Bracknell Forest Best Start in Life Plan -

Executive summary

Bracknell Forest’s Best Start in Life (BSIL) Plan sets out a clear, ambitious and integrated approach to making sure that every child - particularly those who are disadvantaged, have SEND, or face additional vulnerabilities - achieves strong early development from pregnancy to age 5. The plan brings together health, early education, family support and community services into a coordinated system centred around Best Start Family Hubs.

The BSIL programme directly supports the national mission to improve early years outcomes and narrow inequalities. Locally, we aim to raise the proportion of children achieving a good level of development (GLD) from 71.6% (2025) to 79.3% by 2028, and to improve outcomes for children eligible for free school meals (FSM) from 43.2% to 53.9%. These goals will be achieved through:

• evidence-based parenting and home learning interventions
• strengthened health-led prevention
• improved special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) pathways
• consistent high quality early years practice across all settings

The BSIL Plan also supports delivery of the '0 to 25 Learning Improvement Strategy 2026 to 2031, Excellence, Equity and Culture', by strengthening early language, communication and inclusion so that children are ready to learn and thrive as they progress through education.

The plan responds to our borough’s strengths - including strong early education participation, above national GLD outcomes, a high performing Child Development Centre (CDC) and established multidisciplinary working - while also addressing persistent challenges. These include gaps for FSM and SEND cohorts, rising speech and language needs, oral health concerns, and increasing complexity in the early years population.

A core focus is the development of Best Start Family Hubs, beginning with The Rowans, to provide seamless, collocated support and targeted early help. These hubs will expand parenting programmes, facilitate integrated health and early education pathways, and strengthen connectivity between universal and specialist services.

The Best Start in Life programme aligns with and enables delivery of the Families First Partnership reforms by embedding a joined‑up, preventative early years system that supports families earlier, reduces inequality, and strengthens pathways into family help where needed

A comprehensive monitoring and evaluation framework - including quarterly key performance indicators (KPIs), annual GLD tracking, entitlement take-up measures and service reach data - will provide ongoing assurance to the Steering Group. Robust governance arrangements, coproduction with families, and alignment with the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) make sure that this plan is responsive, evidence informed and grounded in local need.

Overall, the BSIL plan sets out a coherent, multiagency strategy to improve early childhood outcomes, reduce inequalities and build a resilient, high-quality early years system for Bracknell Forest.

Our vision

Bracknell Forest will deliver an integrated Best Start in Life offer from pregnancy to age 5, making sure all children - especially disadvantaged and SEND - achieve strong early development through seamless support across health, education, and family services.

This plan is aligned to and helps deliver the 0 to 25 Learning Improvement Strategy 2026 to 2031, “Excellence, Equity and Culture”, by improving early development, reducing inequality and strengthening inclusive practice from the earliest years.

Our longer-term vision for 2030 is a fully embedded, multi-agency early years system in which:

• children experience seamless support across health, education, and family services
• gaps for FSM, SEND and vulnerable groups are significantly reduced
• Family Hubs act as a universal entry point for all families, with targeted early help for those who need more
• evidence-based early years practice is embedded across all providers

Strategic objectives

Targets and success measures

By 2028:

• 79.3% of all children achieve a GLD
• 53.9% of children eligible for FSM achieve a GLD

Baseline (2025):

• 71.6% overall
• 43.2% FSM

The interim indicators for 2026 to 2027 are:

• year on year improvement in GLD overall and by decisive subgroups (FSM, SEND support, EAL, vulnerable children)
• continued high take-up of early years entitlements take-up of early education entitlements
• increased reach of evidence-based parenting and HLE programmes
• improved early identification and access to SEND support
• improved parent satisfaction and navigation of services

Local context and needs

Demographics and deprivation

Bracknell Forest is home to approximately 7,310 children under the age of 5 as of summer 2025, according to local authority and ONS population estimates. The borough’s overall population is around 130,800, with 18.5% aged under 16 and a median age of 39.8 years.

