Best Start In Life Strategy 2026 to 2029

This Local Area Plan sets out how partners across Coventry will work together to improve outcomes for children from birth to 5. It translates strategic ambition into delivery. It provides a clear line of sight from vision to action to impact, ensuring that improvement activity is coherent, targeted and measurable.

The Plan is structured around 6 commitments to children and families. Each commitment describes what children and families should experience in practice and how services across the system will work together to deliver this.

For each commitment, you will find the same consistent structure:

• Our commitment to children and families – what children and families should experience as a result of our work.
• Linked strategic priorities – the data‑led priorities that this commitment supports.
• Delivery pillars – the Best Start in Life pillars that guide how the work will be delivered.
• What we will do – the key actions partners will take together.
• Desired outcomes – the measurable changes we expect to see by 2029.
• How this improves Good Level of Development (GLD) – how the commitment contributes to improved school readiness and reduced inequalities.

This ensures that the Plan is easy to follow, avoids duplication and supports shared accountability. It also makes clear how universal provision is strengthened while targeted support is layered where need is greatest. The Plan is a living document. Progress will be reviewed regularly through partnership governance arrangements, using data, learning and feedback from families to refine delivery and strengthen impact over time.

The six delivery priorities underpin the Best Start in Life Local Area Plan

1. Reduce early inequalities in health, development and safety

Address the earliest drivers of inequality by strengthening maternity, neonatal and early health pathways, improving early identification of vulnerability, and ensuring children are safe, nurtured and protected from harm.

2. Identify need early and strengthen SEND pathways

Ensure early, precise identification of SEND and developmental need through aligned checks, shared pathways and inclusive practice, enabling timely support and smoother transitions.

3. Increase access, engagement and inclusion in early education smoother transitions

Improve take‑up of early education for disadvantaged, EAL, mobile and minority ethnic families by reducing barriers, strengthening outreach and ensuring access to high‑quality provision.

4. Strengthen the quality of early education and practice

Improve outcomes by embedding evidence‑based pedagogy, strengthening adult–child interactions, and building leadership and consistency across the Early Years system.

5. Strengthen the home learning environment and family resilience

Equip parents and carers with practical strategies to support communication, early literacy, maths, self‑regulation and routines, strengthening learning at home and readiness for school.

6. Use data and locality working to drive equity and impact

Use ward, neighbourhood and group‑level data to target resources, prioritise Family Hub areas, and reduce postcode‑linked inequalities in outcomes.

Our commitments to children and families

Delivery of these priorities is organised around 6 clear commitments, which describe what children and families should experience in practice:

• Safe and nurtured – children experience safe, stable and nurturing relationships.
• Healthy and thriving – children’s physical and emotional health is supported early.
• Included, valued and connected – families feel welcomed, supported and able to engage.
• Supported families, strong foundations – parents are confident to support learning at home
• Learning, communicating and developing – children develop strong early communication and learning skills.
• Workforce Development (cross‑cutting) – a skilled, confident workforce underpins all improvement.

Commitment: Safe and nurtured

Children experience safe, stable and nurturing relationships in their homes, early years settings and communities. Safeguarding concerns are identified early and responded to through joined‑up, relational approaches so children are protected and able to thrive.

What we will do

• strengthen early multi‑agency support for families experiencing adversity, including domestic abuse, parental mental health challenges and financial pressures
• improve early identification of vulnerability and developmental risk from birth through aligned checks and shared pathways
• embed relational, trauma‑informed practice across early years, Family Hubs, health and community services
• reduce practical barriers to engagement by delivering support locally, early and without stigma
• use locality data to prioritise wards and families where safeguarding and vulnerability risks are highest

How this improves Good Level of Development (GLD)

• safe, stable environments enable children to communicate, regulate emotions and engage in learning
• early identification of relational or developmental risk prevents gaps widening in areas most predictive of GLD
• reduced family stress improves engagement with early learning and routines that support school readiness

Commitment: Healthy and Thriving

Children have positive physical and emotional health, supported by secure early relationships, responsive caregiving and timely access to maternity, health and SEND pathways.

