Every child deserves the chance to thrive, regardless of their background. This mission supports and scales innovation that will:
- improve the home learning environment
- identify and support children with special educational needs earlier
- help young people access better work experience and employment opportunities
The research and innovation funded through the following challenges will ensure all children and young people have the best possible start in life.
Special educational needs (SEN) challenge
By 2028, we will develop and deploy early SEN needs assessment and support tools that can be integrated into education settings.
Focus areas are:
- early identification of children with special educational needs in early years and primary education settings
- better support for teachers to meet the needs of all pupils in mainstream settings
Home learning environment challenge
Creating effective home learning environments for children and young people by empowering parents and improving material conditions. This will ensure 75% of children are school ready by 2028 as measured by Early Years Foundation Stage good level of development defined in the government’s Plan for Change.
Focus areas are:
- supporting parents and carers to create positive learning experiences at home
- addressing the specific challenges faced by children experiencing homelessness
How we will do it
We will fund innovative research and novel approaches from research teams, technology developers, community and third sector organisations to develop, test and scale interventions. Working collaboratively with the Department for Education, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Department for Work and Pensions, practitioners and stakeholders, we will ensure effective and sustainable interventions are adopted and embedded within regional and local contexts.
We are providing funding to:
- develop innovations that enable earlier, fairer, more reliable identification of special educational needs (SEN) (open until 5 August)
- boost fathers’ engagement to improve child outcomes (opportunity now closed)
- improve outcomes for children experiencing homelessness (opportunity now closed)
- provide a child friendly temporary accommodation consultancy (opportunity now closed)
Progress to date
Progress has been made on:
- developing new understandings of the links between prematurity and later educational needs
- successfully testing and using tools to support teachers in the identification of children’s strengths and needs in schools, for example a free screening tool for Year one teachers
- re-evaluating existing evidence on effective approaches to SEN
Ask a question about the Opportunity Mission
Contact: OpportunityMission@ukri.org
We aim to respond in five working days.
Last updated: 23 July 2026