The Foundation Years: preventing poor children becoming poor adults

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Publication date December 2010

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The Foundation Years preventing poor children becoming poor adults

The report of the Independent Review on Poverty and Life Chances

Frank Field

December 2010

Contents

Acknowledgements 3

IntroductionandRecommendations 5

Chapter1 APersonalCommentary 11

Chapter2 PovertyandLifeChances 27

Chapter3 TheInfluencesonChildrenrsquosLifeChances 37

Chapter4 BuildingFoundationYearsServices 53

Chapter5 ANewFrameworkforMeasuringPovertyandLifeChances 71

Chapter6 OverviewoftheConsultationProcessandSummaryofFormalSubmissions 85

AnnexA LifeChancesIndicatorsndashRecommendedMeasures 93

AnnexB OptionsforanewMeasureofServiceQuality 95

AnnexC ConsultationDetails 98

AnnexD FrankFieldrsquosPublicStatements 104

2 TheFoundationYears

3 Acknowledgements

Acknowledgements

AsthebulkoftheReviewrsquosworkhasbeen undertakenbytheReviewteamIwanttoplace onrecordmythankstothem AnnChinneras ReviewTeamLeadandStephenBalchinLotta GustafssonDanielleMasonTimCrosierand TimWeedonasPolicyAdvisorshaveworked onthefollowingreportJonathanPortesthe CabinetOfficersquosChiefEconomisthasoverseen theworkoftheReviewItishardtothinkthat theReviewcouldhavebeenbetterservedfrom acrossWhitehallPatrickWhitefrommyHouse ofCommonsrsquoOfficehaslinkedmyworkinthe HousewiththeworkoftheReviewandplayed akeyroleinshapingmycommentaryJillHendey mysecretaryhastypedthenotesItookofallour evidencesessionsandtherecordsImadeofthe findingsfromtheresearchreportsIhavereadI amextremelygratefultothisteamwhohasmade workingontheReviewapleasureaswesetabout ourtaskofreshapingananti-povertystrategythat willbeeffectiveduringthe21stcentury

IwishalsotothanktheteamofSeniorOfficials fromtheDepartmentforWorkandPensions DepartmentforEducationDepartmentof HealthHMTreasuryGovernmentEqualities OfficeandDepartmentforCommunitiesand LocalGovernmentwhoplayedakeypartactingas valuablesoundingboardsforthisReviewandof coursealltheacademicscharitiespractitioners stakeholdersandindividualswhowehavemetand whosubmittedtheirevidence

Introduction and Recommendations

Introduction FrankFieldwascommissionedbythePrime MinisterinJune2010toprovideanindependent reviewonpovertyandlifechancesbytheendof theyearTheaimofthereviewisto

bullgenerateabroaderdebateaboutthenatureand extentofpovertyintheUK

bullexaminethecaseforreformstopoverty measuresinparticularfortheinclusionofnon-financialelements

bullexplorehowachildrsquoshomeenvironment affectstheirchancesofbeingreadytotakefull advantageoftheirschoolingand

bullrecommendpotentialactionbygovernment andotherinstitutionstoreducepovertyand enhancelifechancesfortheleastadvantaged consistentwiththeGovernmentrsquosfiscalstrategy

Review findings ThequestiontheReviewfounditselfaskingwas howwecanpreventpoorchildrenfrombecoming pooradultsTheReviewhasconcludedthatthe UKneedstoaddresstheissueofchildpovertyin afundamentallydifferentwayifitistomakeareal changetochildrenrsquoslifechancesasadults

Wehavefoundoverwhelmingevidencethat childrenrsquoslifechancesaremostheavilypredicated ontheirdevelopmentinthefirstfiveyearsoflife Itisfamilybackgroundparentaleducationgood parentingandtheopportunitiesforlearningand developmentinthosecrucialyearsthattogether mattermoretochildrenthanmoneyin

determiningwhethertheirpotentialisrealisedin adultlifeThethingsthatmattermostareahealthy pregnancygoodmaternalmentalhealthsecure bondingwiththechildloveandresponsiveness ofparentsalongwithclearboundariesaswellas opportunitiesforachildrsquoscognitivelanguageand socialandemotionaldevelopmentGoodservices mattertoohealthservicesChildrenrsquosCentresand highqualitychildcare

Laterinterventionstohelppoorlyperforming childrencanbeeffectivebutingeneralthe mosteffectiveandcost-effectivewaytohelpand supportyoungfamiliesisintheearliestyearsofa childrsquoslife

Bytheageofthreeababyrsquosbrainis80formed andhisorherexperiencesbeforethenshape thewaythebrainhasgrownanddeveloped Thatisnottosayofcourseitisalloverby thenbutabilityprofilesatthatagearehighly predictiveofprofilesatschoolentryByschool agethereareverywidevariationsinchildrenrsquos abilitiesandtheevidenceisclearthatchildren frompoorerbackgroundsdoworsecognitively andbehaviourallythanthosefrommoreaffluent homesSchoolsdonoteffectivelyclosethatgap childrenwhoarriveinthebottomrangeofability tendtostaythere

Thereisarangeofservicestosupportparentsand childreninthoseearlyyearsButGPsmidwives healthvisitorshospitalservicesChildrenrsquosCentres andprivateandvoluntarysectornurseries togetherprovidefragmentedservicesthatare neitherwellunderstoodnoreasilyaccessedbyall ofthosewhomightbenefitmost

Thecurrentpovertymeasurethatismost commonlyreferredtoisthe60medianincome measureThepreviousgovernmentpledgedto halvechildpovertyby2010-11anderadicateitby 2020Itspoliciesandprogrammestoachievethis ambitioustargetincludedveryheavyinvestment inincometransfersthroughtaxcreditssupportto parentsthroughitsNewDealprogrammetohelp loneparentsintoworkandearlyyearsservices includingtheSureStartProgrammeforunder fivesinthemostdeprivedareas

Therehasbeensignificantimprovementinbuilding earlyyearsserviceprovisionoverthelastten yearsHighqualityprofessionallyledchildcare programmestosupportparentsandsome intensiveprogrammesarewellevidencedtoshow theycanbecosteffectiveButcurrentservices arealsoveryvariableandthereisgenerallyboth alackofclearevidenceofwhatworksforpoorer childrenandinsufficientattentiontodeveloping theevidencebase

Progresswasmadetowardsmeetingthefinancial povertytargetsintheearlystagesofthestrategy butithasbecomeincreasinglyclearthatnotonly hasthe201011targetnotbeenmetbutitwould requireverylargeamountsofnewmoneytomeet the2020targetSuchastrategyisnotsustainable inthelongerrunparticularlyaswestrivetoreduce thebudgetdeficitButevenifmoneywerenot aconstraintthereisaclearcasetobemadefor developinganalternativestrategytoabolishchild povertyThisiswhattheReviewsetsouttoaddress

Itisthisstrategywhichofferstheprospectof preventingpoorchildrenfrombecomingpoor adultsTheevidenceabouttheimportanceof thepreschoolyearstochildrenrsquoslifechancesas adultspointsstronglytoanalternativeapproach thatfocusesondirectinggovernmentpolicyand spendingtodevelopingchildrenrsquoscapabilitiesin theearlyyearsAshiftoffocusisneededtowards providinghighqualityintegratedservicesaimed atsupportingparentsandimprovingtheabilities ofourpoorestchildrenduringtheperiodwhen itismosteffectivetodosoTheirprospects ofgoingontogainbetterqualificationsand sustainableemploymentwillbegreatlyenhanced Theaimistochangethedistributionofincomeby changingthepositionwhichchildrenfrompoor

backgroundswillbeabletogainonmeritinthe incomehierarchy

Overarching recommendations Therearetwooverarchingrecommendations

bullTopreventpoorchildrenfrombecomingpoor adultstheReviewproposesestablishingaset ofLifeChancesIndicatorsthatmeasurehow successfulweareasacountryinmakingmore equallifersquosoutcomesforallchildren

Nothingcanbeachievedwithoutworkingwith parentsAllourrecommendationsareabout enablingparentstoachievetheaspirationsthat theyhavefortheirchildren

bullTodrivethispolicytheReviewproposes establishingthelsquoFoundationYearsrsquocoveringthe periodfromthewombtofiveTheFoundation Yearsshouldbecomethefirstpillarofanew tripartiteeducationsystemtheFoundation Yearsleadingtoschoolyearsleadingtofurther higherandcontinuingeducation

Recommendations

The Foundation Years 1 TheReviewrecommendsthatgovernment nationalandlocalshouldgivegreaterprominence totheearliestyearsinlifefrompregnancyto agefiveadoptingthetermFoundationYears Thisisforseveralreasonstoincreasepublic understandingofhowbabiesandyoungchildren developandwhatisimportanttoensuretheir healthyprogressinthiscrucialperiodtomake clearthepackageofsupportneededbothfor childrenandparentsinthoseearlyyearsto establishtheFoundationYearsasofequalstatus andimportanceinthepublicmindtoprimaryand secondaryschoolyearsandtoensurethatchild developmentandservicesduringthoseyearsare aswellunderstood

2 TheReviewrecommendsthattheGovernment graduallymovesfundingtotheearlyyearsand thatthisfundingisweightedtowardthemost disadvantagedchildrenaswebuildtheevidence baseofeffectiveprogrammesTheFairness Premiumintroducedinthe2010SpendingReview shouldbegininpregnancy

7 IntroductionandRecommendations

3 Nolongershouldgovernmentsautomatically increasebenefitsforchildrenbutineachfinancial yearconsiderwhetherthelifechancesofpoorer childrenwillbeincreasedmorebytransferringany benefitincreasesintobuildingtheFoundationYears

4 Theincreasedfundingshouldbetargetedat thosefactorsweknowmattermostintheearly yearshighqualityandconsistentsupportforparents duringpregnancyandintheearlyyearssupport forbetterparentingsupportforagoodhome learningenvironmentandhighqualitychildcare

5 Governmentshouldstartnowtodevelopa longtermstrategytoincreasethelifechances ofpoorerchildrenbynarrowingthegapsin outcomesbetweenpoorerandricherchildrenin theFoundationYearsThiswillprovethemostcost effectivewayofaddressinginequalitiesinadultlife outcomesWehopethattheGovernmentrsquossocial mobilitystrategytobepublishedintheNewYear willreflectthisrecommendation

6 Thestrategyshouldincludeacommitment thatalldisadvantagedchildrenshouldhaveaccess toaffordablefull-timegraduate-ledchildcare fromagetwoThisisessentialtosupportparents returningtoworkaswellaschilddevelopment

7 TheReviewhasfocussedontheearlyyearsbut recognisesthatimportantchangescananddotake placelaterinchildrenrsquoslivesandthatinvestment intheearlyyearswillnotbefullyeffectiveunless itisfollowedupwithhighqualityservicesfor thosewhoneedthemmostlaterinchildhood TheReviewthereforerecommendsthatthe Governmentextendsthelifechancesapproachto laterstagesinchildhood

Foundation Years service delivery 8 SureStartChildrenrsquosCentresshouldre-focus ontheiroriginalpurposeandidentifyreachand providetargetedhelptothemostdisadvantaged familiesNewSureStartcontractsshouldinclude conditionsthatrewardCentresforreachingout effectivelyandimprovingtheoutcomesofthe mostdisadvantagedchildren

9 LocalAuthoritiesshouldopenupthe commissioningofChildrenrsquosCentresorservices withinthemtoserviceprovidersfromallsectors toallowanysectororcombinationofsectors

tobidforcontractsTheyshouldensureservices withinChildrenrsquosCentresdonotreplicateexisting provisionfromprivatevoluntaryandindependent groupsbutshouldsignposttothosegroupsor shareCentresrsquospaceThisshouldencourage mutualsandcommunitygroupstobidandhelp ensurethatefficienciesaremadeNon-working parentsshouldspendonenurserysessionwiththeir childrenThepatternofprovisionthathasbeen developedinWalesScotlandandNorthernIreland inordertomeetlocalneedsofthemostvulnerable childrenshouldactasatemplatetothoseproviders inEnglandwhohavesuccessfullywoncontracts

10 LocalAuthoritiesshouldaimtomake ChildrenrsquosCentresahubofthelocalcommunity Theyshouldmaintainsomeuniversalservices sothatCentresarewelcominginclusivesocially mixedandnon-stigmatisingbutaimtotarget servicestowardsthosewhocanbenefitfrom themmostTheyshouldlookathowtheycould sitebirthregistrationsinCentresprovidenaming ceremonieschildbenefitformsandotherbenefit adviceChildrenrsquosCentresshouldensureallnew parentsareencouragedtotakeadvantageofa parentingcourseMidwivesandhealthvisitors shouldworkcloselywithCentresandensurea consistencyofserviceisprovidedwithcontinuity betweenthemoremedicalprebirthservices andincreasinglyeducationalpostnatalwork ChildrenrsquosCentresshouldseektoincludeparentsrsquo representationontheirgovernanceanddecision-makingbodies

11 LocalAuthoritiesshouldconsiderjoining withsurroundingauthoritiestoestablishPoverty andLifeChancesCommissionstodrivepolicyin theirlocalitiesliketheLiverpoolCityRegionhas pioneered

12 TheDepartmentforEducationinconjunction withChildrenrsquosCentresshoulddevelopamodel forprofessionaldevelopmentinearlyyears settingslookingtoincreasegraduate-ledpre schoolprovisionwhichmirrorsthemodelfor schoolsTheDepartmentshouldalsocontinue tolookforwaystoencouragegoodteachersand earlyyearsprofessionalstoteachinschoolsand workinChildrenrsquosCentresindeprivedareas throughschemessuchasTeachFirstandNew LeadersinEarlyYears

13 LocalAuthoritiesshouldpooldataandtrack thechildrenmostinneedintheirareasALocal Authorityshouldunderstandwherethechildren whoaremostdeprivedareandhowtheirservices impactuponthemCentralGovernmentshould reviewlegislationthatpreventsLocalAuthorities usingexistingdatatoidentifyandsupportfamilies whoaremostinneedwiththeintentionof makinguseofdatabyLocalAuthoritieseasier andprovideatemplateforsuccessfuldatasharing whichrespectsdataprivacyissuesInparticular DepartmentforWorkandPensionsshouldensure thatnewlegislationontheUniversalCreditallows LocalAuthoritiestousedatatoidentifyfamilies mostinneed

14 LocalAuthoritiesshouldensureuseof serviceswhichhaveastrongevidencebaseand thatnewservicesarerobustlyevaluatedCentral Governmentshouldmakealongtermcommitment toenableandsupportthebringingtogetherof evidencearoundinterventionslearningfrom examplessuchastheNationalInstituteforClinical ExcellenceandtheWashingtonStateInstituteWe understandthiswillbecoveredinmoredetailby theGrahamAllenReviewonearlyintervention

