s Lasting Benefits:

The evidence is clear: early support pays dividends. The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) found that children who lived within 2.5 km of a Sure Start centre during their first five years performed, on average, 0.8 grades better in their GCSEs compared to those without access. Impacts were disproportionately strong among low-income children and children from ethnic minority backgrounds. Living near a centre increased performance at GCSE by three whole grades for children eligible for free school meals. Sure Start increased the prevalence of support for special educational needs (SEN) at young ages.

The Critical Role of Parents and Early Home Learning:

Early years centres are vital, but parents are the most influential educators in their child’s life. Emphasising activities such as reading aloud from a young age and encouraging everyday STEM curiosity can shift a child’s mindset toward love of learning. Babyzone hubs offer a community-based extension to these efforts. They are free, open, and parent-focused - designed to support families, not replace them.

• Storytime and Reading Fairy sessions (with phonics, storytelling, song, and play) encourage shared literacy.

• Parent/child classes that build STEM skills and early cognitive development.

• Workshops on how everyday routines can be transformed into rich learning moments.

We help parents feel confident and empowered to lay strong early foundations from day one – taking what they learn at Babyzone into their everyday lives and establishing habits that will prepare children for school and improve their life chances.

Looking Ahead: Changing The Story on Results Day

If we want GCSE results to tell a different story, the solution must start early and start at home. This means:

• Raising parental awareness and capabilities in the first five years.

• Sustaining and expanding community-based early learning hubs.

• Encouraging a mindset shift: every moment with a child is an opportunity to learn and grow.

Together, we can work toward a future where the location of where a child lives no longer predicts whether they'll pass English and Maths at age 16. The first years last forever.

Behind the Headlines 📰

Early Years Expansion Demands Increased Funding to Sustain Free Childcare Provision

Expansion of 30 hours’ free childcare for nine-month-olds is a crucial support for families but has intensified capacity and funding challenges for providers, evidenced by staffing shortages and reduced places for children with additional needs. Without immediate and sustainable investment addressing a £388 million annual shortfall, access and quality are at risk, threatening the success of childcare reforms. Policymakers, education professionals, and parents must recognise that further funding is essential to provide equitable availability and workforce stability within early years education.

Data Shows 100,000 Children in Poverty Lack Access to Vital Family Hubs

Around 100,000 children under five in England, living in relative poverty, lack practical access to family hubs that provide essential early years support. Nesta’s analysis advocates for using precise, neighbourhood-level data to ensure eCommerce investment in new hubs reaches underserved children most effectively. This evidence-informed approach could significantly improve childhood development outcomes in deprived areas.

In Case You Missed It - How DCSs Should Respond to the Best Start in Life Strategy

The Best Start in Life strategy sets a target for 75% of five-year-olds in England to achieve a good level of development by 2028, up from 67.7%. Directors of children's services are crucial in driving accessible, affordable, and high-quality early years provision, requiring coordinated, ambitious leadership. This is directly relevant for those managing early childhood services, as success depends on immediate, collaborative action at all levels.

Research & Insights 🔬

New NIH Baby Toolbox Assesses Infant Development Starting At Just 16 Days

Northwestern University’s NIH Baby Toolbox offers a reliable, nationally standardised app for assessing cognitive, motor, and emotional development in infants aged 16 days to 42 months. Validated with over 2,500 infants across diverse families, it enables earlier identification of developmental delays, leading to timely, impactful interventions.

Are 'COVID Kindergartners' Ready For School Amid Developmental And Learning Concerns

Children born during the pandemic, known as ‘COVID kindergartners,’ display early developmental lags—most notably in speech and school readiness—attributable to limited social interaction and increased screen time, according to multiple studies. However, research underscores children’s remarkable capacity for recovery when provided with appropriate educational resources and support. This highlights the urgent necessity for targeted intervention and sustained attention from educators and policymakers.

Global Perspectives 🌎

Building Preschoolers' STEM Skills Through Play, Puzzles, Blocks, and Spatial Language

FIU research shows that preschoolers, as young as three, efficiently use adult-like spatial reasoning strategies when engaging with puzzles and blocks, predicting later STEM success. Early exposure to spatial play and spatial language significantly enhances these abilities. Parents and educators can foster STEM readiness through active, spatially-rich interactions at home and in classrooms.