Although children’s development at the age of five has improved - and the gap between the lowest achievers and their peers has narrowed – there has been hardly any change in the results for children at the end of Key Stage 1, since 2007.
The NAO's report, Delivering the free entitlement to education for three- and four-year-olds, looked at whether the Department for Education is providing value for money in delivering the offer.
The first children to be eligible for two years of 12.5 hours of free early education a week reached the end of Key Stage 1 in 2009.
According to the NAO, the department does not yet have robust data to demonstrate whether the expected benefits of free early education makes any difference to children’s educational attainment.
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