Insight Report: Exploring School Readiness: Learning from The National Lottery Community Fund's A Better Start Programme

Introduction

This report explores evidence from the A Better Start (ABS) programme to understand what supports children’s early development and school readiness. It shares learning from ABS sites and highlights approaches that help families and practitioners.

It’s intended for early years professionals, local authorities and organisations shaping early childhood policy and practice.

Findings

The report found that ABS partnerships use a range of approaches to support early development, including:

• parent-child communication programmes

• outdoor learning

• targeted language activities

• home learning resources

It highlights examples such as Forest Schools, community literacy projects and communication‑friendly environments. It shows practical, play-based methods can improve confidence, connection and school readiness.

The evidence also shows the importance of involving parents as equal partners, building practitioner skills, and adapting support to local needs.

Across sites, programmes that combine community spaces, trained staff and relationship-based support were associated with stronger engagement and better developmental progress.