Education Secretary Bridget Philipson is set to announce the Government’s aims to help close the ‘disadvantage gap’ in schools.
In a speech at the Government regional improvement conference on Friday, Ms Phillipson will outline plans to boost the number of children who are ‘school ready’.
The plans will require collaboration between local authorities and Whitehall to agree targets that help children prepare for the start of school.
Ms Phillipson is expected to tell the conference of the ‘national scandal’ which sees that ‘background still means destiny’ for children across the UK.
‘How can there be a fair race to success in our society when whole groups of children start so far behind?’ she will say.
‘Nearly half of the disadvantage gap at age 16 is already there by age 5’.
The speech is also due to highlight the importance of caregivers in preparing children for school, with Ms Philipson being expected to highlight the responsibilities of parents in ensuring their children enter education ‘ready to learn’.
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