The Children’s Commissioner, Dame Rachel de Souza, has released ‘The Childhood Lottery‘ a new report looking at a landmark dataset bringing together more than 160 measures of children’s lives to build the most comprehensive picture yet of the local factors shaping young lives today.
The analysis adds to the story told by others.
Earlier this year the Education Policy Institute reported that the early years disadvantage gap had reached its widest level since 2014. Their annual study found that disadvantaged children were around 4.9 months behind their peers by the end of reception.
The disadvantage gap is a problem for children as they start their journey into school, and it sets up the conditions for inequality in later life.
A study of more than 8,000 young people in Bradford found that children who were not school-ready at ages 4 to 5 were nearly three times as likely to be not in education, employment or training at ages 16 to 17 years old. 11% of those who did not reach a Good Level of Development at reception were later not in education, employment and training compared with just 4% of those who did.
Thrive at Five works in Middlesbrough and other communities in the UK where children face such challenges. We provide dedicated capacity so that local places and systems – parents, carers, the public sector and voluntary organisations – are better connected to each other and have the resource to use the data and evidence that will make a difference.
Chief executive Aida Cable said: “The Children’s Commissioner’s report shines an important spotlight on the inequality faced by children across the nation. If we are going to make a difference, we need a laser focus on the places where children experience disadvantage, and to work in those places in partnership with communities. We can’t address crisis by applying sticking plasters. What’s needed is a sustainable and long-term approach to delivering better outcomes for children.
“We have recently established a programme in Middlesbrough, where we see plenty of committed and brilliant individuals and organisations who are trying to make a difference – often on their own. We shall be working alongside them to deliver collective impact in the early years.”