Our Best Start Local Plan 2026-29

Download the Best Start Local Plan as a pdf (PDF, 7 MB)(opens new window)

In Gateshead, we believe that supporting children from the earliest stage in their development journey is everyone's business.  

Ensuring that all children get the right support at the right time is integral to our vision for families across the borough. 

This means providing the best possible start in life, helping our children and young people to reach their full potential and supporting their learning, health and wellbeing in a family and community where they feel included and belong. 

Raising the numbers of children who are ready for school, are able to learn, and go on to achieve a Good Level of Development (GLD) at age 5 years is central to our ambition.  

Our Best Start Local Plan affirms our shared commitment to delivering the aims set out in the UK Government's Giving every child the best start in life strategy and our ambition to: 

• bring services together in a clear, accessible offer for families and to localities where they live 
• more effective, early identification of families requiring extra support
• improving standards of (EYFSP) assessment for Reception-age children
• support more families to access funded childcare
• deliver more targeted, evidence-based support for families with multiple or more complex needs
• strengthen our digital support offer, improving communication with families on the support available

Local Best Start developments will make a key contribution to our strategic planning aimed at improving the wellbeing and safety of Gateshead families, namely: 

• existing alignment with the Gateshead Health and Wellbeing Board priority of giving every child the best start in life
• supporting the Council vision of more services closer to where people live through a strongly-embedded locality offer through the Corporate Community Led Support Review
• integrating our local Best Start approaches with the national Families First reforms driving the integration of early help, child in need and child protection services
• ensuring that NHS Neighbourhood Health Plans inform and complement local Best Start initiatives

We know that collective measures taken across our Best Start Family Hub and early help system in the past 3-4 years will begin to translate into a legacy impact for child development outcomes. 

While a strong universal offer is imperative, we also know that many of our families face multiple disadvantages and our plan sets out how we can take extra, targeted action to address these inequalities. Supporting parents and carers to feel confident in their parenting role is key to this approach. 

We also believe that real family experiences should be at the heart of this vision and should shape our priorities. Co-production with parents and carers is already well-embedded in existing services and will continue to be prioritised within this plan.  

This will be an evolving, iterative plan, based on the following key approaches. 

We will: 

• lead a full system, partnership approach around common, shared goals which focus on improving child development outcomes
• build on the strong foundations of our Best Start in Life model and develop an improved Best Start Family Hubs and Healthy Babies offer
• develop a clear focus on improving the numbers achieving the GLD, but set this within a holistic approach to address the wider determinants impacting school readiness
• recognise that universal provision is not enough - many of our families require more targeted and personalised support
• ensure that our work promotes inclusion and belonging and supports our ambition to transform local systems for children with additional needs
• deliver a clear commitment to continuously consult with children, young people, families and stakeholders 

We will also work closely with our partners across the Best Start in Life (BSiL) system, including: 

• parents, carers and families 
• Gateshead NHS Foundation Trust 
• Harrogate and District Foundation Trust 
• NHS North-East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board 
• local voluntary and community sector organisations  
• school, nursery and early years settings 
• housing and accommodation providers 

Gateshead is a place where every baby, child and young person is supported to thrive and achieve their potential. 

Our Best Start Local Plan aims to take transformative action to ensure that every child gets the safe, healthy and happy beginning they deserve.  

Helen Fergusson
Strategic Director
Children's Social Care and Lifelong Learning

The 'Good Level of Development' in Gateshead   

The number of children in Gateshead achieving the Good Level of Development (GLD) shows a decreasing trend over the last 3 years - from 67.6% (2022/23) to 67.4% (2023/24) to 66.4% in 2024/25. 

Our 2024/25 GLD performance is behind the North-East (66.5%) and England (68.3%) averages. 

For those children eligible for Free School Meals, our 2024/25 GLD performance of 47.1% is also below the North-East (49.6%) and England (51.3%) averages.  

Further profiling of the 2024/25 GLD data reveals significant attainment gaps across key characteristics, including: 

Children with a social worker (Child in Need Plan) also show a lower GLD attainment rate (22%) - lower also than Children in Our Care (33.3%).  

Literacy Goals present as the main 'Specific' GLD strand for improvement at 68.6% of the full cohort and 48.2% of the FSM eligible profile.  

Communication and Language Goals present as the main 'Prime' GLD strand for improvement at 81.1% of the full cohort and 65% of the FSM eligible profile.  

29.4% of children receiving SEND Support achieve the GLD - higher than North-East and England averages - but no children with an EHCP secured GLD attainment in 2024/25.  

