10 July 2026 weekly update

Dear Colleagues,

Having visited many schools in my own ‘patch’ over the last few weeks, I’m struck by how well you and your staff are teaching in this very hot weather. This time of year, as the academic year comes to its conclusion, is often extremely busy and taxing. There is a liminal feeling to the year, almost like the Roman god, Janus, who’s image faces in two different directions, looking back to the old year, whilst peeking at the year to come. This requires resilience and strength to get to the last day of term and celebrate the achievements of the young people of Kent, whilst setting up new classes, new development plans and thinking how we can all deliver the continuous improvement in all that we do here in Kent.

School-based nurseries

Today marks the closing date for schools who expressed an interest in the DfE’s Phase 3 of the school-based nursery programme which aims to extend the number of nursery school places across the country. The delivery for any successful bids will be from 2027 to 2030.

As set out within the Department of Education’s Giving Every Child the Best Start in Life strategy, the Plan for Change commitment’s ambition is to ensure families across the country can access affordable quality early education and childcare, enabling children to start school ready to learn, laying the foundations for lifelong achievement.

School-based nurseries are a vital part of the early years landscape and will contribute to delivering the local authority’s statutory duty of ensuring a sufficiency of early years places and will build upon phases 1 and 2 which have seen schools in Kent open new nursery provisions.

Kent’s Best Start Local Plan

This also links to Kent’s Best Start Local Plan because the plan sets out Kent’s approach to improve outcomes for babies, children and families from pregnancy through to school age. It reflects Kent’s ambition to make sure every child, regardless of background or circumstance, has the foundations they need to thrive, be ready to start Reception and be ready for learning.

The early years, particularly the first 1,001 days, are a critical period for children’s development, with long term implications for health, learning, emotional wellbeing and life chances.

The plan aligns with the Government’s Best Start in Life Strategy and statutory Good Level of Development (GLD) targets. It recognises that improving early outcomes requires coordinated action across health, education, childcare, family support and community services.

Kent will deliver our Best Start ambitions through our Best Start Family Hubs, which act as the central delivery mechanism for the plan. Family Hubs provide a single, welcoming point of access where health, education, childcare and community services work together to support families from pregnancy through to age five (and up to 19 years, or 25 years for young people with SEND), helping families receive the right support at the right time.

The Best Start Local Plan focuses on three interconnected priorities, which are to:

• raise ambition and reduce inequality by improving readiness to start Reception and narrowing attainment gaps, particularly for children facing disadvantage,
• enable curiosity, communication and learning by strengthening early language, play and home learning environments,
• build family resilience and wellbeing by supporting parental mental health, infant feeding, parent–infant relationships and community connection.

This plan provides a shared framework for improving outcomes, strengthening system working and narrowing inequalities across Kent. Kent has developed this plan across:

• early years
• education
• health services
• children's services.

Want to know more about Kent’s Best Start Family Hubs?

You can now take a virtual tour of each of Kent’s district’s Family Hubs

Good Levels of Development 2026

I am delighted to tell you that the early indications are that in Kent we have achieved a significant increase in the percentage of children achieving a Good Level of Development. In 2025, 68.9% of children achieved this; we believe this has increased to 74% in 2026. We also believe the rate of improvement will be stronger than national. Equally pleasing is that outcomes for pupils eligible for free school meals has also seen strong progress, up by a shade under 4% on last year.

Well done! We need to maintain this trajectory in 2027. That would mean we exceed the DfE’s minimum targets a year early - wouldn’t that be fantastic!

Read the full message from David Adams, Interim Deputy Director - Effectiveness, Sufficiency and Skills.

And finally…

Good luck to England on Saturday! Have a super and restful weekend.

Best wishes

Rob Veale
Assistant Director Education​ (East)