Many of the most disadvantaged Northern children are falling far behind their equivalents in the South, the children’s commissioner for England has warned.
A 12-month research project warns that disadvantaged children in the North are less likely to do well in secondary school, more likely to go to a poor school and more likely to leave education early.
“It is an optimistic report that praises the ambitions of the Northern Powerhouse project, but it also warns that many of the most disadvantaged children in the North are falling far behind their equivalents in the South, particularly children growing up in London,” said the report. “While some parts of the North have some of the best primary schools in the country, many secondary schools are struggling. The report calls on the Northern Powerhouse Project to give children the same attention as economic regeneration, otherwise the promise of the Powerhouse will not be realised.”
The main findings in ‘Growing Up North’ include:
The report highlights that 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,” said the report.
The report’s recommends:
New Deprivation of Liberty court launch for children
A National Deprivation of Liberty Court dealing specifically with applications relating to deprive children of their liberty has been announced by Sir Andrew McFarlane, president of the family division.
The court will deal with applications seeking authorisation to deprive children of their liberty and will be based at the Royal Courts of Justice under the [...]
Independent review into CSE in Oldham finds child protection procedures were not followed
Some children have been failed by the agencies that were meant to protect them because child protection procedures had not been properly followed, an independent assurance review into historic child sexual exploitation (CSE) in Oldham has found.
Evidence of poor practice was attributed to a structural flaw the review team found in the multi-agency system [...]
Sixty Second Interview with Chloe Bach
Find out more about our Business Administrator Chloe Bach who has been with WillisPalmer since 2009.
Tea or coffee?
Coffee (oat milk latte)
What 3 things would you put in Room 101?
Migraines, slugs and war
What is your favourite place in the world?
Wherever my family is (but I do love New York)
If you were on death row what [...]
A Mackman Group collaboration - market research by Mackman Research | website design by Mackman