We also know that GLD achievement rates are lower in our wards of highest deprivation, including Saltwell (39.8%), Dunston and Teams (43.4%), Deckham (45.7%) and Felling 47.7%). 

The statutory target for our local authority will be considered 'achieved' if the following two (minimum expectation) conditions are met: 

1. The proportion of children aged 5 years achieving the GLD at the end of the 2027/28 academic year is at least 76.4%, and; 
2. Disadvantaged children have benefitted at least equally from this improvement (ie) children eligible for FSM achieving the GLD at the end of the 2027/28 academic year is at least 60.6%. 

Using the 2023/24 population profile, an additional 191 children would need to reach the GLD level to achieve the overall target. 

An additional 53 children eligible for free school meals would need to reach GLD to meet the FSM target.  

Note here that the definition of Free School Meal (FSM) eligibility will change during this period - further DfE guidance will be applied where appropriate in the review cycle for the plan.  

Our Gateshead Early Years profile   

Population demographics 

• the population of Gateshead is approximately 202,800 people across an estimated 88,910 households 
• around 6.5% of the population are from an ethnic group other than White British
• approximately 4,620 people (700+ families) identify as part of the Orthodox (Haredi) Jewish community - average household of 6.6 people  
• total 0-19 population is 43,556 with 30,378 children and young people of school-age  
• assessed Early Years Foundation Stage Profile cohort size of 1,272 Reception children in 2024/25 

Births and early childhood population 

• there are approximately 9,902 children aged 0-4 years in Gateshead
• the cohort of 0-4 years is expected to decrease by 10% by the year 2032 
• a total of 1,768 babies were born in Gateshead during 2025
• premature births < 37 weeks gestation recorded at 72.6 per 1,000 
• wards with the highest populations with a 0-5 years age profile are Saltwell (1,007), Lamesley (706), Deckham (695), Lobley Hill & Bensham (667) and Felling (643)

Health reviews and early development 

• 97.4% of new birth visits are completed within 14 days, 96.7% of 6-8-week reviews, 98.8% of 12-month reviews and 97% of 2 - 2.5-year reviews.   
• ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ-3) outcomes at 2 - 2.5 years shows 87% of Gateshead children at or above expected development levels across five areas
• ASQ-3 data shows highest outcomes for Gross Motor (97%), Fine Motor (95.9%), Problem Solving (95%), Personal-Social (94.3%) and Communication (90.6%)
• 80.4% of disadvantaged children (Autumn 2025) accessed 2-year-old funded early education and childcare 
• 66% of Gateshead families use the 2-year entitlement, rising to 102% at 3-4 years - both are above the England averages 

Physical health 

• healthy weight at ages 4-5 years in Gateshead is reported at 74.5%, 0.5% below the England average
• 37.4% of children in Year 6 are overweight or obese, 1.2% above the England average
• 30.5% of children at age 5 years show tooth decay
• 440.6 per 100K hospital admissions for dental decay at age 0-5 years 

Bonding, feeding and early health 

• breastfeeding rate at 6-8 weeks is 48.2% and increasing
• 93.8% of children at age 2 have an MMR vaccination and 88.4% at age 5 years  
• emergency admissions (121.2 per 1K) and injury admissions (101.0 per 10K) for children aged 0-4 years are below national averages

Children with SEND 

• total of 5,758 pupils in Gateshead were identified as having SEND - Social, Emotional and Mental Health is the most common primary need (1,307 pupils)
• 98 children aged 0-4 years have an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP) - 66 in mainstream settings, 16 in independent early years provision and 16 in specialist placements

Poverty and inequalities  

• Gateshead is ranked 53rd most deprived local authority in England out of 296 local authorities in the overall Index of Multiple Deprivation 2025. Around 32,717 or 19% of Gateshead residents live within the most deprived 10% of LSOAs in England 
• Felling (82%), Deckham (60%) and High Fell (53%) wards are estimated to have the highest proportion of their population in the 10% most deprived wards in England  
• total of 8,349 children are eligible for free schools meals across all state-funded primary and secondary schools 

Early help and safeguarding 

• 126 children aged 0-4 years are receiving Lead Practitioner support from the Early Help Service in February 2026 
• 100 children aged 0-4 years are open to a Child in Need (CIN) Plan - 114 if unborn children are included
• 57 children aged 0-4 years are open to a Child Protection (CP) Plan - 63 if unborn children are included
• 73 children aged 0-4 years are in the care of our Local Authority, including unborn children