What we will do

• increased proportion of children meeting age‑expected health and development milestones
• increased percentage of children with emerging SEND needs identified before age 3
• reduced health‑related barriers to participation in early education

How this improves Good Level of Development (GLD)

• early health and secure attachment underpin communication, attention, self‑regulation and learning behaviours
• good physical and emotional health supports consistent participation in early education
• targeted health support reduces inequality‑related barriers that most strongly affect GLD outcomes

Commitment: Included, valued and connected

Children and families feel welcomed, included and connected to early education, Best Start Family Hubs and community services, experiencing a sense of belonging regardless of culture, background or need.

What we will do

• increase early education take‑up in priority wards and among disadvantaged, EAL, mobile and minority ethnic families
• deliver community‑based and outreach activity through Best Start Family Hubs, VCFS and faith settings in trusted local spaces
• reduce language, cultural and practical barriers through culturally responsive and multilingual approaches
• strengthen community connections and peer networks to build trust and sustained engagement
• use local data and insight to target outreach where engagement and GLD outcomes are lowest

How this improves Good Level of Development (GLD)

• earlier and sustained participation in early education improves communication, language, social development and learning routines
• strong community connections help families access support early and engage positively in learning from birth
• reducing barriers for priority groups helps close early gaps and increase the proportion achieving GLD

Commitment: Supported families, strong foundations

Families receive timely, coordinated support that strengthens resilience and wellbeing and reduces inequalities. Parents and carers are equipped with the skills, confidence and tools to support learning at home, helping children build strong early foundations and be ready for school.

What we will do

• expand evidence‑based parenting and Home Learning Environment programmes through Best Start Family Hubs and community venues
• provide parents with practical strategies to support communication, early literacy, early maths, self‑regulation and positive routines
• use data and locality insight to target support in wards and groups with the lowest GLD outcomes
• ensure support is inclusive and culturally responsive, reducing barriers linked to language, poverty, SEND and mobility
• strengthen alignment between early years settings, Family Hubs and community delivery

How this improves Good Level of Development (GLD)

• a strong Home Learning Environment is the biggest driver of early communication and vocabulary growth
• consistent, language‑rich interactions strengthen the prime areas most predictive of GLD
• targeted HLE support closes gaps early, before they widen at school entry

Commitment: Learning, communicating and developing

Children develop strong early communication, language, social, emotional and cognitive skills through high‑quality, inclusive early years practice that nurtures curiosity, builds confidence and enables every child to thrive by age 5.

What we will do

• embed high‑quality, evidence‑informed pedagogy with a strong focus on Communication and Language
• strengthen adult–child interactions and inclusive first teaching approaches
• use ward‑ and group‑level data to target improvement activity where outcomes are lowest
• support early years leaders and practitioners to improve the quality and consistency of teaching and leadership
• prioritise precision approaches for groups and localities with persistent under‑achievement

How this improves Good Level of Development (GLD)

• high‑quality pedagogy and adult–child interactions are the strongest predictors of GLD
• language‑rich practice improves outcomes across literacy, maths and self‑regulation
• targeted improvement reduces postcode‑linked inequalities and raises overall GLD

Commitment: Workforce Development (cross cutting)

Children benefit from a skilled, confident and consistent Early Years workforce that delivers safe, nurturing relationships and high‑quality early learning across all settings and services.

What we will do

• build leadership capacity and specialist expertise across the Early Years system
• improve the quality and consistency of practice, particularly in Communication and Language
• expand access to high‑quality professional development, coaching and training
• support recruitment, retention and confidence, particularly in priority localities
• use data and feedback to target workforce support where outcomes are weakest

How this improves Good Level of Development (GLD)

• skilled practitioners strengthen the adult–child interactions most predictive of GLD
• consistent high‑quality practice improves outcomes across all GLD domains
• a stable, confident workforce enables sustained improvement over time