15 Ofstedratingsforchildcareandschoolsin disadvantagedareascomparedwithmoreaffluent areasshouldbeincludedasoneoftheDepartment forEducationrsquosindicatorsinitsBusinessPlanand governmentpolicyshouldaimtoclosethegap Ofstedshouldcontinuetoreportonschoolsand childcaresettingsrsquoengagementwithparentsThis isaparticularlykeyareaforwhichsettingsshould consistentlybeheldtoaccount

16 Theinitiativesforthewidersocietyshouldbe takenupbytheBehaviouralInsightTeambased intheCabinetOfficeThisReviewrecommends thatitleadsalongwithkeyDepartmentsan examinationofhowparentingandnurturingskills canbepromotedthroughoutsociety

17 ACabinetMinistershouldbeappointedfor theFoundationYearsatthenextre-shuffle

Continuing Foundation Years progress in narrowing attainment gaps 18 TheDepartmentforEducationshould ensureschoolsareheldtoaccountforreducing

theattainmentgapinthesamewaytheyarefor improvingoverallattainmentWhereaschool hasapersistentorincreasingattainmentgapthis shouldhaveasignificantbearingontheinspection fortheschoolultimatelythisshouldbeamajor factorinadecisiononwhethertheschoolis judgedinadequate

19 TheDepartmentforEducationshould continuetopublishandpromoteclearevidence onwhatissuccessfulinencouragingparental engagementintheirchildrenrsquoslearning

20 TheDepartmentforEducationshould ensurethatparentingandlifeskillsarereflected inthecurriculumfromprimaryschooltoGCSE levelThisshouldculminateinacross-curricular qualificationinparentingatGCSElevelwhichwill beawardedifpupilshavecompletedparticular modulesinanumberofGCSEsubjectsThe ManchesterAcademyiscurrentlydevelopinga pilotschemewhichcouldbeusedasabasisforthis GCSE

New measures of poverty and life chances 21 TheReviewrecommendsanewsuiteof measurestorunalongsidetheexistingfinancial povertymeasuresThenewmeasureswillinform anddrivepolicyaswellasspendingdecisions aimedatnarrowingtheoutcomegapsbetween childrenfromlowandhigherincomefamiliesThe Reviewrsquosprimarymeasurementrecommendation isthattheGovernmentadoptsanewsetofLife ChancesIndicatorsTheseindicatorswillmeasure annualprogressatanationallevelonarangeof factorsinyoungchildrenwhichweknowtobe predictiveofchildrenrsquosfutureoutcomesandwill becreatedusingnationalsurveydata

22 Existinglocaldatashouldbemadeavailable toparentsandusedanonymouslytoenablethe creationofLocalLifeChancesIndicatorswhichcan becomparedwiththenationalmeasureInorderto makethislocaldataasusefulaspossibleinformation collectedbyhealthvisitorsduringtheagetwo healthcheckwhichthisReviewrecommends shouldbemandatoryandinformationcollectedas partoftheEarlyYearsFoundationStage(following theresultsofDameClareTickellrsquosreview)should beassimilaraspossibletotheinformationusedto createthenationalmeasure

23 TheGovernmentshoulddevelopandpublish annuallyameasureoflsquoservicequalityrsquowhich captureswhetherchildrenandinparticular childreninlowincomefamilieshavesuitableaccess tohighqualityservices

24 ThisReviewisaboutensuringthatthelife chancesoftheverypoorestchildrenareenhanced Wesuggestthatanewmeasureofseverepoverty shouldbedevelopedThiswillfocusattention onprolongedmaterialandfinancialdeprivation andwerecommendtheGovernmentbeginsto developastrategyspecificallytohelpthemost disadvantagedchildren

Chapter 1 A Personal Commentary

Summary

bull TheFoundationYearsdemandsabroadeningoftheattackonchildpovertyIndoingsoit questionsthealmostuniversalassumptionoverthelasthundredyearsthatincreasesinincome alonewillautomaticallyleadtosocialprogressOverthepost-warperiodwehaveexperienced aconsiderableincreaseintherealincomesandyetwestillfindthattoomanychildrennowstart schoolwhoareunabletomakethemostoftheirschoollivesItisfromthisgroupthattomorrowrsquos unemployedandlowpaidwillbeoverwhelminglydrawn

bull WhyshouldthisbesoTheFoundationYearsarguesthattheexclusiveconcernofthe adultworldabouthowfinancialpovertyaffectschildrenrsquoslifechanceshaspreventeda morecomprehensiveunderstandingofwhylifersquosraceisalreadydeterminedformostpoor childrenbeforetheyevenbegintheirfirstdayatschoolThesinglepurposebehindallofour recommendationsistobreakthatcycleandpreventpoorchildrenfrombecomingpooradults

bull Childrenneednurturingfarlongerthananyotherspeciesandthequalityofthisnurturing hasamajorimpactonhowwellchildrendevelopandthenfulfiltheirpotentialThistaskisnot primarilyonethatbelongstothestateWeimperilthecountryrsquosfutureifweforgetthatitisthe aspirationsandactionsofparentswhicharecriticaltohowwelltheirchildrenprosper

bull Toachieveanhistoricshiftinhowoursocietycombatspovertythisreportarguesforthe adoptionofasetofLifeChancesIndicatorsTheIndicatorswillmeasuretheeffectivenessofthe FoundationYearsinhelpingparentssteadilyincreasetheopportunitiesthatwillopenupfortheir childrenparticularlyforthemostdisadvantagedTheseIndicatorsshouldbecomethedriver ofpolicyanditshouldrunalongsidethetraditionalfinancialdefinitionssoastomountamore effectiveattackonpovertyanddisadvantage

bull Thetaskofequalisinglifechancescannotbefullyaccomplishedduringachildrsquosearliestyears althoughtheseyearspreviouslyignoredintermsoftheirdecisiveinfluenceindeterminingachildrsquos lifechancesarefundamentalThatiswhyinadditionweadvocatethatovertimetheGovernment shouldlookatestablishingasimilarsetofIndicatorstomeasureprogressinwideninglifechances forpoorerchildrenattheageoftenandthenagainattheendoftheirsecondaryschooling

bull TheFoundationYearsbringstogetherallofthecurrentservicesforchildrenfromthewomb untiltheygotoschoolTheaimisthattheFoundationYearswillbecomeforthefirsttimean equalpartofanewtripartiteeducationsystemtheFoundationYearsleadingtotheschoolyears leadinginturntofurtherhigherandcontinuingeducation

bull EachyeartheGovernmentshouldconsiderwhetherthelifechancesofpoorerchildrenare bestenhancedbyincreasingchildtaxcreditpaymentssothatataveryminimumthenumbers ofpoorchildrendonotgroworwhetheritwouldbemoreadvantageousforpoorerchildrento spendinsomeyearsallorpartofthissuminbuildinguptheFoundationYears

ThePrimeMinisteraskedmeinJune2010to headanIndependentReviewonPovertyandLife ChancesHisaimsfortheReviewwereto

Twoprogressreportsweresubmittedon28July and13September2010Thisisthefinalreport whichthePrimeMinisterrequestedshouldbe submittedtohimbyChristmasofthisyear

TheevidenceandanalysisunderpinningtheReview aresetoutinChapters2to6andtheReviewrsquos specificrecommendationsareincludedineach ofthosechaptersandpulledtogetherinthe IntroductionHoweverinthisChapterIwouldlike tosetoutmyownpersonalperspectiveonsome ofthebroaderissuescoveredbytheReview

Introduction TheReviewreflectshowmyideasoncombating povertyhavedevelopedoverthelastfour decadesndashthefirstdecadespentattheChild PovertyActionGroupandthethreesubsequent decadesrepresentingBirkenheadintheHouse ofCommonsndashasthisformsthebasisforallof therecommendationsthatfollowIconsiderhow governmentshavetraditionallygoneabouttrying totacklechildpovertyhowthisapproachwas broughttoitszenithinthe2010ChildPoverty ActandwhyIdoubtedtheadequacyofthe approachlaiddowninthatActIhaveincreasingly cometoviewpovertyasamuchmoresubtle enemythanpurelylackofmoneyandIhave similarlybecomeincreasinglyconcernedabout howthepovertythatparentsendureisalltoo oftenvisitedontheirchildrentothedegreethat theycontinuetobepoorastheyenteradulthood

Thesecondsectionofthiscommentarywidens outthetraditionaldebatetolookatthedrivers ofthisinter-generationalpovertywhichchapter3 reviewsindetailItisspecificallyconcernedwith thebodyofresearchshowingthatwhileincomeis stillimportantitisnottheexclusiveornecessarily thedominantcauseofpovertybeinghandedon fromonegenerationtoanotherThefactthat nonincomefactorssuchasthehomelearning environmentandqualityofchildcareareso importantindecidingthefateofchildrenhasled ustoconstructasetofLifeChancesIndicators

TheReviewproposesthatthecountryrsquoseffortsto makethelifechancesofallchildrenmoreequal shouldbebroughttobearthroughwhatwehave calledtheFoundationYearsThisisthesubject matterofthethirdsectionThefourthsection outlineshowtheFoundationYearscanbestbe deliveredThefinalsectioncommentsonthe revolutionthatiswaitingtohappen

1 A traditional anti-poverty strategy

Child poverty targets ThePrimeMinisterspecificallyrequestedthe Reviewtoconsiderhowhomecircumstances impactonchildrenrsquoslifechancesandinparticular howthishomebackgrounddeterminesachildrsquos readinessforschoolThisprovidedaparticular focusfortheReviewThebasisforthereportrsquos recommendationsonhowpovertyisdefinedand howthesedefinitionsmightbeexpandedalso arisesfromtheChildPovertyAct2010whichset outfourmeasuresofchildpoverty

1 Relative low incomechildreninhouseholds below60percentofmedianincome

2 Absolute low incomechildreninhouseholds below60percentof201011medianincome upratedinlinewithinflation

3 Combined low income and material deprivationchildreninhouseholdsbelow70 percentofmedianincometogetherwithasyet anundefinedmaterialdeprivationindexand

4 Persistent low incometobedefinedby2014

APersonalCommentary 13

Theclassicalapproachtodefiningpoverty whichthe2010Actenshrinesinlawhasits rootsfirmlybasedintheCharlesBoothand SeebohmRowntreetraditionthathasdominated povertystudiesfor120yearsRowntreewho gaveprecisiontothisapproachwasspecifically concernedwithdeterminingwhatsumofmoney wouldallowfamiliestoachieveaminimumstandard oflivingFamiliesbelowthislevelofincomewere deemedtobepooraboveittheywerenotIn calculatingthenumberofpoorfamiliesRowntree madeadistinctionbetweenthosehouseholdswho simplydidnothaveenoughmoneytomeethis minimumlivingstandardandsowardoffpoverty andthosefamilieswhoseincomecouldachievethis standardbutwhodecidedtospendpartoftheir incomeinotherways

Advantages and disadvantages of this approach KeepingholdofRowntreersquosapproachtodefining povertyinmoneytermsonlygivesrisetosome importantadvantagesbutthesedocomewitha numberofdistinctdrawbacks

a) the advantages The2010Actwastheculminationofoneofthe mostaudaciousandwelcomedinitiativesofthe lastLabourGovernmentThepressreported thatwhenthethenPrimeMinisterTonyBlair announcedinMarch1999thattheGovernmentrsquos goalwastheabolitionofchildpovertyby2020his audienceatToynbeeHallwastakenbysurprise Asurpriseitmayhavebeenbutthespeechgave formanddirectiontotheGovernmentrsquosanti-child povertystrategyTheannouncementinstantly transformedtherankingonthepoliticalagenda oftheissueofpovertyinarichsocietyHowbest toabolishchildpovertybecameatopicofhigh politicalimportancendasharankingthatithadnot heldsincetheAttleeGovernmentFewotherpost warpoliticalinitiativeshavehadsuchanenduring impactonthepoliticaldebateandonpolicy

Thisheightenedpoliticalimportanceofcountering childpovertywasthankfullymatchedbyaction

Since1999pound134billionhasbeenredistributedto familiesthroughthetaxcreditmechanismalone1 Thistaxcreditinitiativewasaccompaniedbythe governmentplacinganincreasingemphasison workbeingthemainrouteoutofpoverty

Thepoliticalconsensusthatemergedfollowingthe ToynbeeHallspeechresultedadecadelaterin allofthepoliticalpartiesvotingthroughthe2010 ChildPovertyActWhythereforewasItheonly MemberofParliamenttocautionagainsttheAct

b) the drawbacks WhilewelcomingtheGovernmentrsquoscontinued determinationtocounterchildpovertyIbelieved thattheresultsofthisstrategyweremoremodest thantaxpayershopedforespeciallyconsidering thehugesumsinvestedintheapproachMore worryingstillthestubbornlyobstinatenumber ofchildreninpovertyshowedthatthisstrategy hadstalledevenbeforetherecessionIfurther believedthattheActwasindangerofclosing downadebateonalternativemeansofreaching thegoalwhenawiderdebateonalternative strategieswaspreciselywhatwasmostneeded

bullModest Results

IdidnotexpressmyconcernsabouttheBill becauseIhadinanywaychangedtheimportanceI placeoncombatingpovertyItwasratherthatIno longerbelievedthatthestrategyofconcentrating onincometransferscouldachievethegoalof abolishingchildpovertyby2020evenonthe crudefinancialmeasureThedatatheGovernment publishinHouseholdsBelowAverageIncome strengthenedmyconcerns

TheGovernmentfacedformidabledifficulties inmakingprogresstowardsthe2020goalThe numberofchildreninpovertyalmostdoubled duringthe1979to1996-97periodbefore beginningtoplateauTherewasevenadown sidetothefastgrowingeconomythatthenewly electedLabourGovernmentinheritedWhilereal incomessince1997roserapidlysotoodidthe medianincomebywhichtheGovernmentwished povertytobemeasuredTheGovernmentin

1 HMRC Child and working tax credit statistics finalised annual awards 20089 Table 11 HMRC WFTC Summary Statistics Feb 2003 Table 1 and 2

attemptingtoreducethenumberofchildrenin povertywasasitwerewalkingupadescending escalatorEvensotherewereimportantfallsinthe numberofchildreninpovertyduringtheLabour yearsbutconsideringthevastsumsexpended the overallreductionwasmodestfrom34million to 28millionintenyearsanetfallofonly06million2

bullA stalled strategy

Theoutcomesofspendinghugesumsbecomes thatbitmoreworryingwhenweconsiderthe progressbeingmadeeachyearsince1998in reducingpovertyFrom2004-05theeffectiveness ofchildtaxcreditsinreducingchildpovertyhad notmerelystalledbutinsomeyearsgroundwas actuallylost

