ALL children should go into their first day of school on a ‘level playing field’, according to the Mayor of Greater Manchester.

Andy Burnham says he wants more youngsters to become ‘school-ready’ after it was estimated that 12,000 children across the region will be starting year one this week without the skills to learn.

Mr Burnham said: “For many, the first year at school is much harder than it is for others.

“Here in Greater Manchester, we want to do something about that.

“We will not build a more equal society until there is a level playing field at the start, with all kids arriving at school ready to learn and fulfil their potential.

“With the nature of our devolution deal, Greater Manchester has an opportunity to create a truly preventative system that provides world-class support to our young people growing up in an ever more fast-moving and challenging world.

“We intend to seize it.”

The Mayor will ask all Greater Manchester public bodies, including schools, to sign a pledge to work together, to share information and resources, to improve rates of school-readiness.

The assessment of school-readiness is made using the ‘good level of development’ indicator that assesses a child’s personal, social, emotional development, and physical development, communication skills and language.