Greater Manchester School Readiness
Every child starts school ready to learn and thrive
We want every child in Greater Manchester to have the best start in life and start school ready to learn and thrive.
In order to achieve this we are focusing on:
- All parents having access to the support they need from pregnancy
- High quality early years services
- Excellent places to play, develop and learn
- Support for our multiagency early years workforce
- Strong leadership and systems
For more information on school readiness outcomes across Greater Manchester please visit the EYFS dashboard (external website).
National research also highlight the importance of ensuring children are ready for school. Findings from Kindred2 “annual school readiness survey (external website)” were published in February 2024 and reports that more children in England and Wales are starting school without the basic skills needed to learn, leaving them disadvantaged from the start.
According to the survey, nearly half (46%) of pupils are unable to sit still, 38% struggle to play or share with others, more than a third (37%) cannot dress themselves, 29% cannot eat or drink independently, and more than a quarter (28%) are using books incorrectly, swiping or tapping as though they were using a tablet.
To address these challenges, GMCA convenes partners from across the Early Years system, including health, education, local authorities and the voluntary, community and faith sector, to highlight and share good practice. The programme also includes innovative, place based approaches to innovative new ways of working which could accelerate improvements and help more of our youngest children achieve their potential.
The following web-pages are split into information for:
- The Early Years Workforce
- Families
There is more information on the work we do, the projects and programmes that we are involved in, as well as information and resources for Early Years practitioners, and families and carers of young children.
Please click on the tabs below to find out more.
