Wirral is home to 16,316 children aged 0-4, each at the beginning of their developmental journey. The data shows a picture of strong early foundations alongside clear and persistent inequalities that must shape our priorities for the Best Start in Life.
Overall, 66% of children are achieving a Good Level of Development (GLD) at the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage, indicating that two-thirds are meeting expected milestones. Alongside this, 75.5% of children are achieving expected levels in communication, which has been an area of priority for Wirral over the course of the Early Years Strategy. 83.3% of children are developing as expected at their 2-2.5 year review, reflecting positive engagement with health visiting pathways and the value of early support services.
However, this strong start in the early months and years does not always carry through to school entry. The drop from 83.3% reaching their milestones at age 2 to 66% at GLD highlights widening gaps as children near school age – often linked to family stress, disadvantage, and health inequalities. Assessment techniques could also be an area of development to ensure consistency.
Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)
These inequalities are evident across several indicators. 22% of 0-4 year olds live in income-deprived families, and 49% access Free School Meals, reflecting deep-rooted challenges across parts of the borough. Demand for additional needs support is also significant with 549 children on the SEND register, illustrating the need for strengthened early identification and SEND pathways. Wirral has seen an increase in families that are refugees, asylum seeking or displaced, having a strong trauma-informed practice across the partnership will help ensure appropriate support.
Health indicators paint a mixed picture. While 93% of parents access maternity care by 10 weeks, enabling timely support, the 41.1% breastfeeding rate at 6-8 weeks, although a significant increase, remains an area of priority for Wirral, particularly increasing initiation and improved sustained breastfeeding.
Service engagement is relatively strong, with 64.3% of children accessing early help or wider support service and over 828 pre-school children engaging with Koala North West in the past year. The presence of 397 Operation Encompass notifications further highlights the reality of domestic stress and adversity that some of our youngest children experience.
Notably, early education participation is a key strength. 90.2% of eligible 2-year-olds and 89.2% of eligible 3-4 year-olds are accessing funded early years education – a critical protective factor for children at risk of developmental delay. The high number of Early Years Pupil Premium (1,964) and Disability Access Fund claims (140) demonstrates strong local provider engagement in identifying and supporting vulnerable learners.
Together, these indicators reveal a borough with strong early years engagement, committed services, and improving developmental trajectories – but one where inequality, health variation, and family stress continue to shape children’s early outcomes.
This Best Start in Life Plan builds on these insights, recognising that improving outcomes requires an integrated system that supports families from conception through school entry. By strengthening early intervention, improving family help pathways, reducing inequalities, and enhancing the home learning environment, Wirral can ensure that every child – regardless of background – has the foundations needed to have the very best start in life.