In his independent review on poverty and life chances, Mr Field said that the Government should adopt the term 'the Foundation Years' to encompass pregnancy to age five. He said it would help give these 'crucial years' equal status and importance in the public mind to primary and secondary schools, and ensure that child development and services during the early years are understood.
Mr Field said, 'We have found overwhelming evidence that children's life chances are heavily predicted on their development in the first five years of life. It is family background, parental education, good parenting and the opportunities for learning and development in those crucial years that together matter more to children than money, in determining whether their potential is realised in adult life.'
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