Education

For the city’s youngest residents, there have been major shifts in early years education, with the introduction of the 30 hours of funding for 9 month-olds to under-3s in September 2025. This may lead to more women entering the workforce, while also putting strain on early years providers.

There has been a 50% increase in enquiries for places for under-ones at Acorn Early Years Foundation since funding was announced. [1]

“The introduction of the new government funding is great news for families seeking early years care and education for under-threes, but it presents a serious challenge for those of us who are determined to offer inclusive provision. We are determined to ensure that no child misses out on the same high-quality care, regardless of families’ ability to pay additional fees.”

Zoe Raven, CEO of Acorn Early Years Foundation

For engaged young people in the city, there are a number of opportunities. Milton Keynes had the highest turnout in the South East (31.4%) for Make Your Mark, the national consultation of young people. [2]

The Milton Keynes Youth Council launched a ‘Welcome to Your Vote Campaign’ in March 2025 to encourage young people to vote, and has decided to create ongoing campaigns on Youth Crime and Safety and Culture, Media and Sport. It was also a supporter of the sell-out inaugural TEDxMK Youth Conference in August 2025.

Supporting those who are struggling remains vital. While SEND rates in Milton Keynes sit below the national average, this is a growing area of concern, with educators and campaigners increasingly alert to rising need, and a lower proportion of Children Looked After (CLAs — young people in the care of the local authority) with an EHCP* than nationally.

• 70,000 - number of children across Milton Keynes’ 115 schools [3]
  
  
• 15.9% of all children in MK schools identify as SEND [4]
  
  
• 26% - percentage of CLA (Children Looked After) with an EHCP [5]

*An education, health and care plan (EHCP) is for children and young people aged up to 25 who need more support than is available through special educational needs support.

“Schools need funding, support, resources and guidance on how to support their SEND children – especially those ‘not yet diagnosed and sitting on ridiculous NHS waiting lists’ and those who do not currently have an EHCP – of which there will be hundreds, if not more”

Jane Lambert, Milton Keynes Umbrella Project Leader

School attendance is also in the spotlight, and the overlap with crime prevention for young people is discussed in the Crime and Safety Vital Sign (page 18).

One successful project tackling this has been the YMCA’s Youth Mentoring programme, which provides positive, consistent role models to help young people build confidence, reduce risk-taking behaviours and go on to thrive.

• 182 referrals to YMCA’s youth mentoring programme for young people aged 8–35 in 24/25 [6]
  
  
• 100% of participating young people had a greater belief in their own abilities [7]
  
  
• 83% said they are now more likely to engage in employment, education or training [8]
  
  
• 73% of primary and secondary school children mentored in their school setting saw improvement in their school attendance during their mentoring [9]

For the older population, digital skills training has been identified as a key need. In June 2024, MK College launched the Digital Skills initiative, Tea and Tech, which offers free courses for people struggling with digital skills.

Di Cook, Project Director for Adult Learning, explains the benefits for older people:

“We’ve had people who’ve been scammed and we’ve taught them how to avoid it happening in future. From online shopping to watching films, they want to know how to do the things the rest of us take for granted.” [10]

Vital Thinking

How can we expand support and mentoring programmes in the city to accommodate SEND and neurodiverse students?

Action4Youth

Action4Youth is a local charity that creates opportunities for young people regardless of their background. Its services include one-to-one mentoring and the school-based Breakout programme, which equips young people with the tools to make positive life choices, particularly around knife- and gang-related crimes.

It also runs the Inspiration programme, covering careers, employability and raising aspirations, and holiday activities for free school meals recipients at the newly renovated Caldecotte Centre. The charity is also about to expand a new BOOST programme, focusing on life skills for SEND students, to MK next year.

This year, it has seen an increase in need for its services, with the mentorship programme - that serves c. 80 people a year - having an extensive waiting list, and an expansion of the Breakout programme, due to increasing concerns in schools about at-risk young people.

Cases are increasingly complex, with more safeguarding referrals than ever before, increased mental health needs amongst young people, and support needed for school refusers, care-leavers and those engaged with social services.

Breakout Programme: T’s Story

T is an 11-year-old boy with learning difficulties, a mild speech and language impairment, and social and emotional mental health challenges. He was referred to the Breakout programme due to concerns about his vulnerability to grooming.

At the start of the programme, T’s response to role-play scenarios suggested that he would put himself in dangerous scenarios in return for a desired item, such as a games console, without understanding the consequences.

After a day of workshops, including lived experience from ex offenders, police professionals, and workshops on consent and healthy relationships, he participated in a similar role-play scenario. T was able to say no in this scenario, and hold firm to his decision; a huge achievement and a skill that will enable him to make positive life choices in the future.