Telford school readiness target higher than national average

Officials are drawing up plans to get many more young children across Telford & Wrekin ready for their first year of school.

A committee was told that the Government has set the borough a target of getting 78 per cent of reception year children to a Good Level of Development in time for year one.

The children and young people scrutiny committee was told that the Government’s national target is 75 per cent, but Telford & Wrekin has been challenged to get its figure up even more and to hit its target by 2028. Plans have to be submitted by the summer.

Councillors on Thursday were told that the 2025 figure is 67 per cent of children reaching a good level of development (GLD), which dropped from 69 per cent in 2024.

To reach the targets means improving by 11 per cent, the committee was told.
Officials say the performance in Telford and Wrekin is ‘broadly in line’ with national figures.

Teachers make the assessments of whether a child has made a Good Level of Development at the end of the reception year.

Officials told councillors that a child is considered to have achieved a GLD if they meet the expected standard in communication and language, physical development, and personal, social and emotional development as well as the specific areas of literacy and mathematics.

Judgements are used to provide a picture of a child’s early learning and readiness for Year 1, helping teachers and schools identify strengths, gaps, and priorities for support.

The council holds direct responsibility for a majority of the borough’s primary schools and works alongside academies in partnership forums.

Officials told the committee that the local authority must submit a plan which will focus on developing children from nought to five years old.

Last year the council launched its 5 by 5 initiative designed to support parents and carers as they prepare their child for starting school.

The initiative gives parents and carers ideas of things to try with their child before the age of five to boost their confidence, imagination, independence, social and creative skills and ability to understand the world around them.

The scrutiny committee did not make comment on the target which was included in a report on the performance headlines for pupils and young people for the academic year 2024-25.

Councillors noted the report.