Dame Rachel de Souza’s latest study paints a grim picture of unequal childhoods across England and urges urgent national action.
The Children’s Commissioner for England, Dame Rachel de Souza, has labelled the current condition of children’s services as a “state of emergency”. Her extensive review – titled the Childhood Lottery – examined more than a hundred indicators touching health, education, safety and play, concluding that a postcode-driven system is producing a “litany of failures” for millions of youngsters.
De Souza’s team blended data from the Department for Education with information from ten other public bodies, creating a unique scoring model that covered 162 distinct measures. The resulting map of England shows sharp contrasts: some of the nation’s poorest districts outperform richer neighbours, while affluent areas still fall short of basic standards.
Key statistics that signal a crisis
Across the 2024-25 period, more than one million children were referred to mental-health services, yet waiting times varied dramatically. In Leicester a child waited just six days for an assessment, whereas youngsters in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight faced an average of 118 days before a second contact.
Academic outcomes are equally troubling. Fifty-five percent of pupils failed to secure a decent grade in both English and maths at GCSE level, and a full one million 16- to 24-year-olds were classified as NEET (not in education, employment or training). Moreover, 12 % of children reported feeling unsafe in their local neighbourhoods.
Access to preventive services also shows stark disparity. Eighty-six percent of children in Redcar and Cleveland visited a dentist in the past year, compared with just 39 % in Hackney – one of 25 areas where fewer than half of youngsters saw a dentist. Four councils recorded zero spending on youth services per teenager.
Where childhood is hardest – and where it is least
The analysis singled out ten local authorities that proved most challenging for youngsters: Middlesbrough, Hounslow, Bradford, Nottingham, Halton, Peterborough, Leicester, Liverpool, Sunderland and Medway. In contrast, ten of the nation’s most supportive environments were Cheshire East, Merton, Surrey, Richmond upon Thames, Hertfordshire, Cheshire West and Chester, Haringey, Leicestershire, Central Bedfordshire and Wokingham.
Even within the same region, outcomes differ dramatically. In Richmond upon Thames, 70 % of pupils achieved a good pass (grade 5 or above) in English and maths GCSEs, while only 31 % did so in Knowsley. Feelings of insecurity were reported by just 6.7 % of children in Bedford versus 24.9 % in Croydon. Haringey, despite high deprivation, ranked among the top performers, whereas Cambridge – one of the least deprived areas – fell lower on the scale.
Government response and proposed reforms
Education Secretary Lucy Powell pledged that “no child will be held back by where they grow up” and announced a suite of investments. The Department for Education highlighted the rollout of 1,000 Best Start Family Hubs, enhanced childcare support, higher school standards and the continuation of the National Youth Strategy and Young Future hubs.
Dame Rachel called for a set of minimum national standards covering education, policing, health and youth services, backed by a dedicated children’s emergency fund. She also urged the creation of a deputy mayor for children in every strategic authority – a role designed to test every policy for its impact on youngsters.
The commissioner’s warning that the situation amounts to “nothing less than a national emergency” has prompted calls for rapid devolution of power to larger local authorities and mayors, aiming to close the postcode gap and give every child a fair start.