Theresultsareevenmoredisappointingifwe considerthepovertydataafterthepayment ofhousingcostsThepercentageofchildrenin

povertyin1998-99stoodat34percentfallingto 28percentin2004-05Thepercentagethenrose inthefollowingthreeyearstopeakat31percent in2007-08beforefallingbackto30percentin thefollowingyear3

Inanumberofdocumentspublishedinthelead uptothe2010ActthepreviousGovernmentto itscreditrecognisedthattheanti-povertystrategy hadinfactstalledndashalthoughitdidnotusethisterm ndashbutitcameasnearasitcoulddobygivingnotice ofitssearchforprogrammesitmightrunalongside itstaxcreditstrategyHoweverthe2010Actdoes bindgovernmentsrsquohandsinunforeseenways

bullRestricting the debate

Oneresultofthe2010ChildPovertyActhas beentostraitjacketourunderstandingofpoverty tooneparticularfinancialmanifestationalong thelinesRowntreesetoutinhis1901report

Figure 11 Percentage of children in households with income below 60 per cent of contemporary equivalised median income before housing costs

Sources 1961shy1993 Great Britain Analysis of Family Expenditure Survey by the Institute for Fiscal Studies 199495 ndash 199798 Great Britain Households Below Average Income 199899 ndash 200809 United Kingdom Households Below Average Income

2 Households Below Average Income 200809 Department for Work and Pensions

Ofcoursethepresentpovertylinehasbeen muchrevisedtomatchrisingincomesbutitis thisincomemeasurewhichnotonlydrivesmedia interestandtherebythebroadunderstanding votershaveofwhattheGovernmentistrying toachieveontheirbehalfbutperhapsmore importantlyitalsodrivesgovernmentpolicyina singledirectionwhichisindangerofbecoming counterproductive

Theanti-povertyagendaisdrivenalongasingle trackofhuntingdownfamilieswholivebelowthis lineandthenmarkingupasuccessasafamilyis movedacrossthelinenomatterhowmarginal istheadvanceintheirincomeItdoeslittleto concentrateonthosechildrenwhoendure persistentpovertyWorsestillthisapproachhas preventedamuchmorecomprehensivestrategy emergingonhowbestinthelongerrunto counterchildpovertyinawaythatpreventspoor childrenfrombecomingpooradults

Thatsearchforanalternativeandmoreeffective meansofeliminatingchildpovertybecomesever moreurgentNoonecanbelievethatasimilar increaseinexpenditurewillbeavailablefora similarprogrammeofincometransfersoverthe comingdecadewhenpoliticswillinevitablybe aboutcuttingthebudgetdeficitTomeetthe 2010targetbytaxcreditpaymentsalonewould haverequiredanadditionalinjectionofpound4topound5 billionperannumTomeetatargetofcutting childpovertyto5percentofallchildrenby2020 afurtherpound37billionperannumintaxcredit transfersisrequiredTocutthetotalto10 percent ofallchildrenwouldrequirepound19billiontransfer whichalthoughitamountsonlyto13 percentof GDPisanunthinkablesumincurrentconditions4

Cananyoneseriouslymaintainthatsumsofthese sizeswillbeforthcomingoverthedecadeto2020 Simplytopreventchildpovertyworseningover thenexttwoyearstheCoalitionGovernment isspendinganadditionalpound37billioninincome transfers5

ThereisafurthermajorconsiderationWho believesthatthispound37billiontoconsiderjust thelatestexampleofbenefitincreasesisgoing toimprovesignificantlythelifechancesof childrenandparticularlythepoorestcompared tospendingthissumindevelopingthosefamily servicesdirectlyaimedatincreasinglifechancesor poorchildren

Ihavemetonvisitstodifferentpartsofthe countrylargenumbersofparentsanxiousto knowhowtheycanbetteradvancethelong terminterestsoftheirchildrenButasthisreport arguesamoderndefinitionofpovertymusttake intoaccountthosechildrenwhoseparentsremain disengagedfromtheirresponsibilitiesTescorsquos reportedinthesurveytheyundertookforthe ReviewinoneoftheireastLondonstoreson whattheirstaffdefinedaspovertyinmodern BritainandhowbesttheReviewcouldcutthe supplyroutestoadultpovertyTescorsquosemployees conclusionswereamillionmilesawayfromthe classicalRowntreeapproach

Thestaffreportedonthechangingpatternof stealingChildrenwerenowfarlessinclinedto stealsweetsInsteadthetargetsweresandwiches toassuagetheirhungerandcleanunderwear whichtheyalsolackedDoesanyoneanylonger believethatthismodernfaceofneglectwillbe counteredbysimpleincreasesinchildtaxcredits

AskingparentsatforexampletheFoxHollies ChildrenrsquosCentreinBirminghamwhetherovera fewyearsthemoneytoincreasechildtaxcredits wouldbebetterspentonextendingtheworkof theirChildrenrsquosCentreproducedclearsupportfor suchastrategy

II The Life Chances Indicators Ihadafurtherconsiderationthatwentbeyond thearbitrarinessofthedefinitionsputforward intheBillandthefallingimpactofthefiscal redistributionstrategy

4 Brewer M Browne J Joyce R and Sutherland H (2009) Micro-simulating child poverty in 2010 and 2020 IFS and Brewer M Browne J Joyce R and Sutherland H (2009) Micro-simulating child poverty in 2010 and 2020 ndash an update IFS

5Coalition Budget (2010) and Spending Review (2010) HM Treasury

Inolongerbelievethatthepovertyenduredby alltoomanychildrencansimplybemeasured bytheirparentsrsquolackofincomeSomething morefundamentalthanthescarcityofmoneyis adverselydominatingthelivesofthesechildren

Since1969Ihavewitnessedagrowingindifference fromsomeparentstomeetingthemostbasic needsofchildrenandparticularlyyoungerchildren thosewhoareleastabletofendforthemselvesI havealsoobservedhowthehomelifeofaminority butworryinglyagrowingminorityofchildrenfails toexpressanunconditionalcommitmenttothe successfulnurturingofchildren

WhydotheseobservationsmatterThemost disturbingpiecesofresearchthatIhavereadfor thisReviewisahandfulofstudies6showingthatthe successesindividualsachieveduringtheiradultlife canbepredictedbythelevelofcognitiveandnon-cognitiveskillstheyalreadypossessontheirfirstday atschoolThesedifferencesinskilllevelshavebeen notedafteraslittleas22monthsoflifeandare showntowidenwithinthetoddlerpopulationby theageoffive7Theseskilllevelsarerelatedtothe classorasitisnowmorecommonlyspokenofthe incomeoftheirparentsThefindingsalsoworryingly showthatthebrightestfiveyearoldsfrompoorer homesareovertakenbytheprogressoftheirless giftedbutricherpeersbythetimetheyareten

SohowdoIsquarethesefindingsndashthatdirectly relatethelevelofincomeofparentstothesuccess oftheirchildrenndashwithmybeliefthatmoneydoes notproducethetransformingeffectweneedto counterchildpovertyatthistime

Theanswerparadoxicallycomesfromthevery studiesthatshowhowearlyonlifersquosraceisnow determinedformostchildrenThesestudies havenotusedclassorincomeasaroadblockto furtheranalysisTheytrytoholdclassandincome constantandexaminetheotherforcesatwork thatgovernachildrsquoslifechances

Oncethisapproachisadoptedwefindthatincome isnottheonlyfactorthatmattersandthatitis

noteventhemainoneEvenifthemoneywere availabletoliftallchildrenoutofincomepoverty intheshorttermitisfarfromclearthatthismove wouldinitselfclosetheachievementgap

Thesestudiesshowthatthereismuchmore beyondjustimprovingshort-termfamilyincomes indeterminingthelifechancesofpoorchildren Ahealthypregnancypositivebutauthoritative parentinghighqualitychildcareapositive approachtolearningathomeandanimprovement inparentsrsquoqualificationstogethercantransform childrenrsquoslifechancesandtrumpclassbackground andparentalincomeAchildgrowingupinafamily withtheseattributesevenifthefamilyispoorhas everychanceofsucceedinginlifeOtherresearch hasshownthatthesimplefactofamotheror fatherbeinginterestedintheirchildrenrsquoseducation aloneincreasesachildrsquoschancesofmovingoutof povertyasanadultby25percentagepoints8

AnalysisoftheMillenniumCohortStudy commissionedbytheReviewfromBristol Universityshowedthatthekeydriverswepropose toincludeinoursetofLifeChancesIndicators ndashpositiveandauthoritativeparentingthehome learningenvironmentandotherhomeandfamily relatedfactorsmeasuredattheageof3ndashare indeedpredictiveofchildrenrsquosreadinessfor schoolandlaterlifeoutcomesMostimportantly narrowingthegaponeachofthekeydriverswas foundtopredictvirtuallyallofthedifferencein childrenrsquosoutcomesatage5

Atthemomentpoorchildrenaremuchlesslikely onaveragetobenefitfromtheseadvantages Butwiththerightsupportfromgovernment thevoluntarysectorandsocietyasawholethis doesnrsquotalwayshavetobetrueIfwecanensure thatparentsfrompoorfamiliesknowhowbest toextendthelifeopportunitiesoftheirchildren (theadvantagesthatmanymiddleclassandrich familiestakeforgrantedandwhichasignificant numberofworkingclassparentsachieve)thenndash evenifwecannotendincomepovertyintheshort termndashwecanbreakthisintergenerationalcycle

6 eg Feinstein L (2003) How early can we predict future education achievement LSE Centre Piece Summer 2003

7 Feinstein L (2003) Inequality in the Early Cognitive Development of Children in the Early 1970 Cohort Economica vol 70 pp73-97

8 Blanden J (2006)lsquoBucking the trendrsquo What enables those who are disadvantaged in childhood to succeed later in life DWP Working Paper No31

ofdisadvantageWecanensurethatpoorchildren donrsquotinevitablytaketheirpovertyintoadulthood

Somechildrenfromfamiliesonlowincomeshave consistentlydonewellbuttheseexamplesarefew andtheirexperienceisnotcommonforthewhole groupThisisnothoweveruniversallytrueinthe UKChinesechildrenfrompoorfamiliesasagroup dobetterthanallothernon-poorchildren(except non-poorChinesechildren)Growingupinan ethnicallyChinesefamilyinEnglandisenoughto overcomeallofthedisadvantagesofbeingpoorThis surelyhasmuchtodowithparentalaspirationsand attitudesItwouldbeabetrayalofallourchildrenif weweretosaythatwhatthisgroupalreadyachieves cannotbeachievedbyallBritishchildren

Sotheresearchmaterialthathasdisturbedme mostalsosoundstheclearestnoteofhopeAnd itisthisresearchworkthathasservedasthe launchpadforoursetofLifeChancesIndicators Thissmallclutchofstudiesshowsthosehome attributesthatneedtobeuniversalisedifweareto preventlifersquoswheeloffortuneconsistentlyspinning againsttheinterestsofpoorerchildrenasaclass Theuniversalismoftheseattributesisthesole aimofwhatthereportcallstheFoundationYears ThesuccessoftheFoundationYearsinnarrowing therangeofchildrenrsquosabilitiesbythreeand betweenthreeandfivewillbemeasuredbythe LifeChancesIndicatorsTheReviewadvocatesthat theGovernmentadopttheseIndicatorsanduse themtodriveFoundationYearspolicyThesenew LifeChancesIndicatorsshouldrunalongsidethe definitionslaidoutinthe2010ChildPovertyAct

TheseIndicatorsarecrucialtowideningthe existingnarrowdebateandover-emphasison incomelevelsThisisnotasemanticpointThe existingpovertymeasurementstakeasnapshotof incometoseehowmanyfamilieshaveanincome atorbelow60percentofmedianincome TheLifeChancesIndicatorsontheotherhand areessentiallyabouthowwellweareachieving whatwouldbecometheprimarygoalofcutting theentryroutethatalltoomanypoorchildren inexorablytreadintoadultpoverty

TheIndicatorswillbeameansbywhichthe Governmentreportsannuallytotheelectorateon howwellitsintentionofraisingthecognitiveand non-cognitiveskillsofpoorerchildrenisworking

outinpracticeThepurposeoftheIndicatorsis nottosidelinethegoalofabolishingchildpoverty itisrathertosetoutanalternativeandbroader strategytoachievethisgoal

Thesuccessofthisapproachwillbetochange overthelongertermthedistributionofincome Thiswillnotbeachievedthroughaprimary emphasisonincomeredistributionThisgoal ofchangingthedistributionofincomewillbe achievedbyensuringthatpoorerchildreninthe futurehavetherangeofabilitiesnecessaryto securebetterpaidhigherskilledjobs

TheIndicatorswillworkbycapturingthelevelof developmentofthreeandfiveyearoldchildrenby reviewingtheircognitivephysicalandemotional developmentTheywillthentellushowsuccessful wehavebeeninnarrowingtherangeofabilities overthosetwoyearsoflifewhichcurrentlystarts tobepresentedbychildrenattheageofthree

HeretheFoundationYearsstrategycomesinto playThesimpleaimoftheFoundationYearswill betonarrowthisrangeinabilitiessothateachyear theleastadvantagedchildrenwillclosethegapon theirmoreablepeersratherthanallowtheirmore ablepeerstoestablishevengreateradvantages To achievethisgoalwillrequireatestingofsome ofthe1940swelfarestatersquossacredcows

III The Foundation Years TheLifeChancesIndicatorswillbothmeasurethe effectivenessanddrivereformofallprogrammes directedunderthenewFoundationYearsstrategy inwhichtheroleofparentsiscentralWiththe exceptionofmidwivescurrentlyfewpeople areabletoidentifyhowgovernmentsandthe communityformallysupportfamilieswithchildren underfiveByestablishingtheFoundationYearsndash whichwillencapsulateallearlyyearspolicyndashthe Governmentwillbeprovidingparentswithaclear guidebywhichtonavigatetheirwayaroundwhat willbecomeaseriesofconnectedandcoordinated formsofsupport

TheFoundationYearswillbecometheessential firstpartofanewtripartitesystemofeducation theFoundationYearsleadingintotheSchool YearsleadingintoFurtherHigherandContinuing Education

EstablishingtheFoundationYearswillfurther helptheGovernmenttocommunicatetothe countrythatitintendstomakeadecisivemovein transformingthelifechancesofpoorerchildren TheGovernmentwillbepubliclyrecognisingthe significanceofthisperiodoflifeasthebasefor futurelifeachievementsandshouldatthenext reshuffleappointaministerwhoattendsCabinet specificallyresponsiblefordrivingthispolicyacross Government

