TO BE PUBLISHED December 2026
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This conference will discuss priorities and next steps for improving school readiness and early child development in England.
Areas for discussion include best start reform and integrated family support from pregnancy through early childhood, expansion of funded childcare and school-based nursery places, workforce development, support for children with special educational needs and disabilities, and accountability and oversight in early years provision.
It will bring together stakeholders and policymakers to discuss practical implications of implementation in the context of the Government’s Giving every child the best start in life strategy and the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 - and as Best Start Family Hubs, Healthy Babies services, and the Families First Partnership programme move into local delivery.
Attendees will consider approaches to coordination between health, education, social care, family support and community services, as well as implications for the pace and consistency of delivery across different local areas. The Government’s ambition for 75% of five year-olds to reach a Good Level of Development by 2028 will also be discussed, alongside questions around workforce capacity, local planning and how progress can be measured consistently across communities and settings.
Best start reform, integrated family support & coordination
Delegates will assess progress on best start reform and the development and rollout of integrated family support, including how new duties, partnerships and delivery models are taking shape as national strategy transitions to local practice.
Overall, areas for discussion include:
- best start reform: the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 - local duties, partnerships and shared accountability - commissioning horizons and capacity
- family hubs rollout: Best Start Family Hubs - Healthy Babies services - the Families First Partnership programme
- Start for Life: links with maternity, health visiting, early years and community-based provision
- home-learning support: evidence-informed parenting - speech, language and communication development - practical approaches to preparing children for school
- multi-agency working: coordination across health, education, social care and community services - governance outreach - workforce mix - sharing learning across sectors
- Good Level of Development 2028: feasibility, local planning and implications of a statutory or system-wide target - use of the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile to assess progress
Childcare expansion, workforce development & provider sustainability
Sessions will discuss the expansion of funded childcare and nursery provision on school sites, looking at approaches to scaling provision and improving access for disadvantaged families, as well as considering affordability, provider sustainability, local sufficiency and workforce availability.
Overall, areas for discussion include:
- provider viability: implications of expanded funded childcare - workforce pressures across early years, family support, health, education and specialist services
- school-site nurseries: delivery models - access and take-up amongst disadvantaged families
- sustainable expansion: maintaining financially sustainable provision while addressing workforce pressures - practical challenges for providers, schools, trusts and local authorities
- regional variation: reducing disparities in capacity and availability between areas and communities
- workforce needs: recruitment, retention, professional status and pay - access to initial teacher training - skills and professional development - local authority readiness and implementation support
Accountability & oversight arrangements
The agenda will also assess implications of changes, including the phased move to more frequent inspections for providers on the Early Years Register from April 2026, and the introduction of Ofsted’s updated Early years inspection: toolkit, operating guide and information for use from September.
Overall, areas for discussion include:
- updated inspection frameworks: implications of the four-year inspection window and revised framework for providers and inspectors
- performance data: how providers, schools, trusts and local authorities can utilise contextual indicators and local reporting to judge progress and support improvement
- measuring outcomes: interpreting data consistently across diverse communities, provider types and local contexts
- children and families: understanding outcomes alongside the experiences of children and families - wider family-support reform and local delivery contexts
Supporting inclusion & outcomes for children with SEND
Delegates will consider priorities for supporting children with additional needs, including implications of the Government’ SEND reform proposals set out in the Every Child Achieving and Thriving white paper and consultation for SEND Reform: Putting Children and Young People First - alongside plans for legislation through an Education for All Bill.
Overall, areas for discussion include:
- early identification: strengthening recognition of SEND at the earliest opportunity - streamlining access to specialist advice
- inclusive practice: embedding support consistently across early years settings - smoothing transition into reception across local systems
- aligning support: extent to which funding, workforce development, specialist support and family-facing provision align with wider school-readiness objectives
- collaboration: strengthening joint working between providers, schools, specialist services and families to widen access to support
All delegates will be able to contribute to the output of the conference, which will be shared with parliamentary, ministerial, departmental and regulatory offices, and more widely. This includes the full proceedings and additional articles submitted by delegates.
