Stoke-on-Trent City Council has set out "ambitious" new targets to improve education in the city.

The Improving Education Strategy 2025-2030 includes measures such as improving early attainment, primary and secondary school outcomes and attendance.

A spokesperson for Stoke-on-Trent City Council said: "The attainment gap starts early, with fewer children in Stoke-on-Trent reaching a good level of development by age five – often because of early speech and language delays – but the picture is improving and that gap is beginning to close as increased early years work takes effect."

In response to this, the strategy includes a commitment to increasing the number of children that reach a good level of development at reception age from the current figure of 65 per cent, to 75 per cent by 2028.

The council explained that this will be achieved by developing a "consistent, comprehensive model of school readiness and early years development" covering maternal health, positive parenting, speech and language development and good physical health.

The strategy also aims to drive up outcomes in primary schools, and has a "clear target" of increasing the number of children getting a standard pass in English and Maths at secondary level by 10 per cent.

There is also an aim to increase the proportion of children achieving at least AAB grade at A Level to 15 per cent from the current figure of 10 per cent - which is less than half the national average of 21.3 per cent.

The council also explained that it would develop a new city-wide attendance strategy, which would bring schools and services together to reduce persistent absence and help more children stay in school every day.

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This includes aiming to cut the number of children being educated outside the city, reduce exclusions and ensure more children with special educational needs can be supported in mainstream schools.

Councillor Sarah Jane Colclough, cabinet member for children's services at Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said: "Academic attainment is a key challenge in Stoke-on-Trent, but this strategy will help steer us towards improving outcomes for all children.

"We can't achieve these ambitions alone. Real and lasting improvement will only come from bringing together organisations across the city and sharing best practice.

"By building on our partnership approach, we can tackle inequality by providing opportunities for every child to improve in their education and set themselves up for the bright futures they deserve."

The council explained that its role will be to coordinate and promote best practice across education settings because local authorities now have more limited direct school improvement powers – with many schools part of academy trusts.

The strategy hopes to strengthen collaboration with schools, multi academy trusts, early years providers and national programmes such as the emerging Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence (RISE) initiative to drive improvement across the city.