Blackpool Council Annual Health Report 2019 Blackpool Council Annual Health Report PAGES | Page 19

Only 88% of Blackpool’s children were fully vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella
(two doses MMR by age five); a similar rate to the national average, but below the rate
required for “herd immunity”. The exact number of cases of measles mumps or rubella
diagnosed in the town are not published, but there were 32 cases of measles and 86 cases
of mumps confirmed in children aged 0-19 the North West region in 2017.
SCHOOL READINESS
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) sets standards for the learning, development and
care of children from birth to five years old. All schools and Ofsted-registered early years
providers must follow the EYFS, including childminders, preschools, nurseries and school
reception classes. The areas covered by the EYFS include communication and language,
physical development, personal, social and emotional development, literacy, mathematics,
understanding the world, expressive arts and design. Children from poorer backgrounds
are at greater risk of poorer development and the evidence shows that differences by
social background emerge early in life. In 2017/2018, 67.9% of five year olds had achieved
a good level of development at the end of reception, compared to 71.5% nationally.
Only 54.7% of children eligible for free school meals (a crude indicator of socioeconomic
deprivation) achieved a good level of development at the end of reception.
The development of a child’s literacy skills are directly impacted upon by their early
language skills. This relationship starts very early on in a child’s life. A child’s language skills
at age two strongly influence their school readiness at the age of five and this can continue
to impact upon their attainment and achievement throughout their school life 8 . The Better
Start Partnership has introduced several interventions to promote parents’ understanding
of the important role they play in supporting their child’s communication and literacy skills.
Activities include working with Dads to promote reading with their children, Book Start
bundles of books and Literacy weeks with a variety of activities for families with children
under five to take part in.
In general, Blackpool’s rates of vaccination are similar to the national picture, however
nationally there are concerns that rates are not high enough to prevent outbreaks and
there is large variation in coverage when you look at smaller geographies.
8. Roulstone S, et al 2011 (https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/181549/DFE-RR134.pdf)
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