In December 2007 the Government launched its Children's Plan, which includes plans to:
- Allocate £34m over the next three years to provide two expert parenting advisers in every local authority
- Set achievement goals at: 90% of children developing well across all areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage; and 90% of children reaching at or above expected levels in English and maths by the age of 11.
- Expand school-based Parent Support Advisers
- Develop a person progress record for parents on their children's development from early years to primary school
- Put parents' views at the heart of government with the creation of a new 'Parents Panel'
- Improve outreach services to ensure all families benefit from Sure Start Children’s Centres
- Strengthen intensive support to the neediest families by piloting a key worker approach
- Help families in which children are carers
- Parents will be contacted by a staff member at secondary school before their child starts
- Parents will be able to attend information sessions at school
- Each child will have a personal tutor who acts as main contact for parents
- Parents Councils will ensure that parents' voices are heard within school
- Parents will be kept up-to-date on their child’s behaviour, learning and progress
- £30m will be spent over next three years to provide more family learning
- Extend the offer of up to 15 hours free early education and childcare to 20,000 two-year-olds in the most disadvantaged communities
- Allocate £25m over the next three years to an Every Child a Writer programme
- Offer new 'age not stage' tests which (if pilots are successful) replace key stage tests at 11 and 14
- Publish new indicators to show the performance of pupils achieving Level 7 and above in English, maths and science, to ensure adequate attention is given to gifted and talented learners
There are also plans to conduct a review of the primary curriculum which will ensure there is more time for the basics of reading, writing and mathematics, greater flexibility for other subjects, time for primary school children to learn a modern foreign language and a smoother transition from play-based learning into primary school.
The full report and a summary of The Children’s Plan: Building brighter futures is available at www.dfes.gov.uk/publications/childrensplan/?cid=childrens_plan&type=bannerad
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