Early Education Minister Paul Waugh has reported that 72.3 per cent of children reached a good level of development at the end of Reception in 2025-26.
The figure is four percentage points higher than the previous year and moves England closer to the Government's national ambition of 75 per cent by 2028.
The measure is drawn from the early years foundation stage profile, which assesses children's development at the end of Reception. Ministers argue that outcomes at age five are strongly associated with later attainment and the risk of becoming not in education, employment or training.
Waugh acknowledged that the gap between children eligible for free school meals and their peers widened slightly. He said that schools, early-years providers and local leaders would need to use the data to target support more effectively.
The Government has set and published local-authority-level targets to increase transparency and focus action. Delivery is intended to involve education, health and family services, including Best Start Family Hubs.
The improvement in the national figure is significant, but the missed progress on the disadvantage gap means the data do not show uniform gains across all groups.
