Issue - meetings

STOCKTON-ON-TEES BOROUGH COUNCIL

CABINET DECISION

PROFORMA

Cabinet Meeting ........................................................................ 12 March 2026

Consideration was given to a report on the Stockton-on-Tees Best Start in Life Plan 2026-2031.

The report provided an overview of the Stockton-on-Tees Best Start in Life Plan 2026–2031.  The plan set out the Borough’s vision, strategic priorities and commitments for improving outcomes in the earliest years of a child’s life spanning pregnancy to age five.

As part of national policy direction, Stockton-on-Tees had been set ambitious targets by Government for the proportion of children achieving a Good Level of Development (GLD) by the end of reception. By the 2027/28 academic year, at least 78.5% of children were expected to achieve a GLD, with a specific target of 63.1% for children eligible for Free School Meals (FSM). For context, in 2024/25, 69.6% of children in Stockton-on-Tees achieved a GLD, compared with 53.8% of children eligible for FSM. The Best Start in Life plan aimed to align and mobilise collective resources to support progress toward these targets, which would serve as core metrics for monitoring performance and assessing impact over the lifetime of the plan.

The Stockton-on-Tees Best Start plan identified five strategic priorities:

•         Foundations for a Healthy Childhood – supporting healthy routines, nutrition, immunisation, physical activity and home safety.

•         Home Learning and Play – supporting parents to integrate play, talk and learning into daily life.

•         Speech, Language and Communication – promoting early communication skills and streamlining pathways for additional support.

•         High Quality Early Years Education – ensuring access to high quality provision, inclusive practice and sufficient childcare places.

•         Emotional Health and Wellbeing – supporting secure parent child relationships, early identification of needs and access to appropriate programmes.

To support delivery, each priority had a named lead and a multi-agency working group responsible for driving actions forward and ensuring progress was monitored effectively. The development of the Best Start Family Hub a requirement of DfE Best Start funding was a central component in delivering the plan and had its own multi agency working group.

SBC Communications Team were leading on the design and formatting of the plan, which had been produced in accordance with the Council’s policy and standards for the publication of strategies.

As part of the terms of the Best Start Grant, the plan must be published on the SBC website by 31st March 2026 in line with DfE requirements, and this included adherence to the national ‘Best Start’ branding.

An annual delivery plan would outline how partners across the local system would implement the priorities set out in this strategy, including the key milestones, actions and performance measures required to monitor progress and impact. The delivery plan would be overseen and coordinated by the Best Start Strategic Group with regular reporting to the Families First Partnership Board and Health and Wellbeing Board.

RESOLVED that the Stockton-on-Tees Best Start in Life Plan 2026 – 2031 be approved.