Children across England are living through a national “emergency”, a landmark report warns, exposing stark, “Dickensian” inequalities that can shape their prospects from the earliest years.
The most detailed analysis yet of children’s lives reveals dramatic differences between local authority areas. Middlesbrough in the North East ranked worst, while Cheshire East in the North West recorded the strongest overall results.
Produced by England’s Children’s Commissioner, Dame Rachel de Souza, the study examined 162 indicators covering health, education, crime, housing and welfare.
Other areas identified as particularly challenging for children included Hounslow in west London, Bradford in West Yorkshire and Nottingham in the East Midlands.
By contrast, children in Surrey, along with those in the London boroughs of Merton and Richmond upon Thames, were among the most advantaged in the country.
The report, due to be published tomorrow, found that one in three children are not considered “school ready” when they begin Reception.
By the age of 16, meanwhile, more than half of pupils fail to secure a good pass in both English and maths GCSEs.
The findings also show that 12 per cent of young people do not feel safe in their local area, while at least one million children were referred to mental health services last year and remained active in the system.
Children in England are facing a national “emergency”, according to a landmark report by Children’s Commissioner for England Dame Rachel de Souza
In a speech tomorrow, Dame Rachel is expected to say that she wants to “shine a light on where children need the most rigorous attention”.
She will say: “Every single local area in England has work to do to make lives better for their children.
“In some communities, these challenges amount to nothing less than a state of emergency.
“Not everywhere. But what we see here is a litany of failure. In so many areas of the country, children are being radically failed.”
Dame Rachel’s team used 96 measures to score local authorities and identify the places where childhood conditions were most difficult.
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The analysis found that children in Blackpool, Lancashire, were 27 times more likely to be missing from education than pupils in Lambeth, south London.
They were also 46 times more likely to be excluded from school than children in Wiltshire.
GCSE results showed an equally wide divide: 70 per cent of pupils in Richmond upon Thames achieved a grade 5 or above in English and maths, compared with just 31 per cent in Knowsley, near Liverpool.
Richmond upon Thames and Knowsley also occupied opposite ends of the rankings for access to enjoyable activities. While 93 per cent of children in Richmond said they had fun things to do, the figure fell to 72 per cent in Knowsley.
For library access, Westmorland and Furness in Cumbria performed best, while Sunderland in Tyne and Wear recorded the weakest result.
Safety perceptions varied sharply too: almost a quarter of children in Croydon, south London, said they felt unsafe, compared with fewer than 7 per cent in Bedford.
The number of children living in temporary accommodation varied from one per 10,000 in Hartlepool, County Durham, to 1,169 per 10,000 in Westminster, London.
Cheshire East scored best overall – 730 out of 960 possible points – partly due to low rates of children in temporary accommodation, little school absence and high vaccination and dental care uptake.
Middlesbrough scored lowest – 408 out of a total of 960 possible points – partly due to a large proportion of children feeling unsafe, high levels of school absence and exclusion, poor development in early primary school and few public playgrounds.
The data came from the Department for Education and ten other public bodies.
Dame Rachel called on the Prime Minister Andy Burnham to create a children’s emergency fund to bring services above a minimum standard in every part of the country.
A deputy mayor should be appointed in each area as part of the devolution programme to tackle the issue, she said.
Education Secretary Lucy Powell said: ‘We’re investing and reforming at every stage of a child’s journey, from more childcare support for their earliest years and higher standards in our schools, broader community support with the rollout of our National Youth strategy and Young Future hubs, to more training and job opportunities as they approach adulthood.
‘Alongside that, I’m bringing local leaders together to help shape the future of education in their areas. We’re putting more power in their hands to deliver.’
