Northern children ‘being left behind’ – Children’s Commissioner
2 min read
Northern children are being left behind because of poor schools and entrenched poverty, according to a new report.
England’s Children’s Commissioner Anne Longfield has said greater investment is needed to stop the educational gap between the north and south widening.
Her new report says poor children have differing life chances depending on where they were born in the country, with a child on free school meals in Hackney three times more likely to go to university than a contemporary in Hartlepool.
The report - Growing Up North, Look North: A generation of children await the powerhouse promise – also warned that northern children were falling behind in school, with large numbers dropping out of education altogether before 18.
Ms Longfield said kids from disadvantaged northern communities were being left with "a lack of confidence, uncertainty and low expectation,” leading to “poor job prospects, poor school results and poor connections to further and higher education".
She added: "Children in some areas look at new developments in the north but have little hope they might feel the benefits or have increased choices in life as a result.
"There are 3.6 million children growing up in the north. Every one of them should have the brightest future possible and best opportunities to look forward to happy, healthy and prosperous lives.
"Where they live and grow up should not be a barrier to making the most of their lives."
Shadow Education Secretary Angela Rayner 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."
A government spokesman 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.
"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 £3.4bn investment in projects to boost the local economy, £12m to spread good teaching practice in English and improve early literacy, and schemes that help families to support their child's education at home."
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