What’s new: The Department for Education has praised Stoke-on-Trent’s Best Start in Life Plan, highlighting its use of evidence, local data and partnership working.
By the numbers: Provisional figures show a five percentage point increase in children achieving a Good Level of Development in 2026 compared with 2025.
Why it matters: The plan aims to improve the number of children reaching the expected level of development by the end of reception while reducing inequalities across the city.
Stoke-on-Trent’s ambitious plan to improve outcomes for young children has received strong praise from the Department for Education (DfE).
The city’s Best Start in Life Plan has been described by the DfE as a strong, evidence-informed and partnership-led approach, with particular praise for its clear ambitions, use of local data and work across organisations to support children and families.
The plan aims to increase the number of children reaching the expected level of development by the end of reception year by 2028 - known as a Good Level of Development (GLD) - while reducing inequalities and ensuring support reaches families who need it most.
It brings together partners across education, health, Family Hubs, early years providers, voluntary organisations and council services as part of a city-wide approach to improving children’s early development.
The DfE highlighted a number of strengths in the plan, including:
- A clear vision and measurable goals for improving children’s development
- Strong partnership working and shared accountability across organisations
- Extensive use of local data to understand inequalities and target support
- A broad approach which considers health, speech and language development, parental wellbeing and access to services
- A focus on evidence-based practice and developing the early years workforce
- Strong governance and a commitment to using data to measure progress and drive improvement.
The city is already seeing signs of progress, with 98.9 per cent of private, voluntary and independent early years providers rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted (or Expected and above within the new Ofsted framework).
Provisional figures also indicate a five percentage point increase in the number of children achieving a Good Level of Development in 2026 compared with 2025 - five times greater than the annual increases seen between 2022 and 2025.
The DfE also suggested a small number of areas where the plan could be strengthened further, particularly around delivery and monitoring its impact.
Councillor Sarah Jane Colclough, cabinet member for children’s services at Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said:
“Giving children the best possible start in life is one of the most important things we can do to improve their chances as they grow and develop.
“This positive feedback from the Department for Education is a strong endorsement of the approach we’re taking in Stoke-on-Trent and, importantly, the way organisations across the city are working together.
“We have a clear ambition to improve the number of children reaching a Good Level of Development while reducing the inequalities that mean some children start school at a disadvantage.
“There is always more work to do, but this gives us confidence that we have the right foundations in place and a strong partnership committed to improving outcomes for children and families across Stoke-on-Trent.”
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