Children's commissioner's North report calls for greater early intervention

It is one of a series of recommendations by the children’s commissioner for England Anne Longfield, who today has published a new report ‘Growing up North’, which shows disadvantaged children in the north of England are falling ‘way behind’ their equivalents in the South.

The report into the issues and experiences of children in the North, finds that ‘too many children’ are facing the ‘double-whammy’ of entrenched deprivation and poor performing schools.

While children in the North are more likely to attend nursery at ages two and three, they are less likely to reach the expected standard of development when starting school. Research gathered for the report, highlights that families who are struggling are not being well supported.

The report also finds that more than half of schools serving the most deprived communities in the North are rated less than good by Ofsted. More children in the North than nationally are starting school with high-levels of development issues, and fewer children in the North are having special educational needs diagnosed before they start school.

To tackle the issues, the children’s commissioner makes a series of recommendations, including:

• Providing extra support for families to give their children the best start in life. This includes a renewed focus on early intervention with families across a range of agencies. Also, for Government to support children's centres, in particular those with extended services for older children that are known as family hubs, in areas of disadvantage in the North and to work with local areas to find a sustainable funding model.
• Making earlier identification of special educational needs a public health priority.
• Providing additional Government investment in the most disadvantaged areas to support local councils and partners to improve children’s outcomes and life chances – starting in the North.
• Establishing a new northern schools programmes to improve leadership and governance, boost recruitment and dramatically improve children’s attainment in the most disadvantaged areas.
• Placing children’s prospects at the heart of the Northern Powerhouse and give them the same attention as economic regeneration.

Children's commissioner Anne Longfield said, ‘Children growing up in the North love and are proud of the place they live. They want a future where they live near their family and community and they want jobs and opportunities to rival anywhere else in the country. The Northern Powerhouse and the new devolved mayors provide a once in a lifetime opportunity to drive that ambition.

'While many children in the North are thriving, there are huge gaps between the poorest Northern kids and those in the South. Too many children in the North are facing the double-whammy of entrenched deprivation and poor schools. They are being left behind. We need to ask why a child from low income family in London is three times more likely to go to university than a child who grows up in Hartlepool.

'The Northern Powerhouse will only succeed if children are put at the heart of the project. If the North is to flourish it needs to grow and retain the talents of all its children and truly offer the opportunities in life they hope for.'

Commenting on the report, Angela Rayner MP, Labour's shadow education secretary, said, 'Where a child is born should not determine their life chances.

'By slashing funding for local services, introducing the first cuts to school budgets in a generation and denying the north the level of investment that some areas in the south can take for granted, the Tories are holding back children in the north of England.

'The next Labour government will give every child the best start in life, investing in education across the country to reduce inequality and ensure that every child, wherever they live, can access a good school.'

A Government spokesperson said, 'We want to create a country where everyone gets the best start in life, no matter  what their background is or where they live. That’s why we are investing in projects to raise pupils’ outcomes from an early age, train strong school leaders and support schools in the north, as well as improving outcomes for children in regions that have faced long-term challenges through our 12 Opportunity Areas – five of which are in the north. This builds on our progress since 2010, with 1.9 million more children in England now in good or outstanding schools, record numbers of young people in education or training - including one million apprenticeships in the north - and more disadvantaged pupils now going to university.

'As the children’s commissioner notes, many children in the north are now thriving, but there is more to do. Our Northern Powerhouse programme includes £3.4 billion investment in projects to boost the local economy, £12 million to spread good teaching practice in English and improve early literacy, and schemes that help families to support their child’s education at home.'