Early Years - Systemic challenges 

1. Downward trend in the number of children achieving the GLD at age 5 years - not starting from a growth position 
2. Growing disparity between funded early years education for working families and those requiring extra support - linked to national eligibility 
3. Families and settings would welcome more joined-up information about the support available from Family Hubs, VCS providers and (0-19) health services 
4. Limited and/or untimely information shared on children's needs across the early years system 
5. Accessibility of childcare to meet needs of SEND children 
6. Emerging complexity in speech, language and communication needs - hypotheses around pandemic impact 
7. Waiting times for specific pathways of therapeutic support 
8. Levels of adult literacy and parental confidence in supporting early learning 
9. More bespoke support required for fathers and male carers
10. High numbers of families in specific wards living in poverty - clear impact on wellbeing and family stability

School Readiness - Starting Reception

Our understanding of school readiness is taken from the startingreception.co.uk definition which sets out the personal, social, emotional and physical skills that most children will develop by the time they start school, including growing independence, building relationships and communicating, physical development and healthy routines.

Family Voice - insights from Gateshead parents and carers

Parents and carers in our Family Voice Panel provided the following insights: 

• want clear, trusted information which uses different media, including digital
• informal support networks - family/friends - rank as an important source of advice
• high value placed on good relationships with known professionals at place
• parental confidence, not just competence, is key to supporting children's early learning
• managing a low income is referenced repeatedly as a barrier to accessing resources, travel and activities

What help do you need to prepare your child for school and learning? 

"A pre-school workshop to give info to parents on things they can do to help prepare children for school" 

"I think it's difficult to know what the expectations at school are"

"Some parents may be dyslexic and struggle themselves"

1. 'Get Ready for School' group workshops to support the nursery to Reception transition. 
2. Free or low-cost group sessions for children to develop social and language skills. 
3. Advice on how to support independent toileting and dressing. 

What other types of help would be useful? 

"Give parents an insight into phonics"

"To build my confidence reading"

"A pack for parents about the importance of reading to your child and the positive impact reading has on your child's learning"

"Support with cost-of-living crisis - more and more families are struggling to find money for food, clothing, uniform, sanitary products, toiletries and nappies"

1. Specific strategies on using toys for role-play, flash cards, developing pen/paper skills. 
2. Helping parents to understand phonics. 
3. Free books and resources. 
4. Understanding school admissions - how and when to apply. 
5. Support purchasing school uniform. 

Where would you go for support to help your child get ready for school? 

1. Family Hubs, 20% 
2. Family and friends, 19% 
3. School, 14% 
4. Nursery, 13% 
5. Online, 11% 
6. Health visitor, 7% 
7. Family learning, 7% 
8. Library, 4% 
9. Speech and language therapist, 3% 
10. GP, 2% 

"Early Words Together - it helped my son with different letter sounds"

"Nursery arranged transition visits and support from SENDCO"

Our system assets and enablers include:  

• comprehensive 'Healthy Babies' offer supporting the foundations for child development - our building blocks for health and wellbeing in the 'Best Start' life phase
• stable HDFT 0-19 commissioning (Section 75) arrangement in place to provide the Healthy Child Programme
• strong collaboration with voluntary and community sector organisations providing family support in our communities of highest need, including significant investment in support for young fathers with a national profile for achieving positive outcomes
• Gateshead is a Marmot Place - committed to interventions and policies which reduce health inequalities and embed health equity approaches into local systems
• robust, strategic governance provided by the Gateshead Early Help System and Prevention Board
• rigorous data and performance arrangements are in place, including the Gateshead Early Help Dashboard 
• total of 38 nursery provisions in maintained schools, 8 in academies and 3 in independent schools - 1 nursery provider operates over two sites 
• 23 pre-schools, 30-day nurseries and 50 childminders 
• 14 Libraries - 8 operated by the Local Authority and 6 by volunteer associations; 4 are co-located with Family Hubs 
• 68 nursery, infant, junior and primary schools - with 62 Additionally Resourced Mainstream Settings (ARMS) available in primary schools  
• existing and scalable menu of evidence-based interventions available for parents/carers and their children - Triple P, Incredible Years, Early Words 
• a comprehensive Family Learning offer enables adults to develop skills and confidence in supporting their child's learning - sessions include Number/Story Sacks, Phonics, Chatterboxes and the Ready for Reception programme
• use of Early Language Identification Measure (ELIM), Video Interactive Guidance (VIG) and Neonatal Behavioural Observation (NBO) interventions by health visiting teams
• NHS speech and language services deliver support out of Family Hub settings
• Gateshead is 1 of 3 areas nationally to pilot the BSiL communication resources
• the Family Information Service (FIS) is well-established and maintains an online 0-5 Virtual Learning Hub with key information for the local Early Years sector
• local providers have developed proposals to introduce a Stronger Practice Hub

