Study doubts on success of Sure Start

Pre-school schemes such as Sure Start which have cost billions of pounds have not delivered improvements in early language and numeracy development, according to a major study.

By The Newsroom

Published 14th Dec 2010, 09:16 BST

Updated 14th Dec 2010, 09:17 BST

Disappointed education experts surveyed the progress of 117,000 children starting primary school in England over the previous eight years and found despite a raft of projects, basic levels of reading, maths and vocabulary have remained largely unchanged.

Researchers from the Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring (CEM) at Durham University who conducted the study said the findings highlight the need for a review of early years' initiatives and whether they are reaching those children most in need, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

It follows comments from Prime Minister David Cameron that Sure Start schemes, which aim to help parents in poorer areas give their children an educational boost, were being used by "sharp-elbowed middle classes".

Labour MP Frank Field, the Government's "Poverty Tsar", has also criticised Sure Start for failing to meet New Labour's key target of lifting poorer families out of poverty in education.