Shaping the Foundation Years InthereportTheimpactofparentalinvolvement9 ProfessorCharlesDesforgesandhiscolleague AlbertoAbouchaarwroteinthefollowingterms abouthowtoprovidetheverybeststartinlifefor allbutparticularlythepoorestchildren

ldquoWeseemtoknowasmuchinprincipleabout howparentalinvolvementanditsimpacton pupilachievementasNewtonknewaboutthe physicsofmotionintheseventeenthcentury Whatweseemtolackisthelsquoengineeringsciencersquo thathelpsusputourknowledgeintopractice By1650Newtonknewintheoryhowtoput amissileonthemoonIttookmorethan300 yearstolearnhowtodothisinpracticeThe scientistswhodidthisusedNewtonrsquosphysics withmodernengineeringknowledgeWemust notwaitthreehundredyearstopromotestellar advancesinpupilsrsquoachievementWeneed urgentlytolearnhowtoapplytheknowledge we alreadyhaveinthefieldrdquo

AcentralassumptionoftheFoundationYearsisthat thegreatdrivingforcefordecidingthefutureof childrenistheirparentsNopolicydesignedtobreak throughtheglassceilingthatisfirmlyinplaceoverthe headsofalltoomanychildrencansucceedwithout parentsTheverybestgovernmentscommunities andfamiliescandoistosupportparentstoenable themtobeevenmoreeffectiveagentsofchangefor theirchildrenButcommunitiesandgovernmentsdo haveotherrolestheymustplayifweareradicallyto improvethelifechancesofpoorerchildren

Rupturing a good parenting tradition GeoffreyGorerthesociologistnotedinthe early1950sthatthespreadofatoughlovestyle ofparentinghadbeentheagentthatchanged Englandfromacenturieslongtraditionofbrutality intowhatwasremarkeduponbyvisitorstothese shoresinthelatenineteenthandearlytwentieth centuriesasoneofthemostpeacefulEuropean nations10Thetoughlovetraditionofparenting didmorethanturnEnglandintowhatwasuntil recentlyapeacefulselfgoverningkingdom

Researchpublishedmuchmorerecentlyon differentkindsofparentingshowsthatthe stylemostbeneficialtoachildrsquosemotionaland intellectualdevelopmentisthisparticularstyle ofnurturing11Butthattoughlovetraditionhas recentlybeeninretreat

ThereareanumberofreasonswhyBritainis witnessingarupturinginitsoncestrongparenting traditionVeryfewsetsofsecularideasarenot revisedorreplacedbysucceedinggenerationsand thegrowthofalsquotoughloversquoapproachwasbound toinspiredetractorsasawidermovementtook holdquestioningestablishedhierarchieswhether thosehierarchieswerewithinfamiliesorsociety morewidely

Post-warhousingpolicyhasalsoenjoyedmore thanawalk-onroleMegadevelopments sweepingupcommunitiesshakingthemaround andscatteringthemontonewestatesoftenon theperipheryofthetownswheretheyhadlong establishedrootsalsoplayedamajorpartinthe break-upoftheextendedmatriarchalfamily hierarchyandinsodoingdestroyedthesupport thatthisinformalnetworkprovidedforcouplesas theybegantheprocessofstartingafamily

OtherpowerfulforceswerealsoatworkOur countryrsquosde-industrialisationdestroyedmorethan theworkethicinmanyfamiliesandcommunities Themajormeansbywhichmanymaleswere socialisedintothewidersocietywaslostaswas theirroleasbreadwinnersBobRowthornand

9 Desforges C with Aboucher A (2003) The impact of parental involvement parental support and family education on pupil achievement and adjustment A literature review DfES Research Report 433

10 Gorer G (1955) Exploring English Character Criterion Books New York

11 OrsquoConnor T and Scott S (2007) Parenting and Outcomes for Children JRF

DavidWebsterreportedtotheReviewtheir workestablishingalinkfromthe1980sbetween adeclineinmaleemploymentandthegrowthof singleparentfamiliesTheirthesissupportsmy contentionthatgovernmentsshouldhaveput muchmoreoftheirenergyingettingyoungmales intoworkratherthanover-zealouslypressurising singlemotherstoenterthelabourmarket

ThestorydoesnotendhereNormanDennis remindedtheReviewthatcommunitieshave insistedfromtimeimmemorialthatmenwho begetchildrenshouldbemadetosupportthose childrenandthechildrenrsquosmotherusuallyby marriageInafitofwhatatbestcanbecharitably describedasabsentmindednessorofnotwishing tocauseafussawholenumberofgovernments forgotthatoneofitsprimarydutiesinsafeguarding thewellbeingofchildrenistoenforcethefatherrsquos financialresponsibilityChildrenhavebeenthe clearlosersandithasnotgoneunnoticedbythem

The wish to be good parents SometimeagoIaskedtomeetagroupof15year oldpupilsinoneofBirkenheadrsquosmostchallenged schoolsndashsothatIcouldtalktothemabouttheir schoolcontracts12Iaskedeachofthemtolistfor mewhichsixoutcomestheymostwantedtogain forthemselvesfromattendingschool

Theirrepliesbothshockedanddelightedme Withoutexceptionalloftheseyoungcitizens statedthattheywantedtheirschooltobeasafe placetohelpteachthemwhatwasinvolvedin buildinglong-termfriendshipsandtoequipthem withthenecessaryskillstogainagoodjobMost surprisinglyallofthepupilslistedasoneastheir remainingrequeststhewishtobetaughthowto begoodparents

Aftertalkingwiththisgroupofyoungpeoplethe headteacherremarkedthatperhaps10outofthe groupof25hadrarelyifeverknowntheirparent orfortheirparentstoputtheirneedsbeforetheir ownYetnoneoftheseyoungpeoplejudgedtheir

parentsndashtheyphrasedtheirrequestaswishingto knowhowtobegoodparentsSomeofthegroup werescruffytheirclotheswashedlessoftenthan thoseofotherchildrenandapartfromschool dinnerstheyhadnocertaintywhentheywould nextbefedWheretheywouldsleepthatnight wassimilarlyequallyproblematicforsomeofthat groupWouldtheygainentrancewhentheywent homeorwouldtonightagainbespentonthe floorofafriendrsquoshomeTheseyoungvulnerable buteagerconstituentsbattleagainsthome circumstancesthatwouldprobablyhavebroken meandyettheyprioritisedtheneedtoknowhow tobegoodparentsnotsimplybetterparentsthan theonestheyhadinherited

SometimelaterIwenttovisitthenewManchester AcademyIagainmetagroupof15yearoldpupils towhomIsetthesametaskAllofthepupils similarlywantedtoknowhowtobecomegood parentsasoneofthesixresponsibilitiesthey wishedtheirschooltofulfilHereisthebasisfor ourkeyrecommendationthatweshouldseek waysofteachingparentingandlifeskillsthrough theexistingnationalcurriculumwithappropriate modulesbeingavailableforstudythrougharange ofexistingsubjectsTheManchesterAcademyis preparingapilotalongtheselines

Comparethecurrentbeliefthatparentingis taughtbyaprocessofosmosiswiththecare theStatetakesineducatingparentswhowish toadoptSixmajorareasofstudyhavetobe undertakenandthisisthetrainingofadultswho wanttocareforchildren13

Raisingknowledgeaboutparentingskillswithinthe schoolcurriculumisthefirstcriticalmovetochange thedirectionofthetidefromwhathasbeenthe longretreatfromthetoughlovestyleofparenting

RichardLayardandJohnColemanstressedto theReviewthatthoseskillsinparentingandlife skillsneedtobedevelopedandnotdismissed asbeingsofttheyhaveimportanthardedged outcomesIfwearetrulytobringaboutaonce inagenerationculturalshiftwewillneedtothink

12 Field F (2003)Neighbours from HellPoliticos London 13 Department for Children Schools and Families ( July 2005) Adoption guidance Adoption and Children Act 2002 Chapter 3 Preparing assessing and approving prospective adopters

ateverylevelofsocietyhowallofuscansupport individualsfamiliesandcommunitiesgivinggreater valuetoandthenactivesupportemphasisingthe importanceofparenting

Asecondplaceinlifersquosnaturaljourneywhere societycanemphasisetheimportancethewhole societyattachestoparentingcouldbeinantenatal andpostnatalclassesThesecoursesshouldbe expandedfromthealltoocommonconcentration onthebirthprocesstoarevisionoftheGCSE materialcoveringchilddevelopmentandthe practicebywhichparentscanwidenthelife chancesoftheirchildren

PeterBottomleyrsquos5parentinginitiativewhich hesubmittedtotheReviewandwhichhasbeen developedbytheTranmereCommunityProject anentrepreneurialcommunitybasedbodyfor youngpeopleinBirkenheadissomethingthe GovernmentshouldlookattoenactAchieving onestarinvolvesgettingchildrenupwashed dressedfedandtoschoolontimeandsoon FollowingthisworkIhaveaskedtheTranmere CommunityProjecttoproducetwofurther shortguidesonbeingafivestarparentduring thefirstmonthofababyrsquoslifeandthenduringthe remainingfirstyear

Inadditiontobuildingtheirchildrenrsquosself confidencetheguidecitesreadinghowever complexthematerialtochildrenasoneofthe mostimportantactivitiesparentscanundertake inincreasingtheirskillstoadvancetheirchildrenrsquos lifechancesAndwhilereadingisonlyonepart ofthehomeenvironmentrsquosinfluenceIbelieve thatavirtuouscirclecanbebuiltndashandnotonly byimprovingthebondingwithchildrenthattakes placewhenreadingwiththemandtheconfidence parentsthemselvesgainndashfromthisfirstmovein buildingupamorefavourablehomeenvironment forallchildren(seeChapter4)

The5parentinginitiativerestsontheassumption whichisbackedupbytheevidencesubmittedto thisReviewParentshavetoldtheReviewhow theywouldwelcomeandoftenneedaclearguide tothebestpracticethatisrootedinthecollective wisdomofthecommunity

Theseinitiativesforthewidersocietyshouldbe takenupbytheBehaviouralInsightTeambased

intheCabinetOfficeThisReviewrecommends thatitreportsonspreadingaswidelyaspossible ateverylevelofsocietythebestpracticeson nurturingandparentingIwouldparticularlyliketo seethislsquoNudgeGrouprsquoreportonhowMumsnet anextraordinarybutlargelymiddleclassinitiative canbespreadtoallparents

Givenafairwindwemaybeatoneofthose raremomentswhenadecisivechangecould occurinboththenationrsquosattitudetothegreat responsibilitiesofparentingandintheresolve ofindividualparentsKnowingthateachsetof activitiesbehindbeingafivestarparentcomes fromthedistillationofthecommunityrsquoscollective wisdomwillemboldenmanyparentstopractice thegoodparentingguideandsohelpcreatea snowballeffectthatchangesthewholeclimate of opinion

The Big Society Whilethisreportcallsforanextensionofthe littlesocietyndashtheyoungersisteroftheBig Societyndashtherearedefiniterolesforthelatter Herearetwowhichareaimedatcounteringthe particularpressuresparentsfacefromthemedia ndashbothfromtelevisionandfromadvertisingand particularlywheretheyoverlap

TheBBCplaysanoutstandingroleinproducing commissioningandrelayingchildrenrsquosprogrammes Theworkitbuysinfromsomecompaniesareof thefirstorderButtheBBCcouldgofurtherand adopttheproposalProfessorSeatonmadetothe ReviewandwhichIendorsebykite-markingthose childrenrsquosprogrammeswhicharemostbeneficial toparentsinthedevelopmentoflanguageintheir childrenSuchamovewouldcostverylittlewould beanenormoushelptoparentsandmightwell hopefullyspreadtoothermediaItmightalsohelp changetheviewsofcommissioningagentsonthe valueofextendingfirstclasschildrenrsquostelevision whichhasshrunkmarkedlyinrecentyears

Marketingplaysanimportantroleinfamilylifefor goodorillThemarketingindustryisregulatedby theAdvertisingStandardsAuthorityandmarketers mustprepareadvertisementswithduesenseof responsibilityensuringthatconsumersdonotfeel underinappropriatepressuretobuyproducts

TheReviewbyProfessorDavidBuckinghamfor thepreviousgovernmentstressedtheimpactof thecommercialworldonchildrenrsquoswellbeing14 Parentsfeelunderpressurebelievingthat advertisingdoesplayapartinadverselyaffecting theirchildrenrsquostasteandchoicesThisisnotan issueonwhichwedeliberatelysoughtviewsbut IwouldhopethattheMinisterialTaskforceon ChilhoodandFamilieswillconsiderthisfurther

IV Delivering the Foundation Years ProfessorMarmotinevidencetotheReview stressedtheurgencyofclosingthegapndashindicating thattheFoundationYearswasthebestperiodto makesignificantimprovementsinlifechancesfor manychildrenSotoodidtheOxfordUniversity researchgroupwhoproduceEPPE

ThelastGovernmentprovidedsomefreepre-schooleducationforallthreeandfouryearold childrenTheydidsoonthebasisofevidence showingthatahighqualitypre-schooleducation forchildrenatagethreeandfourhasapositive effectonachildrsquosskillsbutalsothatthisprovision hasmosteffectonenhancingtheabilitiesofthe poorestchildrenWealsoknowthatthehigher thequalityofthisprovisionthelongeritsimpact canbeseenonapoorchildrsquoseducationtrajectory

ProfessorEdwardMelhuishrsquosresearchstarkly illustratestheimpactofnurseryeducationonthe skilllevelsofyoungchildrenThisisillustratedin Figure12Theabilitiesofallchildrenrisebutthere isnonarrowingofthegapintheskillspossessed betweenrichandpoorchildrenwhichhasalready beenestablishedbythetimetheyreachpre-school

Figure 12 The effect of pre-school on the reading age of 7 year olds

Preshyschool

No preshyschool

Expected minimum

Professional Skilled Unsemishyskilled

Social class by occupation

Source Melhuish E (2010) Policy Exchange presentation

14 Buckingham D (2009)The Impact of the Commercial World on Childrenrsquos WellbeingDCMS and DCSF

Hereisoneofanumberofissuesthatneed debatingfollowingthisReviewrsquospublicationWhat istherightmixofuniversalandselectiveservices intheFoundationYearsifthegoalistonarrow therangeofabilitieschildrenhaveastheystep intoschoolShouldnurseryeducationforallthree tofouryearoldsremainuniversalOrshould itbecomemoreselectivealongthelinesofthe CoalitionGovernmentrsquosofferofnurseryeducation forthepooresttwoyearoldsWouldamore selectiveapproachensurethatpoorerchildren becomemoreequaltootherchildrenbythetime theyarefiveinsteadofseeingasatpresentthe skillsofallchildrenrisebutinequalproportion sothattheclassdifferenceremainalongtheold contourlines

