Across England, 1,220 primary schools take in funded two-year-olds, up from 290 in 2014. There are currently 12,300 funded two-year-olds attending primary school provision, around 8 per cent of all two-year-olds who access funded early education.
Many schools see the benefit of widening their existing nursery provision to encompass disadvantaged two-year-olds. Establishing early, supportive relationships with parents in a more informal setting and picking up problems earlier can help to narrow the attainment gap between disadvantaged children and their more advantaged peers before they start school.
Children also benefit from a better transition into Reception, since they and their parents already have strong links with the school and staff, and the school has a good idea of their strengths and difficulties. Supporting children with practical issues such as toilet training or learning to put on their coats also eases the transition.
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