Gateshead NHS Foundation Trust

Gateshead maternity services are co-located at 4 Family Hubs and provide a range of support, including contraception, immunisations and 'Parentcraft' sessions. The service is working towards UNICEF Level 3 BAby Friendly accreditation and recently (December 2025) achieved the top score in the CQC National Maternity Survey for patient experience. The Trust continues to provide a homebirth service.

Our performance strengths across the local early years system include: 

• first 'Transformation' wave of local authorities to implement the Family Hubs and Start for Life Programme from 2022/23 
• Ofsted (December 2024) describe Gateshead Family Hubs as providing, "a comprehensive all-age offer for families. The use of outreach locations and targeted resources ensures that the most vulnerable, with the highest level of need, are reached by services." 
• all registered Early Years settings in Gateshead are rated as 'Outstanding' or 'Good' by Ofsted 
• antenatal and new birth visits within 14 days recorded at 97.4% 
• completion of Healthy Child Programme reviews at 6-8 weeks (96.7%), 9-12 months (96.1%) and 2 - 2.5 years (97%) are also significantly above national averages, and at 96.9% for ASQ-3 completion  
• take-up of early years places for disadvantaged families at 2 years (66%) and 3 to 4 years (102%) are all above the national average
• national recognition from the National Literacy Trust for impact of Early Words Together programme delivery by Family Hubs and Library Service

Growing Healthy Gateshead  

Harrogate and District Foundation Trust (HDFT) are commissioned to deliver the Healthy Child Programme in Gateshead and are a key partner in the local Best Start offer. Co-located at two Family Hubs but working across all centres, 'Growing Healthy Gateshead' are UNICEF Level 3 Baby Friendly accredited - now working towards UNICEF Gold Award - and provide:  

• infant feeding team - peer support workers make proactive calls from 10 to 14 days until 6 to 8 weeks postnatal, positively impacting feeding rates at 6 to 8 weeks - up by 3.8% between 2023/24 to 2024/25 - and facilitating the 'Building a happy baby' antenatal group, 'Feeding Friends' sessions, a complex feeding clinic and bespoke/individual feeding plans
• specialist health visitor for perinatal mental health - personalised support using a range of interventions, including Video Interactive Guidance (VIG), Ready to Relate and Newborn Assessment Scale (NBAS) and Circle of Secure Parenting
• the Newborn Behavioural Observation (NBO) is now offered universally by health visitors at the new birth and/or 6 to 8 week contact

How does the data and family insights inform our approach? 

Our Best Start Local Plan aims to build on existing strengths, develop actions based on local data and insights and mitigate the systemic challenges above - this means: 

• developing clear, consistent information products for families in accessible formats
• a targeted teaching programme of support for children in settings with high FSM eligibility 
• developing a wraparound support offer for children identified through the ELIM-I assessment as requiring extra support to meet the GLD threshold 
• developing a robust early intervention offer in our communities of highest need
• more early support for those with SEND, male learners and those families under the oversight of children's social care
• develop the quality and availability of childcare and early years education, including take-up of support for families requiring additional support

We want our system to look like: 

• partners understand and adopt the 'Starting Reception' definition of school readiness
• our early years system is joined-up, supportive and accessible
• families and the early years workforce understand their role in supporting children's development 
• speech, language and communication needs are identified early and reduced where possible
• co-production with families is well-embedded

Underlying assumptions: 

• parents are their child's first and most important educators
• early intervention leads to better outcomes and reduces long-term costs
• universal provision is important, but change is only achievable alongside targeted, data-driven approaches
• collaboration across sectors leads to more coherent, effective family support
• place-based design builds trust, accessibility and sustainability
• our local system has strengths, but we have a clear rationale on why and how it can be improved  

Our plan to improve school readiness and drive GLD attainment 

Best Start Local Plan - our local approach to meeting the GLD target in 2028 as a cross partnership objective. Focussed actions around families with multiple disadvantages.

1 - Right help, right time - Develop and promote a strong universal and community-based offer.

2 - Quality, accessible childcare - Promote take-up of eligible childcare options.

