William Eichler 09 April 2024

IFS: £2.5bn Sure Start delivered ‘substantial benefits’

IFS: £2.5bn Sure Start delivered ‘substantial benefits’  image
Image: Robert Kneschke / Shutterstock.com.

Children eligible for free school meals who grew up near a Sure Start centre performed up to three grades better at GCSEs than those further away, according to a new study.

Sure Start, a programme providing holistic support to families with children under five, cost £2.5bn per year at its peak but generated big improvements in the educational performance of children from low-income backgrounds, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS).

The positive impact of Sure Start, which was launched in 1998 by the Labour government, was ‘particularly pronounced’ for the centres set up before 2003 because they had bigger budgets resulting in more successful outreach programmes.

Spending on the programme has since fallen by more than two-thirds as many centres have been closed, scaled back or integrated into Family Hubs, an initiative that received £300m over 2022–25 to deliver services for children of all ages in 75 local authority areas.

Sarah Cattan, a research fellow at the IFS, said that it was unlikely that Family Hubs would be able ‘to go as far’ as Sure Start in helping children from low-income backgrounds, largely because it receives ‘less than 5% of what Sure Start received at its peak.’

Nick Ridpath, a research economist at the IFS, commented: ‘Sure Start generated substantial benefits for disadvantaged children throughout their education, helping to close the disadvantage gap in attainment.’

‘The return on investment in integrated early years services that are given the resources to reach those most in need can be very large,’ he added.

Politicians from the New Labour era, including former prime minister Gordon Brown, have urged opposition leader Keir Starmer to include a new Sure Start-style programme in Labour’s election manifesto.

SIGN UP
For your free daily news bulletin
Highways jobs

Chief Executive

Ebbsfleet Development Corporation
up to £165,000
Ebbsfleet is one of the UK’s most ambitious regeneration projects, a 21st-century Garden City Ebbsfleet, Kent
Recuriter: Ebbsfleet Development Corporation

Virtual School Inclusion Support Officer

Essex County Council
£32768.0000 - £38550.0000 per annum
Virtual School Inclusion Support OfficerPermanent, Term Time£32,768 to £38,550 per annum (full time equivalent)Location
Recuriter: Essex County Council

Senior Business Development Officer

Essex County Council
£36341.0000 - £42754.0000 per annum
Senior Business Development Officer - Integrated Passenger Transport UnitFixed Term, Full Time£36,341 to £42,754 per annumLocation
Recuriter: Essex County Council

Adults Social Worker - Neighbourhood Team

Essex County Council
£37185 - £50081 per annum + Flexible Working, Hybrid Working
Interview dates
Recuriter: Essex County Council

Investment Marketing and Web Officer CDC

City Of Doncaster Council
Grade 8, £33,708 - £37,399
The postholder should be experienced in planning social media activity, refreshing web content and analysing their impact. Doncaster, South Yorkshire
Recuriter: City Of Doncaster Council
Linkedin Banner