OneofourrecommendationsisthattheFairness Premiumshouldbeginforthemostvulnerable motherswhentheyfirstregisterwiththeNHS aspregnantInoneofourinterimreportstothe PrimeMinistertheReviewrequestedthatthe FairnessPremiumbeginearlierthantheoriginal proposalofstartingatage5andwearepleased thatthisideahasbeenadoptedAslifeinequalities havealreadyclearlydivergedbyage22months thePremiumwhichshouldbedeliveredinterms ofservicesneedstobeginearlierifweareto changetheinequalitiesinlifetobesteffect

AnnCoffeyMPinhersubmissionnotedthelower takeupofpre-schoolamongstfamiliesnotinwork Shealsodrewattentiontotheimportanceofparents beinginvolvedwiththeirchildinthenurserysothat theteachingmethodspresenttherecanbereflected athomeTacklingboththeseissuesshouldbepartof thenewFoundationYearsstrategy

Sure Start Childrenrsquos Centres IdonotbelievethatwecanmaketheFoundation YearsthesuccesstheymustbecomewithoutSure StartButtheconceptoftheSureStartChildrenrsquos CentreneedsradicalreformTofocusSureStartrsquos resourcesonnarrowingthosedifferencesin childrenrsquosabilitiesnecessitatesturningwhathas becometodayrsquosSureStartmodelupsidedown revertingtotheoriginalvisionthatDavidBlunkett gaveitofprovidinggreatesthelptothemost disadvantagedHoweverreformmustavoidthe riskofSureStartbecomingsimplyaservicefor poorerfamilies

Vision Decreasingclass-baseddifferenceswithwhich childrencurrentlyarriveatschoolshouldbeputat thecentreofeverySureStartChildrenrsquosCentre contractandthecontractshouldclearlylink paymentstooutcomesagainstthisbenchmark

IaskedtheheadmasterofBidstonAvenuePrimary SchoolinBirkenheadifheandhisstaffwouldlist theskillstheybelieveallchildrenshouldpossess astheystartschoolThelistshowedhowSure Starthastoconcentrateontheoutcomesofits workTheskillstheheadlistedasthosewhicha significantnumberofchildrenlackwhentheystart schoolaretositstillandlistentobeawareof otherchildrentounderstandthewordnoand thebordersitsetsforbehaviourandequallyto understandthewordstopandthatsuchaphrase mightbeusedtopreventdangertobepotty trainedandabletogotothelootorecognisetheir ownnametospeaktoanadulttoaskforneeds tobeabletotakeofftheircoatandtieuplacesto talkinsentencesandtoopenandenjoyabook

Itwillbeimpossibletonarrowclass-based differencesinabilitiesbytheageoffiveifSureStart doesnotreachandworkconsistentlywiththemost vulnerablechildreninitscatchmentareaContracts shouldbebasedonmakingcontactwithagrowing numberofchildrenintheirareaandparticularly thosemostvulnerablechildrenandtoundertake sustainedworkwiththesefamiliesOverallbudgets shouldofcoursedependonthevulnerablechild populationintheareascentresserve

Idonotbelievethesetwingoalsofgreater coverageandsustainedworkwiththepoorest familieswhichareofcourselinkedwillbe advancedwithoutthegovernanceofSureStart beingfundamentallychanged

Governance WithLocalAuthoritiesbecomingstrategysetting bodiesthecontractsforSureStartcentresshould beopenedtocompetitionIwouldhopethe largechildrenrsquoscharitiessuchasBarnardosSave theChildrenand4Childrenwhichalreadyhave abigstakeinSureStartarejoinedbyschools GPpracticeshousingassociationsandlocal voluntarybodiesinthebiddingprocessforSure

StartcontractsIwouldalsohopesomeSure Startstaffwilllikewisebideitherassmallmutuals co-operativesorasnewsocialenterprisesWe recommendthattheCabinetOfficeUnitwhich issupportingthegrowthoftheBigSocietyhasan objectivetoencouragetheseneworganisations Contractsshouldalsoallowforthebuyinginof servicesndashsuchasthoseavailablefromHome StartBuyinginservicesfromsuchorganisations withatrackrecordofworkingwithandalongside themostdisadvantagedfamilieswillhelpSureStart fulfilitsprimaryobjectiveoffocusingontheleast advantagedfamilies

OneveryvisittheReviewhascarriedoutIhave askedparentshowtheywouldchangetheirSure StartAllparentswithoutexceptionpraisedSure StartAllparentshoweverandequallywithout exceptionsaidthatiftheywererunninglsquotheirrsquo centrestherewouldbeactivitiesafter1530at weekendsandespeciallyduringtheschoolholidays Someparentsnoticedhowtheirchildrenlostskills duringschoolholidaysandparticularlythelong summerbreakTheywereallinfavourofsensibly stagingholidaysthroughouttheschoolyearsHere areanumberofissueswhichwillneedtobe addressedifmoreprogressistobemadeduring theschoolyearsinimprovingthelifechancesof poorchildren

Thebestwayofachievingthesechangesisfor parentswithchildrenintheFoundationYearsto becomeinvolvedinthenewgovernanceofSure StartMarkIIandbytakingseatsontheBoard ThepathfindingworkoftheRoseHillSureStart ChildrenrsquosCentreinOxfordcouldbeadoptedasa modelforfuturegovernance

Working practices SureStartshouldaimtobecomecentresof worldrenownbreakingdowntherigiddivision betweenpaidprofessionalhelpandvolunteers HealthVisitorsmustbecomethekeyworkers undertakingthecomplexworkneededtoengage andsupportthemostvulnerablefamiliesThey alsoneedtobuildupteamsofotherprofessional workerstooverseeanewcadreofvolunteers togainaccesstothehomeswherechildrenare currentlynotbeingreachedThemodeldeveloped

attheFoxHolliesChildrenrsquosCentreinBirmingham ofHealthVisitorsothertrainedworkersplusa coreofvolunteerscouldbeusefullyfollowed Similarlymidwivesshouldbeencouragedtobuild upasmallvolunteerteamtosupportmothers wishingtobreastfeedwhowillbeattheendof thetelephonetohelpbreastfeedingmothersat anytimeduringthedayornightWesawhowwell FamilyLinksrsquonurturingprogrammewasalready beingtaughtatthePegasusPrimarySchoolin Oxfordandthisisamodeltofollow

Thequalityofpre-schoolfacilitiesvarieswidelybut ingeneraltheservicesareworseinthepoorest areasOneofthenewresponsibilitiesSureStart needstoembraceisthetrainingofFoundation Yearstaffinco-operationwithlocalcollegesand universitiesThelackofmalestaffisanequally pressingissueneedingtobeaddressed

A targeted universal service ThedangerasSureStartreturnstoitsoriginal purposeisthatitceasestobeseenasanon-stigmatisinguniversalserviceItiscrucialtherefore thatSureStartMarkIIhasanumberofservicesthat allfamilieswillwanttousewhichbuildcommunities costlittlebutalsoofferapotentiallygoodyieldin volunteersforthewiderSureStartgoals

Forexampleatrelativelylowornocostfour commonuniversalservicescouldfromnow onwardsberunfromSureStart

SureStartcouldstartregisteringbirths TransferringbirthregistrationstoSureStartwould againensurethatallparentsinalocalcommunity camethroughtheSureStartdoorsLikewise applicationsforchildbenefitcouldberunthrough SureStart

SometimeagoIproposedaBillwhichwould establishinitiationservicesndashthewelcomingof thechildintothewidercommunityndashtoberun bychurchesalongsidebaptismsortoberunby localcommunitiesthemselvesThisideahasbeen takenupbutsofaronaverylimitedscaleSure Startcouldnowseektooffertheseceremonies runbyvolunteerslikethosewhoactasSureStart ambassadorsasoneoftheircommunity-based activities

Afourthcommonservicecouldrevolvearound thestagingprenatalandpostnatalclassesforthe NHSOneofthereasonswefoundwhypoorer parentsreporttheirnon-attendanceatantenatal classesisthedifficultyinreachingthoseclassesby publictransportPlacingsuchclassesattheheart ofthecommunitywillmakelifeeasierforparents wishingtolearn

The best way to beat child poverty IbelievethattheGovernmentshouldadopta differentperspectivewhendecidingwhether toincreasechildbenefitmakeadditionstothe childelementofthetaxcreditsystemoradding tothebudgetsofschoolsorfurtherhigherand continuingeducationIbelievethatbeforeany furtherannouncementsaremadeonincreasing benefitratesforchildrenoradditionalfundsthat mightbeallocatedtotheothertwopartsofwhat willbecomeatripartiteeducationsystemthe Governmentshoulddebatecarefullywhetherit wouldnotbebetterinthatyeartodivertthese fundstobuildingtheFoundationYearsByfarthe biggestgainstotaxpayersintermsofeducational advanceoverthenextfewyearswillcomefrom suchaswitchinthefocusoffunding

Transferringmoniesfrombenefitincreasesinto theFoundationYearscouldopentheGovernment tocriticismwithacrudecampaignchargingthe Governmentwithturningitsbackonachieving the2020targetofabolishingchildpovertyThe reverseofcoursewouldbethetruthinthat theGovernmentwouldinrealitybeseizingan opportunitytodevelopadifferentstrategyto achievethisverygoalparticularlyasthetraditional approachhassoclearlystalledIproposetherefore thattheGovernmentpublishesannuallythe sumsnecessarytopreventcurrentchildpoverty deterioratingndashitraisedChildTaxCreditsineach ofitsfirsttwofinancialstatementssoastoachieve thisobjectivendashshowingthatthesesumshave beentransferredtofundthedevelopmentofthe FoundationYearstherebygrowinganalternative strategytoabolishingchildpoverty

V The revolution waiting to happen Theimpactofhowwellparentsnurturetheir childrengoesfarbeyondtherangeofabilitiestheir childrenpossessandhowwellthesetalentsmaybe developedTheimpactgoesevenbeyondforming thebasisofamorepeacefulandselfgoverning societyThesuccessofparentsinnurturingtheir childrenhelpstodeterminetheoverallprosperity ofthecountry

Reformsinimprovingtheeducationaloutcomes ofchildrenhavenotkeptpacewiththedemands oureconomynowputsonitslabourforceBritainrsquos destinynowmorethaneverisdependentonour successasatradingnationandtoprosperour countryneedstobealeaderinthevalueadded stakesThatthiscontinualimprovementintaking ourskillsupmarkethasnothappenedoratleast notatafastenoughratehasleftlargenumbers ofyoungadultsunqualifiedforjobspayinggood wages

ThisReviewlocatesthisfailuretoensure thecountryhasanadequateskillsbasenot paradoxicallyintheschoolsystembutduring thoseyearsbeforechildrengotoschoolTo ensurethattheothertwopillarsofeducationndash schoolsandfurtherhigherandcontinualeducation ndashcancarryouttheirtaskwellitiscrucialfora governmenttoactasdidduringthelastCoalition administrationwhenitputtheButlerActontothe statutebooktherebykickstartinganotherwave ofupwardsocialmobilityAsimilardecisivemove isnowcalledforinestablishingtheFoundation Yearsasthefirstofthreepillarsofoureducation system

Thereareconsiderablegroundsforoptimism Trendsinthewidersocietyaremovingina directionthatsupportsthethrustofthisReviewrsquos proposals TheworkthatGeoffDenchsubmitted totheReviewlooksatwhatmothersthemselves thinkordoratherthanhavingtheirviewdistorted byinterestgroups Thecircumstancesthatmade themmosthappyandcontentedarehavinga husbandorpartnerinworksothattheycan combinetheirworkandtheirfamilyresponsibilities

inapatternthatgivesprimacytotheirfamilies Thismodelthatfavoursthebestnurturingof childrenisquietlyadvancing Denchrsquosresearch likethatofRowthornandWebsterpointstothe importanceofmaleemploymentratestofamily formationandstabilityMostfamiliesdonotescape povertyfromworkingunlessonememberofthe householdworksfull-time

TheReviewrsquosrecommendationsonimproving lifechancesofpoorerchildrensignalanother revolutionwaitingtohappenIhavebeenstruck intalkingtoparentshowtheaspirationstheyhad asteenagersforthechildrenofthefamiliesthey hopedonedaytobringuparealltooquickly groundedoncetheybecomeparentsAsthe researchsubmittedbyInsiteshowsexpectations alltoquicklyfallbelowaspirationsAllofour recommendationsareaimedatenhancingthe powerparentswillhaveinensuringthatthose expectationsareclearlytiedtoaparentrsquosoriginal aspirations

Thebeginningsofaseachangeinthedebateto whichthisreportonPovertyandLifeChances contributesisafurthergroundforoptimismThe electorateisnowsomewhatjaundicedaboutthe prospectofbeingaskedtofundfurtherhuge fiscalredistributionespeciallyasthegainssofar havebeensomodestbothintermsofcombating povertyandmoreimportantlyofseeingthese sumstranslatedintosocialprogressIsimilarly senseawishtomovefromastrategythat alleviatesfinancialpovertyhoweveradmirableto onewhichisseentotackleitsrootcausesHence votersIbelievewillquicklyregistertheirsupport forthelifechancesapproachthatisthebackbone ofthisreport

Theinstitutionalreformsweproposeshould themselvesbeginaculturalrevolutionthatwill bringinitstrainsignificantsocialchangeAsociety thatreactsgenerouslytothecollectiveendeavour toimprovethelifechancesofchildrenwillreap thebenefitssimilartothoseobservedbyGeoffrey Gorerasprovenchildrearingpracticestakehold ofthenationrsquosimagination

Alastbutbynomeansleastreasonforoptimism Ibelievetherewillbeanalmostunlimitednumber ofmothersandfatherswhoseizetheopportunity offeredbythisReviewforthemtobecomelife-enablersfortheirchildrenandtodosowitha degreeofenthusiasmthatmatchesthatnoticeable loveablequalitypossessedbyveryyoungchildren themselves

Chapter 2 Poverty and Life Chances

This chapter illustrates the poor outcomes experienced by children from low income families and presents the social and economic case for tackling child poverty and improving life chances It argues

that a greater emphasis needs to be placed on life chances in order to ensure that todayrsquos poor children do not grow up to be poor themselves having to raise their own children in poverty

