City health bosses planning extra check-ups on infants
HEALTH VISITORS could start routine checks on three to three-and-a-halfyear-old children in York in a bid to tackle a gap in school achievement in the city.
Public health bosses at City of York Council say they have a long-term aspiration to bring in the new checks – but admit they first need to get York’s record on earlier legally required health checks up to national standards.
The most recent figures show that in York, 62.1 per cent of children get a health visitor check for two to two-and-halfyear-olds, and although the numbers have been rising they still fall short of the English average at 75.6 per cent.
The city also falls short of national rates on 12 months checks, although the gaps are much smaller on checks for new babies, and six to eight-week-olds.
Public health chief Sharon Stoltz said a push to improve “school readiness” was behind the plan for three-yearold check-ups.
Last year, it emerged that the levels children from deprived backgrounds achieve in school were falling further behind. Making sure children are ready for school is part of tackling that early on, Ms Stoltz added.
She said the checkups would be targeted at children and families where staff had already noticed problems.
She said: “There’s a big gap between two-and-ahalf and five, when you start school.
“Early intervention would hopefully mean we have children entering school without those delays.”