While Bracknell Forest ranks among the least deprived areas nationally, pockets of deprivation persist - particularly in specific wards and among families eligible for FSM.

The population is becoming more diverse, with 86.1% identifying as white, 7.1% asian, 3.1% mixed, and 2.4% black backgrounds.

Health and wellbeing overview

A JSNA is currently underway. Priorities that link to the Best Start in Life programme will be embedded into future iterations to make sure of alignment with local early years objectives.

Public health data shows that Bracknell Forest children generally enjoy good health outcomes, but inequalities persist. Key issues include:

• speech and language delays in specific wards
• oral health concerns (for example, dental decay rates)
• perinatal mental health needs
• obesity and physical activity challenges
• immunisation rates are high, but pockets of lower uptake exist

The borough’s Health and Wellbeing Strategy prioritises giving all children the best start in life, supporting emotional and physical health from birth to adulthood.

Childcare sufficiency and take-up

Take up of early education in Bracknell Forest remains consistently strong across most age groups, with particularly high engagement among disadvantaged families eligible for targeted support.

The latest data shows that 81% of eligible 2-year-olds accessing the targeted FRAS entitlement are taking up a funded early education place, a level significantly above national concern about declining participation.

This strong performance among FRAS families reflects the effectiveness of local outreach and provider engagement.

Participation rates remain exceptionally high for three-year-olds (97%), with more moderate take-up among under 2s (31%), working parent 2-year-olds (49%), and 4-year-olds (50%), some of whom will already be in Reception.

While overall take up compares favourably with national figures, continued monitoring is essential, particularly as national evidence suggests working parent entitlements may risk displacing FRAS eligible children.

Bracknell Forest’s strong position provides a solid foundation for:

• targeting future capacity
• making sure of sustained access for disadvantaged cohorts
• maintaining equitable distribution of early education opportunities

Demand for flexible, full-day, year-round childcare is rising, driven by expanded entitlements and changing family work patterns. Parents express a strong preference for multi-age care solutions and extended hours. Workforce shortages and rising operational costs present ongoing challenges for providers. Read the annual Childcare Sufficiency Assessment 2025 (PDF, 495KB) for more information.

Early Years outcomes

Good level of development performance

Children in Bracknell Forest consistently achieve above national averages in the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile (EYFSP). In 2025, 71.6% of children achieved a GLD, compared to the national average of 68.3%. However, only 43.2% of children eligible for FSM achieved GLD, below the national FSM average of 51.3%, resulting in a disadvantage gap of 28.4 percentage points.

Current achievement and 2028 targets

Analysis shows that children not achieving GLD are often known to Early Help or Children’s Social Care, highlighting the intersection of disadvantage and vulnerability.

The proportion of children with English as an additional language (EAL) and those with SEND is rising, reflecting broader demographic trends.

Areas for development

Based on local data and stakeholder insight, Bracknell Forest’s child outcome priorities are:

• improve GLD, particularly for FSM and SEND cohorts
• strengthen outcomes in the weakest ELGs:
  • managing self
  • fine motor skills
  • building relationships
• reduce speech, language and communication delays in specific wards
• improve oral health outcomes
• reduce inequalities linked to deprivation, ethnicity, vulnerability and adverse childhood experiences

System needs and challenges

Priority families

Our priority groups are:

• children eligible for FSM, FRAS, or EYPP
• children known to Early Help and Children’s Social Care
• children with SEND, particularly neurodevelopmental needs
• families in wards with higher levels of deprivation or poor health indicators
• families with EAL, young parents or those affected by Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
• children achieving lower GLD

Priority places and communities

We are focusing on communities covered by The Rowans Family Hub, spanning:

• Bullbrook
• Easthampstead and Wildridings
• Harmanswater and Crown Wood
• Priestwood and Garth
• Town Centre and Parks

These areas show a combination of deprivation, lower health outcomes, or increased demand for support.

SEND and inclusion

The Child Development Centre plays a crucial role in Bracknell Forest’s early identification and assessment pathway. It is consistently recognised by families and professionals as a positive and responsive service, providing high-quality multidisciplinary assessments and early support.

