Children in Newham are set to benefit from a new Early Years Hub, the mayor of London has announced.

Sadiq Khan revealed that the borough has been selected as one of three across the capital to help boost access to high-quality early education for disadvantaged families.

Led by Sheringham Nursery School, in Sheringham Avenue, Manor Park, the hub will build on the existing ‘Learning without Limits’ hubs across Newham. It aims to support 100 childcare settings and 60 childminders.

Last year, 58 per cent of eligible two-year-olds took up a free early education place in London, compared with 71pc nationally.

The new hubs are being launched this month in areas where take-up of the free places is lower than the London average. In Newham, the take-up is just 43pc, but the hub aims to boost this to 75pc.

By the age of five, children eligible for free school meals are almost three months behind their peers in terms of their attainment at school.

By bringing together schools, childminders and nurseries, the hubs will help ensure more children are ready to thrive when they start school.

The Early Years Hubs, which will also be introduced in Wandsworth and Merton and Barnet, are also designed to enable more parents to seek work.

Mr Khan said: “Every child in London deserves the best start in life and should be able to benefit from all the opportunities our great city has to offer. Too often, in early years education, it is the most disadvantaged children who miss out.

“That’s why I want to improve both the quality and access to early years provision for all children. Through these Early Years Hubs, and by working with our partners across London, we can ensure that no child is left behind and that all families have the support they need for their children to thrive.”

Each hub will receive £175,000 of funding from City Hall and will see organisations work together over a three-year period, supporting quality early years practice and engaging with families to improve access for the most disadvantaged.

They may also provide childcare out of normal working hours and support children with special educational needs and disabilities, as well as promoting careers in early-years education.