3 - Early, effective identification - Improve early identification of childrem and families who may require extra support.

4 - Quality of (EYFSP) Assessment - Improve the quality of the EYFS assessment through assessor development opportunities.

5 - More targetted help - Increase take-up of targeted, evidence based interventions for families requiring extra support.

6 - Improve our digital offer - Develop online and digital resources to help parents/carers support their child with school readiness.

Develop and promote a strong, universal and community-based support offer to improve child development outcomes

Why is this important? 

• families are able to access a wide range of free advice and support in their local community - central to our 'right help, right time' approach
• services are responsive to need, are shaped by local people and use a wide range of methods/formats to improve outcomes
• parents/carers are well-prepared for parenthood and participate in home learning from birth

Our progress in the last 12 to 24 months: 

• provided a comprehensive, partnership 'Healthy Babies' offer across our 9 Best Start Family Hubs, including support for parenting, infant feeding, perinatal mental health, parent infant relationship and home learning outcomes  
• a wide range of development opportunities available for babies and young children in Family Hub, Library and VCS settings - play, infant massage, music, crafts, sensory
• commissioned our local 0-19 provider (HDFT) to employ a specialist health visitor for perinatal mental health and an infant feeding peer support team
• commissioned a total of 6 VCS organisations to provide an enhanced family support offer in our communities of highest needs and for young parents, with a focus on support for parents/carers of children aged 0-5 years 
• published and promoted a joined-up 'Start For Life' offer across NHS Maternity, HDFT 0-19, Family Hub, Library and Registrar settings
• co-produced the Family Hub offer alongside our active 'Family Voice' Parent/Carer Panel

We will drive progress towards improved Best Start and GLD outcomes by: 

1. Developing our 'Healthy Babies' offer and updating the partnership menu of support available for parenting, perinatal mental health, parent infant relationships, infant feeding and home learning under consistent 'Best Start' branding. 
2. Increasing our frontline Family Hub workforce by 74 hours per week, including the capacity to provide more support in outreach locations. 
3. Integrating more SEND support into the Family Hub offer, including implementation of the dedicated SEND practitioner role. 
4. Consolidating our commissioned VCS organisations to provide an enhanced family support offer for young parents and in localities of highest need with a renewed focus on child development. 
5. Provide the Family Hubs workforce with specialist Early Years Service consultation on planning group sessions to maximise learning outcomes.  
6. Removing all fees for use of sensory facilities at our Family Hubs and improving the sensory and development items (linked to EYFS themes) for loan through our public Resource Library. 
7. Promoting the National Year of Reading (2026) and align this with local communication activities promoting literacy skills and explore a dual-registration process for our Family Hubs and Library membership. 
8. Introducing the role of 'Best Start Champion' by utilising volunteers from our 'Family Voice' Parent/Carer Panels. 
9. Providing the 'Starting Reception' and 'Potty Training Guide' from Kindred 2, including online resources and hard-copy materials, to local families and early years settings.  

We will measure this by: 

• Best Start Family Hub registration and engagement data
• qualitative feedback from Family Voice Parent/Carer Panels
• performance reports received from commissioned VCS providers, including engagement data and qualitative case studies

Develop and promote a strong, universal and community-based support offer to improve child development outcomes

Why is this important? 

• increased take-up of childcare provision helps to promote positive child development outcomes and opportunities to identify where extra support may be required  

• children are ready for school, transitions and future learning

Our progress in the last 12 to 24 months: 

• we have increased capacity in the Family Information Service (FIS) to promote childcare options

• delivered regular promotion campaigns, including use of social media platforms

• introduced new PVI provision for children with Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities (PMLD) from January 2026, supported by the Portage Service 

We will drive progress towards improved Best Start and GLD outcomes by: 

1. developing a 'full system' communications strategy to promote the take-up of eligible childcare options

2. utilising the increased Family Hub and VCS outreach capacity to promote childcare options in community locations 

3. funding the Service Level Agreement for all PVI settings to receive teaching, training and peer support from the Early Years Service in 2026/27 to improve teaching quality

4. run bespoke community events for families not using their childcare entitlements at Family Hub venues to re-introduce the offer and address barriers to engagement 

5. consider the opportunities presented by the North-East Mayor's Childcare Grant and Childcare Strategy  

We will measure this by: 

• new stretching (DfE) local target of 88.1% for 2-year entitlement 

• early years service data on placement take-up

• Ofsted Inspection reports

• Childcare Sufficiency Report

• qualitative family feedback

Improve early identification of children who may require extra support to achieve the GLD and prepare for future learning 

Why is this important? 