The CDC’s strength in identifying needs at the earliest opportunity is a significant asset within our local system, helping to reduce delays and improving outcomes for children who require SEND support. Building on this strong foundation is essential, we will work closely with the CDC:

• to enhance integration with early years settings
• strengthen information sharing pathways
• make sure that more children benefit from timely assessment, intervention and coordinated support

Bracknell Forest has a growing cohort of children with SEND. In January 2025, 1,654 children and young people had an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), representing 4.3% of the 0 to 25 population, above the England average of 3.6%. The EHCP cohort has grown by 113% since 2019, outpacing national trends. Additionally, 12.5% of all pupils receive SEN Support.

Autism is the dominant primary need, and there is a significant overlap between the SEND cohort and those known to social care.

Persistent absence and deprivation are associated with higher likelihood of SEND identification. While absence rates are low, academic outcomes for SEND cohorts are mixed.

In the autumn term 2025 cohort of 0 to 5-year-olds who claimed early years entitlement funding, 120 were identified with SEND.

Of these:

• 5 children had an EHCP
• 113 were known to the CDC, of which 95 were open to the service
• 17 had claimed Special Educational Needs Inclusion funding (SENIF)  
• 13 had received Disability Access Funding (DAF) and were therefore known to have a Disability Living Allowance (DLA) award

Recent inspections and improvement plans have highlighted systemic challenges, including delays in assessment, diagnosis, and access to therapies, particularly for neurodevelopmental needs. The local area partnership is committed to addressing these through robust action plans and co-production with families.

EHCP assessment requests

In Bracknell Forest there are fewer requests for assessment among children in the early years and early primary phase than across England. Across the 2023 and 2024 calendar years, more than a quarter (26%) of EHCP assessment requests in England were for children aged 4 or under, compared to just 19% of requests in Bracknell Forest.

This overrepresentation of autism as a primary need compared with England averages is seen across all age groups in the EHCP cohort. However, it is particularly stark among the early years age group. This clearly links to the concerns about referrals for autism assessments for children under 5, outlined above.

In January 2025, there were 78 children aged 5 or under with an EHCP and a primary need of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Bracknell Forest, 63% of this EHCP age group. This is more than double the proportion of aged 5 or under EHCPs in England (31.1%) with a primary need of ASD.

Early Help Service (family hubs)

Our early help service offers a strong and comprehensive parenting support pathway, providing both universal and targeted interventions for parents of children from birth to 5 and continuing up to 19.  

During the academic year (2024 to 2025), we delivered 32 courses across our family hubs - 219 parents attended. This robust foundation makes sure that our parenting offer for under 5s sets the tone for sustained parental engagement through all ages and stages of childhood.

Our universal stay‑and‑play sessions, facilitated by 0 to 5 specialists, provide high‑quality opportunities for parents and children to learn and grow together. Practitioners offer tailored support and guidance, observe children’s development appropriately and encourage families to engage with a wider range of sessions and services.

In the last year 1,625 children attended our stay and play sessions. In response to the increasing demand, we are facilitating an additional session at The BSIL hub, the Rowans from February 2026.

Our hubs also benefit from co‑located services, including health visitors, school nurses, and Child and Adolescents Mental Health Service (CAMHs) Getting Help, creating a multi‑disciplinary environment that enables families to access a range of support in one place. This integrated model strengthens our early help offer and makes sure that families receive timely, holistic support.

We are committed to supporting families who have experienced adverse childhood experiences, including domestic abuse, helping parents build resilience and confidence so they can nurture their children to thrive. By empowering parents and strengthening early relationships alongside our partners, we create the conditions for children to achieve positive outcomes throughout their childhood and beyond.

Attachment based interventions

Since 2023, the council Early Years team have been delivering 5 to Thrive training to support early years settings to meet the needs of children they have identified with personal, social emotional needs.  While this programme is not on the DfE evidence-based interventions list, local data evidence a positive impact.