Children spending longer in nursery are more likely to reach reading, writing and numeracy goals at school, according to government research.

The Study of Early Education and Development (SEED) found that the more hours children spent in a nursery, the greater the impact on outcomes in Key Stage 2 (from the age of seven to 11).

An additional 10 hours per week in formal group childcare during early years increased the likelihood of children achieving the expected standards in reading, writing, and maths by around three percentage points.

The researchers found the likelihood of achieving the higher standard in reading, writing and maths increased by 2% with each additional hour a week the child attended. The effect was more pronounced for children from financially disadvantaged families, with a 4.5% increase in the odds of achieving the expected standard in reading, writing and maths for each additional hour attended.

Tim McLachlan, chief executive of National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) said: “The latest report on the longitudinal SEED study backs up previous research that shows children’s experiences in early years settings have lasting impacts throughout their time in primary school. This is especially true for children from disadvantaged backgrounds, who have the most to gain from access to high quality early education and care.”

He added: “Nurseries in the private and voluntary sector deliver the vast majority of these early years places and are vital in giving children the best start in life. The government’s plans for early childhood must recognise this fact and ensure the right levels of investment that will help the sector tackle recruitment challenges and continue to provide the high-quality places that make a difference that lasts a lifetime, for all our children.”