• timely identification of additional support needs increases the effectiveness of early intervention, maximising the opportunity to improve child health and development outcomes

• children and their parents/carers are supported with early language, speech and communication

Our progress in the last 12 to 24 months: 

• delivered high completion rates for health visitor contacts at 6-8 weeks and 12 months and additional contacts introduced from September 2025 

• ELIM-I is now a mandated assessment as part of every development contact at 2 years to support early identification of communication needs

• multi-agency SEND thresholds are well-embedded across our early years and Reception settings

• use of Early Years Inclusion Fund to make termly awards of up to £500 per child to help address 'emerging needs' where these create barriers to learning 

• restructured the Early Years 0-5 SEND Team comprising our Portage, Early Years Area SENDCO and specialist teaching roles to provide a continuum of support 

• improved the Early Years Autism Diagnosis Pathway, with more timely collaboration between Autism Care Co-ordinators and the Senior Portage Team  

• introduced the 'Stepping Up' guide and App to support children with additional needs and their families manage key transition stages

We will drive progress towards improved Best Start and GLD outcomes by: 

1. Using ELIM-I data to identify children at age 2 years requiring extra support and developing a targeted package of intervention based on improved information-sharing with early years providers. 

2. Mapping the current speech and language provision and developing clear, joined-up support pathways.  

3. Piloting the Early Years Passport from April 2026 to improve information-sharing between health partners and settings, supporting a more robust 2-year-old check and smoother transitions. 

4. Embedding the extra, universal Health Visitor contacts at 3 to 4 months and pre-school stages. 

5. Increasing frontline Family Hub capacity by 72 hours per week to provide an increased outreach function - see also Priority 1.  

We will measure this by: 

• HDFT 0-19 data on statutory visits and targeted contacts

• Family Hub MI data on registration and participation rates 

• Data on Early Years Inclusion Fund and Early Years Pupil Premium take-up 

• Gateshead Early Help System Dashboard

• Early Years Foundation Stage Profile (EYFSP) data  

Test and learn: Early Years Passport

We will test implementation of the Early Years Passport - an online platform which encourages collaborative partnership working to identify the needs of children early and plan actions to support learning and transition. The portal includes a robust assessment checker (child development milestones) and progress tool from 6 months to the end of the Reception year.

Test and learn: Early identification of moderate support needs

We have clear, established pathways for children identified as requiring specialist support following their contacts with a health visitor up to and including their review at 2 - 2.5 years. We aim to explore the needs identified by the ELIM-I framework at 2 - 2.5 years to identify the 'Monitored' cohort of children (above universal but below specialist) who may require extra support and to develop a timely and effective support pathway for these children.

Improve the quality of the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile (EYFSP) assessment through more support and development opportunities for assessors

Why is this important? 

• Accurate, consistent assessment standards at the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile (EYFSP) helps to identify and meet the support needs of children at a key transition stage.

Our progress in the last 12 to 24 months: 

• developed an Early Years Virtual Hub to provide advice and guidance on undertaking the EYFSP assessment
• provided training and development opportunities for professionals undertaking EYFSP assessments

We will drive progress towards improved Best Start and GLD outcomes by: 

1. Providing more training and development opportunities to teaching staff working in Reception settings on using the EYFS assessment profile, including national (DfE) training options.
2. Further developing the guidance and resources for completion of the EYFS on the Gateshead Early Years Virtual Curriculum Hub for schools.
3. Promote the updated national resources on the (DfE) Help for Early Years Providers and the Early Years Child Development Training websites.  

We will measure this by: 

• Early Years Foundation Stage Profile (EYFSP) data
• Early Years Service data on training take-up and qualitative feedback from (practitioner) participants

Develop and improve take-up of targeted and evidence-based interventions for families requiring additional support

Why is this important? 

