About Nesta

Nesta is an innovation foundation. For us, innovation means turning bold ideas into reality and changing lives for the better. We use our expertise, skills and funding in areas where there are big challenges facing society.

From crisis in the early years to a fairer start

We teamed up with Children & Young People Now (CYP Now) to discuss the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead in closing the educational disadvantage gap for young children, at a roundtable debate with leaders in the early years and local government.

One of the key pillars of our new 10-year strategy, launched at the beginning of March, is for every child to have a fair start, specifically to eliminate the school readiness gap between children born into deprivation and their peers by 2030.

Together with CYP Now, we hosted a virtual debate with sector leaders on 3 March 2021 on how to realise this vision.

Our work focuses on two crucial periods in the child's life: the first five years and the period from age 11 to 16, with this debate dedicated to the early years.

Sector leaders used the roundtable discussion to help shape the roadmap for our new strategy and identify opportunities for sector-wide collaboration to close the outcomes gap within 10 years.

The full article is published on the CYP Now website

Too many children start school without the confidence to learn. We are working to remove some of the barriers that stifle opportunities so all children can thrive.

Roundtable debate: Early years

Read the full write-up on the CYP Now website.

A fairer start

Author

Louise Bazalgette

Louise Bazalgette

Louise Bazalgette

Deputy Director, fairer start mission

Louise works as part of a multi-disciplinary innovation team focused on narrowing the outcome gap for disadvantaged children.

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Tom Symons

Tom Symons

Tom Symons

Deputy Director, fairer start mission

Tom is the deputy mission director for the fairer start mission at Nesta.

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Fiona Simpson

Fiona Simpson is Online Editor at Children & Young People Now