More should be done to help disadvantaged children receive early education, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has urged.

England and Scotland are “bottom of the league” for the amount of free early education provided, with just 15 and 12.5 hours a week respectively offered for three-year-olds.

This figure compares with an average of 30 hours in other developed countries, according to a new OECD report, Starting Strong 2017.

In England, from September the government plans to offer 30 hours a week of early education for children whose parents work.

At a press conference last week, OECD education director Andreas Schleicher said the academic and health benefits for children who attended pre-school were clear. But in many countries, advantaged children are more likely to attend nursery than disadvantaged children, meaning early education systems are reinforcing social inequalities rather than mitigating them.

“Consider where you are now, at the bottom of the league in intensity [number of hours]; 30 hours is going to double that,” says Schleicher, commenting on England’s early education provision.

“Children who are most disadvantaged will benefit the most from high-quality early childhood education and care - the evidence is clear on that - and the UK would benefit enormously from giving those children a good start.”

@teshelen