• early, targeted intervention for families requiring additional support will maximise the opportunity to improve child outcomes and reduce the need for more specialist intervention later in the life stage
• parents/carers are effectively supported to improve their own wellbeing and to strengthen their health literacy, enabling them to understand and meet their child's developmental needs

Our progress in the last 12 to 24 months: 

• delivered evidence-based parenting interventions, including Triple P Baby, Family Nurture, Incredible Years Babies and evidence-based home learning environment interventions - Early Words Together, First Words Together, Incredible Years Autism and Language Delay
• introduced 'Launchpad for Literacy' from Summer 2025 - training 24 schools, 7 PVI providers and 2 childminders - with a focus on implementing key skills strands
• the 'Early Language Belong Pathway' has been developed with Virtual School and Educational Psychology Service - extra support for those care-experienced children, aged 0-5 years
• a comprehensive Family Nurse Partnership offer is in place, including the 'Brighter Futures' group hosted at our Best Start Family Hubs
• developed a pop-up Family Hub in conjunction with the Labriut charity to support families with young children in our large Orthodox Jewish Community
• broadened access to the (Children's Foundation) Baby Box scheme - this provides useful baby kit and developmental resources for parents requiring extra support
• Trusting Hands clinical consultations for social care practitioners supporting the communication needs of children in our care and those in kinship care or fostering arrangements
• Gateshead Council have delivered the national (DfE) Family Network Pilot to support families to develop informal support networks
• Our Growing Healthy Gateshead 0-19 offer has been expanded to include three additional, universal face-to-face contacts alongside the mandated Healthy Child Programme. A 'Great Start in Life Programme' is being developed to help families requiring extra support
• family work coaches from DWP are seconded into the Early Help Service to provide specialist support to families managing a low income - DWP Coaches work from Family Hubs

We will drive progress towards improved Best Start and GLD outcomes by: 

• Introducing a targeted teaching intervention in up to 10 Reception settings with a high profile of Free School Meal eligibility.
• Introducing a monthly, multi-agency community event in our Family Hubs to promote the full range of SEND support available.
• Introducing the Summer Mini Reading Challenge for pre-school children through Gateshead Libraries and provide resources for 500 children.
• Developing the Pre-Birth Team Model, including a graduated offer of support, for families with a history of social care intervention.
• Providing more personalised advice, mentoring and peer support opportunities for teenage parents through our Hub and commissioned VCS providers.
• Developing a short training or e-learning module for the children's social care workforce on signposting local support to improve child development outcomes to promote an "everyone's business" approach.
• Further implementation of the Launch Pad for Literacy programme across settings.
• Expanding the Baby Box scheme and reviewing eligibility to allow more discretionary allocation of the resources based on presenting needs.
• Developing the role of the Family Help Lead Practitioner as part of the Families First social care reforms, including locality deployment.
• Co-ordinating communication campaigns to increase awareness of the Early Years Pupil Premium.

We will measure this by: 

• Early Years Foundation Stage Profile (EYFSP) data
• Gateshead Early Help System Dashboard
• early years service reporting on Launchpad for Literacy
• baby box distribution figures and qualitative family feedback
• qualitative feedback from families

Test and learn: targeted teaching intervention

We will work with 10 schools with nursery provisions and the highest FSM eligibility to provide a targeted, evidence-based programme to develop the Language/Speaking and Literacy capacity of Learners to meet the GLD standard. Interventions will be delivered by the Local Authority High Incidence Needs Team (HINT) practitioner and Teaching Assistant over 39 weeks per academic year. Modelling has been developed to show how targeting settings with high FSM eligibility can maximise GLD achievement for this cohort.

Test and learn: launchpad for literacy

Teaching and Learning Consultants and 0-5 Area SENDCo have started to implement the Launchpad to Literacy programme following receipt of NECA funding. Settings are able to access free training and support materials with a focus on improving communication, language and literacy. The programme can provide strategies to support children on the waiting list for speech and language intervention.

Develop online and digital resources to help parents/carers support their child's wellbeing and capacity to learn

Why is this important? 

• parents/carers tell us that they wish to access information 24-7 in various media formats - "online options to fit busy lives"

• digital offers can provide vital support to those parents/carers unable to access centre-based provision - and some parents still report not knowing enough about the support available

• data generated can help to inform service improvements and highlight the specific needs of different user profiles  

Our progress in the last 12 to 24 months: 

• local authority hosts a comprehensive 'Healthy Babies' and 'SEND Local Offer' online - the (SEND) 'Rainbow Guide' App was also launched in 2025

• Facebook followers for the Best Start Family Hubs pages have doubled between 2023 and 2026 to over 9.6K followers

• commissioned the Triple P Baby Online e-learning programme and Anya App

• the 'Growing Healthy Gateshead' App provides a wide range of health and wellbeing information

• provide digital poverty support through the HDFT 0-19 membership of 'The Good Things Foundation Data Bank'

We will drive progress towards improved Best Start and GLD outcomes by: 

1. Introducing the EasyPeasy App - free to use by all Gateshead families - and extend access to the Anya App.  
2. Updating the online 'Healthy Babies' offer on the Gateshead Council portal. 
3. Developing information products and online campaigns to promote messages and resources on the Best Start agenda. 
4. Link and align local online information to the national (Best Start) Parenting Hub, (North-East Young Dads and Lads) DigiDAD portal and the 'My Children' information on the NHS App.

