Stakeholder Feedback - Havering Council's Best Start in Life Plan 2026-29

Overview

During February 2026, we carried out a 4 week consultation to ask those who work directly with children and families - schools, early years providers, health professionals, community organisations, and other education partners about their views on our draft Best Start in Life (BSiL) Plan 2026–29, a borough-wide strategy that sets out our collective ambition to ensure every child has the strongest possible foundations from birth through Reception.

This three‑year action plan outlines how Havering will deliver the Department for Education’s (DfE) Best Start in Life strategy locally. It draws on national policy, local priorities, and - most importantly - the lived experiences of Havering’s children and families.

Underpinned by a robust understanding of local need, including insights from the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA), the plan aligns with the borough’s commitment to reducing inequalities, raising aspirations, and enabling every child - regardless of background - to flourish.

The BSiL strategy also aligns with wider national priorities, including the Healthy Child Programme, SEND reforms, early language development, school readiness, and the national drive to narrow the attainment gap.

Our stakeholders views:

They Said

We received 8 responses to our on-line consultation.

To deliver this vision, Havering’s BSiL plan focuses on three strategic priorities shaped by engagement with partners and informed by local data; our stakeholders told us:

Priority 1 - Better Support for Families – Strengthening early help, parent engagement, and family wellbeing.

  • 63% agreed that the actions under Priority 1 will reduce inequalities in early childhood, whereas 37% did not.

Priority 2 - More Accessible Early Education & Childcare – Addressing sufficiency, affordability, and inclusivity to increase take‑up.

  • 75% agreed that this priority and the specific actions reflected their experience of local needs and delivery realities, whereas 25% did not.
  • 63% felt that the plan would increase uptake of entitlements among disadvantaged families, whereas 37% did not.

Priority 3 - Improving Quality in Early Years, Including Reception – Enhancing workforce development, promoting high‑quality practice, and improving transitions into school.

  • 88% agreed that this priority and the specific actions reflected their experience of local needs and delivery realities, whereas 12% did not.
  • Confidence that the Priority 3 actions will contribute to reaching the DfE Good Level of Development (GLD) target (75.8% by 2028), was evenly split, with 50% of respondents agreeing and 50% not agreeing.

Overall, most respondents felt the Best Start in Life (BSiL) Plan provides a clear and well-structured framework, with priorities, roles and actions that are realistic and achievable. There was strong confidence that the plan will be effectively delivered within existing capacity and will lead to improved outcomes, particularly for disadvantaged children.  However, some respondents raised concerns about whether there are sufficient resources and funding available to fully deliver the plan’s ambitions.

We Did

Our Best Start in Life action plan is now finalised, and you can find it HERE.

 

Closes 3 Jun 2026

Opened 27 May 2026

Audiences

  • Alternative provisions
  • Children
  • Early Years providers
  • Head Teachers
  • Primary schools
  • School Business Managers
  • Schools-based staff
  • Secondary schools
  • Special schools
  • Teachers
  • Young People

Interests

  • Early Years
  • Pre-school
  • Primary school
  • Secondary School
  • SEND