Every week I speak to parents and visit schools, and the message is always the same – our children are being let down after years of neglect by the last government. For example, only 20 percent of boys who receive free school meals, achieve a strong pass at GCSE according to the National Curriculum Assessments Data (Key Stage 2).
That’s why I was so pleased when, earlier this week, the Education Secretary announced the creation of Best Start Family Hubs. The generational impact of the last Labour Government’s Sure Start centres on families was transformational, and I’m heartened that the Labour government has a new updated initiative that will help families in a similar way. Each local authority will have a Hub, and I’m delighted that children here in Bolton will benefit from this initiative.
Families will gain from Best Start Family Hubs with free support and advice including on breastfeeding, housing issues or children’s early development and language, reassuring families that they have convenient access to support in their local area or can be efficiently connected to specialist local services.
It’s vital that children have the best start in life and this shouldn’t be governed by what your parents do or what postcode you live in. If we are to bridge the gap between incomes and health deprivation, we have to help children before they attend formal education.
So Best Start Hubs will give families and children the support they need. Since COVID we have seen a huge increase in SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities), but schools are struggling to cope with demand. This extra resource will ensure that children with special needs are spotted earlier and will alleviate some of the pressures on our overstretched primary schools.
Sure Start revolutionised family and community services, with research showing that children who lived within a short distance of a Sure Start centre for their first five years were more likely to achieve five good GCSEs at grades age 16.
But we can do even better this time around. The lessons learnt from Sure Start Centres will make Best Start Hubs even better, with a new digital platform created to provide advice on a range of topics, link families to their nearest Family Hub as well as a link to the NHS app.
Parents should not have to battle complex systems to access basic parenting, health and family services. And children growing up in Bolton deserve nothing but the best start in life. I’m determined to ensure that they receive it.
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