Summary

bull Povertyblightsthelifechancesofchildrenfromlowincomefamiliesputtingthemathigher riskofarangeofpooroutcomeswhencomparedtotheirmoreaffluentpeers

bull Theconsequencesofpovertysuchasincreasedillhealthunemploymentandcriminalactivity areexpensiveforthestateThepublicservicecostofchildpovertyhasbeenestimatedtobe somewherebetweenpound10andpound20billionayear

bull Thecurrentapproachtomonitoringprogresstowardstacklingchildpovertyhasincentiviseda strategythatisheavilyfocusedonreducingchildpovertyratesintheshorttermthroughincome transfers

bull Howevertheevidenceshowsthatincreasedincomedoesnotautomaticallyprotectpoor childrenagainstthehighriskthattheywillendupinpovertythemselvesasadultsTodothisitis necessarytoshiftthefocusofthechildpovertystrategysothatitalsoaddressesthefactorsthat affectlifechanceswiththeultimateaimofachievingaprogrammeofchildhoodinterventions whichcanovercometheinfluenceofincomeandsocialclass

bull Thisreportwillsetoutabroaderapproachtotacklingchildpovertywhichfocuseson improvingthelifechancesofpoorchildren

Figure 21 Three year average infant mortality rates per 1000 live births by profession of father

ndash200

ndash199

R outine and Manual

Source ONS Health Statistics Quarterly

The adverse effects of poverty 21 ChildrenfromlowincomefamiliesintheUK oftengrowuptobepooradultsHoweverpoverty ismeasuredwhetherbyfamilyincomesocio-economicstatusoreducationalattainmentpoverty blightsthelifechancesofchildrenComparedto otherchildrenthosefromhouseholdswithlow incomeorlowersocio-economicstatusaremore likelytosufferinfantmortalitymorelikelytohave preschoolconductandbehaviouralproblems morelikelytoexperiencebullyingandtakepartin riskybehavioursasteenagerslesslikelytodowell atschoollesslikelytostayonatschoolafter16 andmorelikelytogrowuptobepoorthemselves This isillustratedbythedatapresentedinthis chapter

22 Figure21showsthatchildrenwhose fathershaveroutineormanualprofessionshavea higherthanaverageriskofinfantmortalityFigures

22and23showthatthepoorest20ofchildren aremorelikelytodisplayconductproblemsatage fiveandthatthosefromfamiliesinthelowest socio-economicquintilearemorelikelytoengage inriskybehaviourssuchassmokinganti-social behaviourandplayingtruant(althoughthereisno socio-economicgradientfordrinking)Finallythe datapresentedinFigures24and25showthat childrenfromthepooresthouseholdshavelower GCSEattainmentratesandarelesslikelytostay oninschoolafter16thanotherchildren(although therelationshipbetweenfamilyincomeandstaying onafter16isweakernowthaninpreviousyears)

23 AsillustratedbyFigures21to26gaps inoutcomesandachievementbetweenpoorer childrenandtheirpeersareobservablefroman earlyageandremainthroughoutchildhoodIn generalthenfamilyincomeandsocialclassover whichachildhasnocontrolarehighlypredictive

PovertyandLifeChances 29

Figure 22 Mean child outcome scores by income (ages three and five)

School readiness Vocabulary Conduct problems at 3 at 5 at 5

Poorest 20 Middle 20 Richest 20

Source Waldfogel J and Washbrook E (2008) Early years policy Sutton Trust

ofchildhooddevelopmentandultimatelyadult outcomesThisneedstochangeCaninterventions trumpclassandincomeindeterminingthelife chancesofpoorerchildrenWebelievetheycan

24 TheReviewhasbeenaskedtoexamine thebestwaystoreducepovertyandincreaselife chancesforthemostdisadvantagedtakinginto accountthecurrentfiscalcircumstancesWewill arguethatthebestwaytoimprovelifechancesis toshifttheemphasisofthechildpovertystrategy towardsinvestmentinearlyyearsprovisionThis approachismorefinanciallysustainablethanthe currentonebutitisalsomoreeffectiveandwe wouldbemakingthisrecommendationevenifthe Governmentdidnothavetograpplewitharecord budgetdeficit

The economic case 25 Childpovertyisnotjustaquestionof fairnessManyoftheconsequencesofpoverty suchasunemploymentillhealthandcriminal activityareexpensiveforthestateA2008JRF reportestimatedthattheadditionalcosttopublic servicesoftheseconsequenceswasbetween pound116andpound207billionin200607Thismeans thereisastrongeconomiccaseforreducing thecausesofpovertybyrevolutionisingthelife chancesofpoorchildren1

Tackling child poverty 26 In1999thepreviousGovernmentpledged toeradicatechildpovertyby2020asmeasured byrelativeincomeThe20yeartimeframeset forthisgoalreflectsthefactthatiftheeradication ofchildpovertyistobesustainableitrequires

1 Bramley G and Watkins D (2008) The Public Service Cost of Child Poverty JRF

Figure 23 Young person attitudes and behaviours by socio-economic status (age 14)

0 Frequent Frequent smoker drinker

Ever involved Ever played truant in antishysocial behaviour

Source Chowdry Crawford and Goodman (2010) Drivers and Barriers to Educational Success Evidence from the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England Institute for Fiscal Studies Research Report No DCSFshyRR102

governmentstointerveneintheintergenerational transferofdisadvantageandreducethenumber ofchildrengrowinguptobepoornotsimply toincreasebenefitstothelevelsofthepoverty thresholdIndeedcrucialtotheinitialvisionwere improvedemploymentopportunitiesforlow incomeparentstheexpansionofearlyyears serviceprovisionforpoorerchildrenandthe utilisationoftheeducationsystemasameansof improvingsocialmobility2

27 Tomonitorprogresstowardstheirlong termgoalthepreviousgovernmentchoseto measureincomepovertyratesyearonyearThe Reviewhasconcludedthatusingcurrentchild

povertyratestomeasureprogresstowardsthe longtermgoaloferadicationhasundermined theabilityofpolicymakerstotakealongterm sustainableapproachItexertedpressuretohave animpactonincomeintheshorttermsothat thefigurescouldbeseentobemovinginthe rightdirectionForanygivenpoundavailablefor tacklingchildpovertytheincentiveprovidedby themonitoringframeworkwastoinvestinpolicies withthelargestshorttermeffectsonincome whicharegenerallyincreasesinbenefitsandtax creditsforfamilieswithchildren

28 Thispolicyapproachwasinitiallyeffectivein increasingtheincomesoflowincomefamiliesin

2 Tony Blairrsquos Beveridge Lecture at Toynbee Hall London (18031999)

Figure 24 Childrenrsquos GCSE threshold attainment by parental income

0 Poorest 20 Middle 20 Richest 20

5 or more GCSEs Grades AndashC 5 or more GCSEs Grades AndashC including English and Maths

theshortterm3ascanbeseeninFigure27Child PovertyratesintheUKhadincreasedsubstantially overtheprevious20yearsWhenrecordsbegan intheearly1960schildpovertystoodat13 Ratesremainedfairlystablethroughoutthe1970s beforerisingsteeplybetween1979andtheearly 1990sTheythenlevelledoffuntilaroundthe turnofthecenturywhensubsequenttothe announcementofthenewtargetchildpoverty begantofallHoweverthisdeclinesince2000 stalledinaround2005aslessmoneywasinvested inincometransfersrelativetopreviousyearsso thattheproportionofchildrenintheUKliving inpoorhouseholdsremainshighbyEuropean standardsasshowninFigure28

29 MoreoverthedatawepresentinChapter 3providescompellingevidencethatafocus onincomealoneisinsufficienttotacklethe adverseeffectsofchildhoodpovertyonfuture lifechancesAmongthefactorsthatdrivethe differenceinoutcomesbetweenpoorerchildren andtheirmoreaffluentpeersincomeisarguably lesssignificantthansomeotherfactorssuch asparentingandthelearningenvironmentin thehomeThismeansthattheincometransfer approachincentivisedbythecurrentmonitoring frameworkisnotatthepresenttimethemost effectivewaytotacklechildpoverty

3 Brewer M Browne J Joyce R and Sibieta L (2010) Child Poverty in the UK since 1998-99 Lessons from the Past Decade IFS Working Paper 1023

Figure 25 Relationship between family income and staying on in education post 16 across cohorts

ily in

NCDS 1958 BCS 1970 BHPS1 BHPS 2 BHPS 3 LSYPE 1975shy1980 1981shy1986 1987shy1990 19891990

Source Gregg P and Macmillan L (2010) ldquoFamily income education and cognitive ability in the next generation exploring income gradients in education and test scores for current cohorts of youthrdquo in Longitudinal and Life Course Studies 2010 Volume 1 Issue 3 pp 259ndash280

210 Theincometransferapproachisalsocostly In2009theInstituteforFiscalStudiesanalysed thecostofmeetingthechildpovertytargets throughtaxandbenefittransfersaloneThey estimatedthatitwouldcostaboutpound19 billionto meettheheadline2020targetwhichistoreduce childpovertyasmeasuredbythe60ofmedian incomethresholdtobelow104

211 Finallyitisclearthatastrategythat addressespovertybytransferringincomeinthe shorttermislesssustainablethanonewhichaims toreducethelsquosupplyrsquoofpoorfamiliesbyreducing thechancesthatpoorchildrenwillendupin povertyinadulthood

212 Inlightofthisevidencewebelievethatthe childpovertymeasurementframeworkneeds toberevisedTheexistingincentivestofocus soheavilyonincometransfersneedtochange becauseimprovingthelifechancesofpoor childrenalsorequiresinterventioninparentingthe homelearningenvironmentandotherchildhood factors

Future life chances and current living standards 213 Thereisofcoursearoleforadequate incomeChildreninlowincomefamiliesoften missoutonactivitiesandexperiencesthatarea

Figure 26 Educational outcomes by socio-economic position across surveys and ages

istrib

Age 3 Age 5 Age 7 Age 11 Age 14 Age 16 (MCS) (MCS) (ALSPAC) (ALSPACLSYPE) (LSYPE) (LSYPE)

Highest Middle Lowest

Notes We use our dat a to divide the population of children into fifths ranked according to a constructed measure of socioshyeconomic position which is based on their parentsrsquo income social class housing tenure and a selfshyreported measure of financial difficulties We then chart the average cognitive test scores of these children from the ages of 3 through to 16 The dotted lines in the middle segment of Figure 26 covering ages 7 to 11 reflect that this sample is derived from ALSPAC data which is a sample of children from the Avon area rather than a national sample and as such are not directly comparable to the other datasets used Source Gregg P and Goodman A (2010) Childrenrsquos Educational Outcomes the role of attitudes and behaviours from early childhood to late adolescence Centre for Market and Public Organisation University of Bristol and Institute for Fiscal Studies

keypartofthesocialandemotionaldevelopment ofmostotherchildrenandsomefamiliesstill findthemselvesunabletoaffordessentialssuch asschooluniformsandadequatehousing5 Researchhasshownthatincreasingtheincomeof thesefamiliesisaneffectivewaytotacklethese problems6

214 TheReviewrsquosrecommendationsare intendedtopreventtheintergenerationaltransfer ofpovertywiththeaimthatfuturegenerationsof childrenwillnothavetoexperiencesuchfinancial

andmaterialdeprivationWebelieveoneofthe ultimateoutcomesofthechangeinemphasisthat wearerecommendingwillbethatsomeonersquosplace intheincomedistributionasanadultwillbeless influencedbytheirchildhoodfamilyincomeand moreareflectionofthedevelopmentoftheir individualpotential

215 Howeverforsomechildrenitisnotjusta lackofincomewhichaffectstheirlifechancesit isachaoticfamilylifelackofstabilityupheavalor thefocusonsomeoneelsersquosneedsChildrenin

5Ridge T (2009)Living with poverty A review of the literature on childrenrsquos and familiesrsquo experiences of povertyDWP

6Waldfogel J (2010)Britainrsquos War on PovertyRussell Sage Foundation

Figure 27 Percentage of children in households with income below 60 contemporary equivalised median income before housing costs 1961ndash200809

careyoungcarerschildrenlivingwithadisabled parentandchildrenlivinginhouseholdswithdrug oralcoholmisuseordomesticviolenceallhave experiencesorresponsibilitiesthatwillblighttheir childhoodandmakeitmoredifficultforthem tofocusontheireducationandachievegood outcomesThesechildrenneedadditionalsupport butgiventheshorttimescalesunderwhichthe Reviewhasbeencompletedithasnotbeen possibletofocusindividuallyongroupsofchildren withspecificintensiveneedsTheReviewwould urgetheGovernmenttocontinuetodevelop policiesandinvestinserviceswhichsupportthese children

216 Forotherfamiliessupportisneededto improvethequalityofrelationshipsinthehome andensurethatthechildrengrowupwithamodel ofpositiveandnurturingparentingwhichtheycan passontotheirownchildren

217 Itwillnotbeeasytoovercomeallthese issuesandcreateasocietywherenochildis condemnedtoalifeinpovertyButthereis agrowingbodyofinterventionswhichhave beenshowntohaveanimpactonthefactorsin childhoodthatmosteffectlifechancesIftheright combinationsofsuchinterventionsaremade availabletochildrenacrosstheUKgrowingupin povertyanddisadvantageitshouldbepossible toprotectthemagainsttheadverseaffectsof povertyandultimatelyachieveasocietywhere familyincomeisnottheoverridingpredictorof futureoutcomes

Figure 28 Percentage of children (under 18 years) below 60 of median equivalised income after social transfers in European countries 2008

United

Kingdo

Greece

Lux Ger

Belgium

Irelan

Norway

Icelan

Finlan

Nether

Austri

Denmark

Source Eurosta t Note 2008 data f or France and UK is provisional

218 Therestofthereportsetsoutanapproach totacklingchildpovertywhichfocuseson improvingthelifechancesofpoorchildren

bullInChapter3weidentifythefactorsthatare mostsignificantindeterminingthelifechances ofpoorchildren

bullInChapter4wedescribethestructuresand interventionsatanationalandlocallevelthatwe thinkcanenablealsquolifechancesrsquoapproach

bullInChapter5weproposeanewmeasurement frameworkwhichwillincentivisepolicymakers toaddressthefactorsthatdrivelifechances aswellastotacklelowincomeandpoorliving standardsinthehereandnow

Chapter 3 The Influences on Childrenrsquos Life Chances

This chapter sets out evidence on the most important drivers of childrenrsquos life chances starting in pregnancy and the early years The Review makes the case for investment in the early years in particular to support

parents in their parenting role to reduce inequalities in outcomes As children develop Government also needs to continue to invest in the most disadvantaged older children

