A new report out this morning will say that children from the North are too often left behind.
Growing Up North’, a year-long report from the Children’s Commissioner Anne Longfield, looks at the issues and experiences of children growing up in the North today.
The optimistic report 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.
They are less likely to do well in secondary school, more likely to go to a poor school and more likely to leave education early.
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 Report found that Northern 2 to 3 year olds are more likely than their London counterparts to attend nursery – but are less likely to reach the expected standard of development when starting school.
More than half of the schools serving the North’s most deprived communities are below a ‘good’ rating.
This means children in these communities face the double-disadvantage of being from a poor community and attending a poor school.
Schools in these ‘cold spots’ are facing the same problems: weak leadership, poor governance and difficulties recruiting staff.
Many more children in the North than nationally are starting school with high-levels of development issues, but fewer children are having special educational needs diagnosed before they start school.
High numbers of children across the North are dropping out of school too early, missing vital parts of their education and undermining their future prospects.
The Report concludes that 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.
