Issue - meetings

Report from the Executive Director of Children and Young People’s Services.

Recommendations:

That Cabinet:

1.    Note the activity to date to improve early years outcomes and tackle inequalities.

2.    Approve the Best Start Local Plan for implementation from April 2026.

Consideration was given to the report which provided an update on the Best Start Plan. The Department for Education (DfE) issued targets for Local Authorities (LAs) to improve Good Level of Development (GLD) as part of its "Best Start in Life" strategy, aiming for 75% of 5 year-olds nationally to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 133

Report from the Executive Director of Children and Young People’s Services.

Recommendations:

That Cabinet:

1.    Note the activity to date to improve early years outcomes and tackle inequalities.

2.    Approve the Best Start Local Plan for implementation from April 2026.

At the Chair’s invitation the Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Children & Young People, Councillor Cusworth, introduced the report which provided an overview of the Rotherham Best Start Local Plan for 2026–2029. The plan brought together existing early years support across Rotherham, outlined how it had been developed, and set out the key steps required to achieve local ambitions.

It was noted that the Department for Education (DfE) had set a national target for 75% of children to reach a good level of development by 2028, supported by new data tools, funding, and expectations through the Best Start in Life and Plan for Change programmes. All councils were required to publish a Best Start Local Plan by March 2026.

Rotherham’s approach was guided by early intervention, partnership working, and community?based support, aligning with the Council Plan, the Health and Wellbeing Strategy, the Children and Young People’s Transformation Programme, and the Early Help Strategy. It was highlighted that Rotherham had already established an early year’s education strategy ahead of national guidance.

To support development of the plan, a Best Start Summit was held on 1 December 2025, bringing together partners from health, education, early years, and community organisations. The summit reviewed local needs, heard from families, and generated ideas that shaped the plan’s priorities.

The plan was framed around the four cornerstones of the Rotherham Charter of Co?production: welcome and care, value and include, communicate, and work in partnership. The full plan included detailed outcomes, milestones, and measures, with progress to be monitored through the Best Start and Beyond Steering Group and reported through the relevant governance structures.

The Service Director, Commissioning, Performance and Quality, Helen Sweaton noted that, under usual circumstances, the development of a plan of this nature would involve a full co?production process with families, parents, carers and, where appropriate, young children. However, the version presented was an initial plan, produced within a very short timeframe set by Central Government and the DfE.

To meet the publication deadline of the end of March, stakeholders were brought together at a summit held in December 2025. Attendance included representatives from the 0-19 service, public health, early years education, academies, education inclusion, commissioning, family help, early help, social care, the voluntary sector, the Parent Carer Forum, and partners involved in culture, sport, libraries, and the Children’s Capital of Culture programme. These participants were selected based on their experience and their ability to contribute meaningfully to identifying current activity and future opportunities.

The summit considered a comprehensive needs analysis, prepared by public health, drawing on both national data and local intelligence. From this, and in line with government expectations, key priorities were identified to strengthen Rotherham’s approach and support improved outcomes in early years development.

It was noted that the Council had raised concerns with the DfE regarding the national target set for Rotherham, as the formula used did not sufficiently reflect local context, including levels of disadvantage and the higher?than?average proportion of children with special educational  ...  view the full minutes text for item 118