Summary

bull Nobodywoulddoubtthefactthatparentsplaythemostsignificantroleininfluencingtheir childrenrsquosfuturesandtheevidencebacksupthisinstinctivebeliefThereisaweightofevidence whichshowsthatacombinationofpositiveparentingagoodhomelearningenvironmentand parentsrsquoqualificationscantransformchildrenrsquoslifechancesandaremoreimportanttooutcomes thanclassbackgroundandparentalincome

bull Pregnancyandthefirstfiveyearsoflifeshapechildrenrsquoslifechancesndashtheassociations betweencognitivedevelopmentatagefiveandlatereducationaloutcomesareverystrong Duringtheearliestyearsitisprimarilyparentswhoshapetheirchildrenrsquosoutcomesndashahealthy pregnancygoodmentalhealththewaythattheyparentandwhetherthehomeenvironmentis educationalldquoWhatparentsdoismoreimportantthatwhoparentsarerdquoInstitutionssuchashealth servicesChildrenrsquosCentresandchildcareinparticularalsohaveanimpactasdofamilybackground factorssuchastheparentsrsquolevelofeducation

bull Itisintheearlyyearsthatthesocio-economicgapsinoutcomesappearAlreadybyagethree therearelargeandsystematicdifferencesbetweenchildrenfromlowerandhigherincomefamilies andthesegapspersistthroughoutchildhoodaslaterattainmenttendstobeheavilyinfluencedby earlydevelopment

bull Laterinchildhoodparentscontinuetoimpactontheirchildrenrsquosoutcomesandtheir aspirationsfortheirchildrenstarttoruboffonthechildrenthemselvesChildrenrsquosown attainmentsocialandemotionaldevelopmentandaspirationsalsohaveasignificantimpacton theirfutureattainmentHighachievingchildrenreinforcetheachievementsthatareformedby theirbackgroundForlowachievingchildrentheoppositeistrueasbythisstagetheydonothave theresourcestogrowtheirachievementsinasimilarwaySchoolscanhaveanimpactalbeita smalleroneespeciallywheregoodleadershipandteachingprovidesanenvironmentforpoor childrentothrivebutithasgenerallybeenfoundverydifficulttoundothedisadvantagescarved outintheearliestyears

Determinants of life chances through the life course 31 Chapter2outlinedthisReviewrsquos recommendedapproachtoreducingchildpoverty andinequalityinlifechancesThischapterlooksat thefactorswhichdetermineachildrsquoslifechances startingfromconceptionInordertoimprove poorerchildrenrsquoschancesofgoodoutcomes weneedtounderstandthefactorsthatleadto inequalitythroughoutchildhoodandanalysethe driversthatwillenableustoreducethisinequality

32 Thefactorsinfluencingchildrenrsquosoutcomes changeoverthelifecoursebuttheconsistent factorthroughoutistheroleofparentsand familiesFigure31showshowthesefactorschange overthecourseofchildhoodandtheremainder ofthechapterwillpickoutthekeythemesand discusstheminturn

33 Oneofthekeyquestionsthatwewouldlike tobeabletoanswerinthisReviewiswhichfactors arecausalindrivingchildrenrsquosoutcomesThedata availableonchildrenandyoungpeoplersquosoutcomes donotgenerallyallowforstrictcausalitytobe determinedbutthischapterwillsetoutrobust associationswhichhavebeenfoundusingdetailed longitudinalanalysiscontrollingforalargenumber offactorsThereisnowasignificantconsensus amongstacademicsandprofessionalsthatfactors inthehomeenvironmentndashpositiveparentingthe homelearningenvironmentandparentsrsquolevelof educationndasharethemostimportant

The importance of the early years 34 AlargenumberofstudiesfromtheUKand elsewherehaveshownclearlyhowimportantthe earlyyears(frompregnancyuntiltheageoffive) areforachildrsquosfuturelifechancesLongitudinal

studiesfindthatoutcomesintheearlyyearshave astrongrelationshipwithlaterlifeoutcomes Somepoorchildrenescapetheirparentsrsquofate butthisisbynomeansthetypicalexperienceof poorchildrenasagroupAnanalysisofthe1970 cohortstudyforexampleshowsthatonly18 ofchildrenwhowereinthebottom25inearly developmentscoresatagefiveachievedanALevel orhighercomparedtonearly60ofthosewho wereinthetop25(seeFigure32)1

35 AnalysisofoutcomesintheUKeducation systemshowsthataround55ofchildrenwho areinthebottom20atageseven(KeyStage 1)remainthereatage16(KeyStage4)andless than20ofthemmoveintothetop602This showsthatchildrenwhoperformbadlyatthestart ofschooltendtoperformbadlythroughoutand thatagoodstartinlifeishugelyimportanttolater educationalattainment

36 Statisticsonearlychildoutcomesshowthat poorerchildrensystematicallydoworseonboth cognitiveandbehaviouraloutcomesatbothage threeandagefive3(seeFigure22)Byagefive childrenfrombetterofffamilieswhohadlow cognitiveabilityatagetwohavealmostcaughtup withhighabilitychildrenfrompoorerfamilies4 Thismeansthatpoorerchildrentendtobeless readyforschoolandlessreadytotakeadvantage oftheresourcesinvestedintheuniversal educationsystem

37 Lateroninchildhoodearlierattainment hasbeenshowntoplayabigroleinaffecting outcomesmakingsubstantialchangesmuchmore difficulttoachieveByage11attainmentatage seven(KeyStage1results)explainsover60of thegapinattainmentbetweenthepoorestand therichestandthepatternisverysimilaratages 14and165(seeFigure35)

1 Feinstein L (2003) How early can we predict future education achievement LSE CentrePiece Summer 2003

2 Department for Education internal analysis of the National Pupil Database

3 Eg Waldfogel J and Washbrook E (2008) Early Years Policy The Sutton Trust and Hobcraft J and Kiernan K (2010) Predictive factors from age 3 and infancy for poor childhood outcomes at age 5 evidence from the Millennium Cohort Study University of York

4 Feinstein L (2003) Inequality in the Early Cognitive Development of British Children in the 1970 Cohort Economica p73-97

5 Gregg P and Goodman A (2010) Childrenrsquos Educational Outcomes the role of attitudes and behaviours from early childhood to late adolescence Centre for Market and Public Organisation (CMPO) University of Bristol and Institute for Fiscal Studies

TheInfluencesonChildrenrsquosLifeChances 39

Figure 31 The key drivers of life chances throughout childhood

Drivers of

bull Motherrsquos physical and mental health bull Parentsrsquo education bull Motherrsquos age

Pregnancy

outcomes in childhood and young adulthood

bull Birth weight bull Parental warmth and attachment bull Breastfeeding bull Parental mental health

bull Parenting and home learning environment bull Parentsrsquo education bull High quality childcare

5 years

bull Childrsquos previous attainment bull Parentsrsquo aspirations and engagement bull Teachers

Primary years

bull Childrsquos previous attainment bull Childrsquos and parentsrsquo aspirations bull Teachers bull Risky behaviours

Secondary years

bull Educational achievement bull Qualifications bull Social and emotional skills bull Employment

Transition to adulthood

Desired outcomes at family formation

bull In work bull Decent home bull Living wage bull Good health bull Good wellbeing

25shy35 years

Source Review team synthesis of research findings

38 Lifechancesbegintobedeterminedin pregnancyAhealthypregnancyandastrong emotionalbond(knownasattachment)between parentsandthebabyinthefirstfewmonthscan placeachildontheroadtosuccessAhealthy pregnancyndashwithoutsmokingwithahealthy dietandwithgoodmentalhealthndashismorelikely toleadtoahealthybirthweightwhichinturn contributestobetterhealthlaterinlife6Inthefirst fewmonthspostnataldepressioninparticular canmakeitverydifficultformotherstobondwith

theirbabiesandthiscanhaveadverselongterm consequencesBreastfeedingprotectsthebaby byboostingitsimmunesystemandprovidinga goodopportunityforbondingbetweenmother andbabyStatisticsshowthatlowerincome mothersarelesslikelytobreastfeedhoweverone studyfoundthatthoselowincomemotherswho breastfedfor6-12monthshadthehighestscores ofanygrouponqualityofparentinginteractionsat agefive7

6 The Marmot Review (2010) Fair Society Healthy Lives 7 Gutman et al (2009) Nurturing Parenting Capability The Early Years The Institute of Education London

Figure 32 Percentage of 26-year-olds attaining educational and vocational qualifications by position in early development scores at age five

Bottom 25

NoneMisc LowerMiddle Ashylevel or higher

Top 25

Source Feinstein (2003)

39 StudiesintheUnitedStateswhichhave beenputinplacetolookattheimpactofchildcare ondisadvantagedchildrenrsquosoutcomeslaterinlife havealsorevealedsomeveryencouragingresults TheSTARproject(arandomisedcontroltrial) revisitedchildrenwhoarenowadultsandlooked attheirlabourmarketoutcomesTheresearch foundthatchildrenwhoattendedhighquality childcarewereearningmoreonaveragethan thosewhodidnotThisappliedevenforchildren whoseperformanceinrelationtoothershad deterioratedduringtheschoolyearsApupilwho achievedatypicalimprovementforafive-yearold withagoodteacher(movingfromtheaverageto the60thpercentileduringakindergartenyear) couldexpectforexampletomake$1000more ayearattheageof27thanapupilwhodidnot

improveTheyconcludedthatthisispartlydue tothesocialskillsthesechildrenlearnedinthe kindergartenyears8

310 Investinginchildrenandfamiliesbefore schoolwouldalsoenabletheGovernmenttoput taxpayersrsquoinvestmentinprimaryandsecondary educationtomuchbettereffectMostskills developedinearlylifestaywithchildrenintolater lifeandareself-reinforcingGreaterequalityof schoolreadinesswouldmaketeachingparticularly inthefirstfewyearsofprimaryschooleasier andmoreproductiveOverallthismeansthatitis highlyproductivetoinvestindisadvantagedyoung childrenndashthereisnotrade-offbetweentheequity andtheefficiencyofinvestmentforthisgroupof children9

8 Chetty R (2010) How does your kindergarten classroom affect your earnings Evidence from the STAR project Harvard

9 Cunha F And Heckman J (2010) Investing in our young peopleIZA

311 Theearlyyearshaveaprofoundimportance forlateroutcomesAchievinggreaterequalityof outcomesatagesthreeandfivewouldenable morechildrentogetofftoagoodstartinlife andtotakefulladvantageoftheirschooling Increasingtheawarenessoftheimportanceofthe firstfiveyearsinlifeisakeyaimofthisReview Governmentneedstosendstrongmessagesto parentslocalgovernmentandtheprivateand voluntarysectorsthatthisperiodineducation has tobetakenasseriouslyifnotmoresothan anyother

What are the key factors influencing outcomes in the early years 312 Whatisitthataffectshowwellachilddoes whentheystartschoolTheresearchhighlights thesekeythemesparentschildcareandfamily backgroundandincomeParentsaboveallare themaininfluenceontheirchildrenrsquosoutcomes intheearlyyearsTheearlyattachmenttothe babyparentalwarmthandboundary-settingand providingahomeenvironmentwherelearningis importanthavebeenshowntobethekeyfactors influencingachildrsquoslifechancesandtheycanbe moreimportantthanincomeorclassbackground (seeBox31)AstheauthorsoftheEffective ProvisionofPre-SchoolEducation(EPPE)study concludeldquowhatparentsdoismoreimportant thanwhoparentsarerdquo10Thisconclusionwas backedupinacomprehensivereviewofthe evidenceonparenting11

Parents 313 Agoodstartfromconceptionandasa babycanimproveachildrsquoslifechancesBecoming aparentshouldbealifechangingeventbutnot allparentsrealisetheimmediateimpactthiswill haveonthemandinturntheyhaveontheirnew

babyThedevelopmentofababyrsquosbrainisaffected bytheattachmenttotheirparentsandanalysisof neglectedchildrenrsquosbrainshasshownthattheir braingrowthissignificantlyreduced12Where babiesareoftenlefttocrytheircortisollevels areincreasedandthiscanleadtoapermanent increaseinstresshormoneslaterinlifewhich canimpactonmentalhealthSupportingparents duringthisdifficulttransitionperiodiscrucialto improvingoutcomesforyoungchildrenFurther detailsaresetoutinChapter4

Box 31 Bucking the trend Researchlookingatchildrenwhodo welldespitedifficultcircumstanceshas illustratedclearlytheimpactthatparents haveSeveralreportslookingatthe1958 and1970cohortstudieshaveshownthat disadvantagedchildrenwhodidwellwere morelikelyhaveagoodrelationshipwith theirparentsandhaveparentswhowere involvedwiththeireducation13Blanden foundthatchildrenfromdisadvantaged backgroundswhohadbeenreadtoona dailybasisatagefiveandwhoseparents hadbeenveryinterestedintheirchildrsquos educationatagetenwerelesslikelyto belivinginpovertyatage30Shefound thattheeffectofparentsrsquointerestwas independentoftheeffectofparentsbeing moreeducatedForboyshavingafather withlittleornointerestintheireducation reducedtheirchancesofmovingoutof povertyasadultsby25percentagepoints Forgirlstheimpactofhavingamother withlittleornointerestintheireducation reducedthechancebyasimilaramount14

10 Sylva K et al (2004) The Effective Provision of Pre-School Education (EPPE) Project Findings from Pre-school to end of Key Stage1 SureStart

11 Desforges C (2003) The Impact of Parental Involvement Parental Support and Family Education on Pupil Achievement and Adjustment A literature review DfES Research Report 433

12 Perry B (2002) Childhood experience and the expression of genetic potential what childhood neglect tells us about nature and nurture Brain and Mind 3 79ndash100

13 eg Pilling D (1990) Escape from disadvantage London The Falmer Press and Schoon I and Parsons S (2002) Competence in the face of adversity the influence of early family environment and long-term consequences Children amp Society 16 260-272

14 Blanden J (2006) lsquoBucking the trendrsquo What enables those who are disadvantaged in childhood to succeed later in life DWP Working Paper No31

Figure 33 Effect sizes for socio-economic status motherrsquos education income and home learning environment on age five outcomes

Socioshyeconomic Mothersrsquo education Earned income Home Learning status Environment

Literacy Numeracy

Source Melhuish et al (2008) lsquoEffec ts of the Home Learning Environment and Preschool Center Experience upon Literacy and Numeracy Development in Early Primary Schoolrsquo Journal of Social Issues Vol 64 No1 Note Home Learning Environment bottom 10 compared with top 10