We will measure this by: 

• profile and usage data from digital suppliers - Anya and EasyPeasy
• Gateshead Council analytics desktop for Best Start Family Hub and Healthy Babies Offer
• qualitative feedback from families

We will monitor and track our performance using the following measures in the table below. 

New DfE measures on reach, coverage and impact will be integrated into this framework. 

Drawing upon the Common Outcomes for Children and Young People Collaborative framework, we are seeking to improve the following outcomes for families: 

The Best Start Local Plan will be used as a working, evolving template for action and will be formally refreshed on an annual basis following consultation with families and key stakeholders.  

Implementation of the Plan will be reviewed in the Gateshead Early Help System and Prevention Board every 2 months. 

The UK Government Giving every child the best start in life strategy (opens new window) (July 2025) provides the national policy driver for our Best Start Local Plan, setting out the vision for providing families with the integrated support they need to care for their children from conception and throughout the early years. 

Partnership actions within the plan will also contribute to the objectives within the following national policy areas: 

• Our Children, Our Future: Tackling Child Poverty (opens new window)
• Fit for the Future: 10 Year Health Plan for England (opens new window) 
• Youth Matters: Your National Youth Strategy (opens new window) 

Gateshead's Best Start Local Plan will also contribute to: 

• Thrive and Corporate Review (CR3) on Community Based Support 
• Gateshead Early Help Strategy  
• Gateshead Children and Young People's Partnership Strategy 
• Gateshead SEND 
• Gateshead 0-5 Strategy 
• Gateshead Health and Wellbeing Strategy 

Plus: 

• North East Combined Authority Child Poverty Action Plan (opens new window)

Robust local governance arrangements are in place to provide oversight on the Best Start objectives.  

The Gateshead Early Help System and Prevention Board will provide the strategic oversight for the Best Start Local Plan.  

A sub-group of the Board drawn from the local family support, early years, VCS and education sectors - the 'Best Start Working Group' - will review operational arrangements to implement the plan on a termly basis. 

Further oversight of the Best Start Local Plan will be provided by: 

• Gateshead Health and Wellbeing Board 
• Gateshead SEND Board 

Plus: 

• Families Overview and Scrutiny Committee 
• Children and Young People's Portfolio Group 

Key contacts

The key contact details for this Best Start Local Plan are: 

Helen Fergusson, Strategic Director - Children's Services
[email protected]

Suzanne Dunn, Service Director - Education, Schools and Inclusion
[email protected]

Gavin Bradshaw, Service Manager - Early Help Service
[email protected]

Judith Reay, Service Manager - Early Years Service
[email protected]

ASQ - Ages and Stages Questionnaire 
BSFH  - Best Start Family Hub 
BSIL - Best Start in Life 
DFE - Department for Education 
DHSC - Department for Health and Social Care 
EBI - Evidence Based Intervention 
ECEC - Early Childhood Education and Care 
EHCP - Education Health Care Plan 
ELIM-I - Early Language Identification Measure - Intervention
EL2 - Early Learning for 2-year-olds 
EYFSP - Early Years Foundation Stage Profile 
FIS - Family Information Service 
FRAS - Families Requiring Extra Support 
FSM - Free School Meals
GLD - Good Level of Development 
HINT - High Incidence Needs Team 
HLE - Home Learning Environment 
IDACI - Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index 
IMD - Index of Multiple Deprivation 
KPI - Key Performance Indicator 
LSOA - Lower Layer Super Output Area 
MMR - Measles Mumps Rubella  
NECA - North-East Combined Authority 
PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities 
PVI - Private Voluntary and Independent Provider 
SEND - Special Educational Needs and Disabilities 
VCS - Voluntary and Community Sector 

National

Best Start in Life (opens new window)
CBeebies Parenting (opens new window)
Family Lives (opens new window)
DigiDAD Learning Platform (opens new window)
Speech and Language UK (opens new window)
Dingley's Promise (opens new window)
Kids (opens new window)

Local

Our Best Start Family Hubs
Early Years Childcare Service 0-5 (opens new window)
Family Information Service and directory
Growing Healthy 0-19 Gateshead (opens new window)
Gateshead libraries
Gateshead NHS maternity (opens new window)