Commenting as the government announces the revival of family services to support parents and children in the early years, with the launch of Best Start Family Hubs, Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders' union NAHT, said:

"This is a really welcome move from the government. If there is one intervention that comes close to being a silver bullet in education, it is effective early years support. The statistics around the impact of Sure Start centres on children’s life chances are startling.

"This is a positive step forward towards ensuring all children get the best start - and we are pleased to see tangible investment following this week’s announcement of new targets for school readiness."