314 Researchhashighlightedthehomelearning environmentasthesinglemostimportant behaviouralfactorinfluencingchildrenrsquosoutcomes atagethreeandfive15Thehomelearning environmentisatermusedtodescribeactivitiesin thehomesuchastalkingandreadingtochildren singingsongsandnurseryrhymesandlearning throughsimpleactivitiesandplayThishasbeen studiedindepthintheEPPEstudyandhasbeen showntocontributesignificantlytobothcognitive andnon-cognitivedevelopmentThepresence

ofbooksandtoysinahouseholdhassignificant andlargeassociationswithchildIQKeyStage1 attainmentandselfesteemandcanaccountfor between5and12ofthegapindevelopment betweentherichestandthepoorestchildrenat agefiveEPPEshowedaneffectoftheearlyhome learningenvironmentonagefiveoutcomesover andaboveparentalbackgroundfactorssuchas socio-economicstatusmaternaleducationand familyincome16

15 For example Gregg P and Goodman A (2010) Childrenrsquos Educational Outcomes the role of attitudes and behaviours from early childhood to late adolescence CMPO University of Bristol and Institute for Fiscal Studies

Box 32 Home learning environment and ethnicity Thefactthatchildrenfromsomeethnic minoritygroupsdoexceptionallywellhas ledtoquestionsaboutwhetherthereare cluesintheirhomeenvironmentthatcould explaintheirattainmentForexamplepoor Chinesechildren(asmeasuredbyFree SchoolMealseligibility)dobetteratGCSEs thananyothergroupexceptChinesepupils whoarenotpoorThismeansthatbeing aChinesechildinEnglandappearstobe enoughtoovercomeallthedisadvantages associatedwithbeingpoorItisunlikely thatthisreflectsapuregeneticeffect(see paragraph315)andthereissomeevidence thatdifferencesinparentalaspirationsand thehomelearningenvironmentcouldbe thekeytothesuccessofChinesechildren GiventhesmallnumbersofChinese childrenwholiveinEnglandstatistically robustfindingsonthereasonsbehindtheir successarenotavailable

EvidencefromEPPEsuggeststhatchildren fromdisadvantagedIndianandBangladeshi familieshavebetterhomelearning environmentsthancomparableWhite familiesandanalysishasshownthatparentsrsquo aspirationsfortheirchildrentocontinue infull-timeeducationissignificantlyhigher amongallminoritygroupsthanamong WhiteBritishparents17

Furtherresearchinthisareawould beinstructivetodiscovermoreabout thediversityofparentingandhome learningenvironmentsthatpromotehigh attainment

315 Thereisaverystrongcorrelationbetween parentaleducationlevels(inparticularthemotherrsquos levelofeducation)andearlychildoutcomesbut overallitdoesnotcontradicttheEPPEfinding thatitismoreimportantwhatparentsdothan whotheyare Arecentstudyfoundthatparental educationexplained16ofthegapincognitive developmentbetweenthepoorestandtherichest childrenatagethree18Onestudyconcludes thatthedifferencesbetweentheoutcomesof childrenoflessandmoreeducatedparentsare thesinglebiggestdriveroftheobserveddeficits ofpoorchildreningeneralbutthatitisnotclear exactlywhatthetransmissionmechanismisThe differencescouldreflectthreeprocessesgenetic traitsinnatetraitswhichareassociatedwith educationalsuccessmaybepositivelycorrelated withotherinnateskillssuchasparentingability ormoreeducatedparentsmayhavegreater knowledgeandabilityasparents19Morerecent worklookingattheintergenerationaltransmission ofcognitivedevelopmentshowedthatparental cognitiveabilityexplained16ofthegapin cognitivedevelopmentbetweentherichestand thepoorestchildrenaftercontrollingforavery largenumberofenvironmentalfactorsThereport didnotfindasignificantassociationbetween parentalcognitiveabilityandparentingbehaviours howeversuggestingsomegeneticlinkbetween thecognitiveabilitiesofparentsandchildren20 Inadditionevaluationsoffamilyliteracyprojects intheUKhavefoundthatchildrenmakegreater progresswhentheirparentsparticipateinlearning activities21

316 Positiveparentinghasbeenshowntohave apositiveimpactonchildrenPositiveparenting involvesparentssettingclearboundariesand routinesforchildrenaswellasbeingresponsive andwarmtowardsthechildWaldfogeland

17 Johnson P et al (2008) Early years life chances and equality a literature review Equality and Human Rights Commission

18 Gregg P and Goodman A (2010) Childrenrsquos Educational Outcomes the role of attitudes and behaviours from early childhood to late adolescence CMPO University of Bristol and Institute for Fiscal Studies

19 Gregg et al (2008) Understanding the relationship between parental income and multiple child outcomes a decomposition analysis CMPO working paper 08193

20 Crawford C Goodman A and Joyce R (2010) Explaining the socio-economic gradient in child outcomes the intergenerational transmission of cognitive skills Institute for Fiscal Studies London

21 Sabates R (2008) The Impact of Lifelong Learning on Poverty Reduction IFLL Public Value Paper National Institute of Continuing Adult Education

Washbrookconcludethatparentingbehaviours playasignificantroleevenaftercontrollingfor avariedsetofdemographiccharacteristics andotherpolicy-relevantmechanismsandthis conclusionisconsistentbetweentheUnitedStates andtheUK22AssetoutinChapter4parenting programmessuchasTriplePhaveshownthat positiveparentingcanleadtoreductionsinchild problembehaviour

317 Fathersrsquointerestandinvolvementintheir childrenrsquoslearningisstatisticallyassociatedwith bettereducationaloutcomes(higherattainment aswellasmorepositiveattitudesandbetter behaviour)evenwhencontrollingforawide varietyofotherinfluencingfactorsAnumber ofstudiesbothfromtheUnitedStatesandthe UKhaveshownthatfatherinvolvementhasan independenteffectfrommotherinvolvementand effectshavebeendemonstratedbothforyounger childrenandforlatereducationaloutcomes23

318 Thereisacomplexrelationshipbetween parentingandpovertyPoorparentingexists acrosstheincomedistributionbuttendstohave lessofanimpactonbetteroffchildrenwhere otherfactorsprovidegreaterprotectionagainst pooroutcomesHoweverstressandconflictcan disruptparenting24andalackofmoneyordebt isoneofthemajorsourcesofstressforpoorer familiesOnestudyshowedthatareductionin incomeandworseningmentalhealthtendtolead toareductioninparentingcapacityIncreasesin incomehoweverdidnotnecessarilyimprove parentingcapacity25

319 Abreakdownintheparentsrsquorelationshipor significantongoingconflictinthehome(whether

ornotthisleadstoarelationshipbreakdown)can haveanegativeimpactonchildoutcomesThis canbethroughthedirecteffectsofconflictand indirectlythroughareductioninparentingcapacity Childrenreactinmanydifferentwaysbecoming aggressiveanxiousorwithdrawnwhichinturn canhaveanimpactonbehaviourmentalhealth andeducationalachievementHoweverthese negativeimpactsarenotevidentforallchildren ofseparatedparentsandresearchhashighlighted thatthenatureofparentalconflictparenting qualityandthenumberofchangesinfamily structurecanplayaroleinhowchildrenareable tohandleconflict26

320 Parentalmentalhealthcanhavealongterm impactonchildrenrsquosoutcomesandsurveysshow thatpoorermothersaremorelikelytosuffer fromforexamplepost-nataldepressionMental healthhasinparticularbeenfoundtoimpacton childrenrsquosbehaviouraloutcomesatagethreeand theseinturnimpactoncognitiveoutcomesatage fiveleadingtolongertermimpacts27Another studywhichlookedattheimpactofmentalhealth onparentingfoundthatithadanegativeimpacton thequalityofparentinginteractionsandthequality ofcommunicationbetweenmotherandchildat agefive28

321 Thereisastrongrelationshipbetween differentaspectsofparentingandparentsrsquohealth andwell-beingandtheirchildrenrsquosoutcomes Policiestoimprovepoorerchildrenrsquosoutcomesare morelikelytobesuccessfuliftheytargetawide rangeofissuesndashsuchasparentsrsquoeducationpositive parentingrelationshipsandthehomelearning environmentaswellasphysicalandmentalhealth

22 Waldfogel J and Washbrook E (2009) Income-related gaps in school readiness in the US and UK APPAM Fall Research Conference

23 Asmussen K and Weizel K (2010) Evaluating the Evidence Fathers Families and Children Kingrsquos College London National Academy of Parenting Research

24 Katz et al (2007) The relationship between parenting and poverty JRF York

25 Waylen A Stewart-Brown S (2010) Factors influencing parenting in early childhood a prospective longitudinal study focusing on change Child Care Health and Development 36 198-207

26 See for example Coleman L and Glenn F (2009) When Couples Part Understanding the consequences for adults and children One Plus One London

27 Hobcraft J and Kiernan K (2010) Predictive factors from age 3 and infancy for poor childhood outcomes at age 5 evidence from the Millennium Cohort Study University of York

28 Gutman et al (2009) Nurturing Parenting Capability The Early Years The Institute of Education London

Figure 34 The combined impact of pre-school quality and early years home learning environment on age 11 English

Reference group Low 05 HLE and no preshyschool

No preshyschool Low quality Medium quality High quality

Low Medium High

Early years home learning environment (quality)

Source Source Sylva et al (2008) EPPE 3shy11 Final Report from the Primary Phase Preshyschool School and Family Influences on Childrenrsquos Development During Key Stage 2 (Age 7shy11) DCSFshyRR061

Childcare and early education 322 Attendanceatearlyeducationhasalsobeen showntohaveabigeffectoncognitiveoutcomes inchildhoodThedurationofearlyeducation(in termsofthetotalnumberofyearsratherthanthe numberofhoursperday)alsohasanindependent impactandchildrenwhohaveattendedfor longerdobetter29Theseeffectspersistfarinto childhoodByage11childrenwhoattendedearly educationperformsignificantlybetterinKeyStage 2MathsandEnglishaswellasonbehavioural outcomesThequalityofearlyeducationalso

continuestoimpactonKeyStage2attainmentand behaviouraloutcomes30Overallcombiningagood earlyyearshomelearningenvironmentwithhigh qualityearlyeducationhasthemostpositiveeffect onchildrenatage11

323 Thequalityofearlyeducationmatters Childrenwhobenefitedfromgoodqualityearly educationexperienceswereonaveragefourtosix monthsaheadintermsofcognitivedevelopment atschoolentrythanthosewhodidnotThose childrenwhoexperiencedalongduration(more thantwoyearsfromtheageoftwoonwards)

29 Sammons P et al (2004) EPPE tech paper 8ab Measuring the impact of pre-school on childrenrsquos cognitive progress over the pre-school period Institute of Education

30 Sylva et al (2008) EPPE 3-11 Final Report from the Primary Phase Pre-school School and Family Influences on Childrenrsquos Development During Key Stage 2 (Age 7-11) DCSF-RR061

aswellashighqualityearlyeducationwere aroundthreemonthsfurtheraheadintermsof cognitivedevelopmentStaffqualificationsand trainingarethekeydriverofqualitywithwarm interactiverelationshipsgraduateorteacherled earlyeducationandahighproportionofqualified teachersasstaffshowingthebestresults31

324 Anotheradvantageofattendingchildcare isthatqualifiedandexperiencedstaffmaybeable topickupsignsofbehaviouralproblemsorslower languageorcognitivedevelopmentearlieronand eitherprovideadditionalsupporttothechildand theirparentstomakeadifferencetooutcomes beforetheystartschoolorhelptobrokeraccess towidersupportservicesThiscouldchangethe childrsquostrajectorybetweentheagesofthreeand fiveandsodeterminehowwelltheydoatschool Thisrolewillbeconsideredfurtherthroughthe TickellreviewoftheEarlyYearsFoundationStage

325 TheEPPEstudyinadditionhasshown thatdisadvantagedchildrendobetterinsettings withchildrenfromdifferentsocialbackgrounds (measuredintermsofmothersrsquoeducationlevels)32 Otherstudieshavealsofoundapositiveimpact onbehaviourofmixingchildrenfromhouseholds whereoneormoreparentisinworkwithchildren fromworklesshouseholds33

Family background and income 326 Researchconsistentlyfindsthatsomebasic familybackgroundfactorsndashparticularlythenumber ofsiblingstheageofthemotheratthebirthof thefirstchildandfathersrsquoemploymentndashhavesome roleinexplainingthegapinattainmentbetweenthe

richestandthepoorestchildrenFor exampleone studyshowsthatthesebackgroundfactorsexplain about25ofthegapinattainmentbetweenthe richestandthepoorestthree-year-olds34

327 Thecausalimpactofincomeonoutcomes ishotlydebatedTheevidenceislimitedwith strongerdirectevidencefromtheUnitedStates whichmaynotbetransferabletotheUKThe effectofincomeitselfonchildoutcomesis relativelysmallandsmallerthanfactorssuch asethnicitygenderandcharacteristicsofthe parentsOnereviewoftheevidenceconcludesldquoIt wouldtakelargefinancialtransferstoovercome thedisadvantagesassociatedwithcertain characteristicsrdquo35Howevertheimpactofchanges inincomeisgreaterforthoseonlowincomes andmaybegreaterintheearlyyearsThereare severalstudiesndashmostlyAmericanndashshowinga modestimpactonreadingandmathsskillsfrom incometransfers36

328 Onestudynotesthatalthoughafairly largechangeinincomeisneededtomakeasmall differencetoeducationaloutcomesndashmorethan isrealisticthroughincometransfersndashwhenthere iswideincomeinequalityalreadyincomealone maystillexplainlargedifferencesineducational outcomesacrosstheincomedistribution37

329 Generallyparentalemploymentisseen asthebestrouteoutofincomepovertyThe mainreasonisthatitprovidesincometoliftthe familyoutofpovertybutemploymentcanalso improvementalhealthselfesteemandaccess tosocialnetworksButusuallyescapingpoverty requireshavingaparentinfulltimeworkandthat

31 Sylva K et al (2004)The Effective Provision of Pre-School Education (EPPE) Project Findings from Pre-school to end of Key Stage1 SureStart

33 Mathers S and Sylva K (2007) National evaluation of the Neighbourhood Nurseries Initiative The relationship between quality and childrenrsquos behavioural development Research Report SSU2007FR022

35 Blow et al (2002) How Important is Income in Determining Childrenrsquos Outcomes A Methodology Review of Econometric Approaches IFS wwwifsorgukdocs methodologypdf

36 A $1000 increase in family income raised Maths and Reading scores by 6 of a standard deviation Dahl G and Lochner L (2008) The Impact of Family Income on Child Achievement Institute for Research on Poverty Discussion Paper no 1361-09

37 Blanden J and Gregg P (2004) Family Income and Educational Attainment A Review of Approaches and Evidence for Britain CMPO Working Paper Series No 04101

goaliseasiertoachieveiftherearetwoparents inthehouseholdAssetoutinparagraph326 whetherthefatherisemployedhasbeenshown toimpactonthegapincognitivedevelopment betweenricherandpoorerchildrenatagethree (itaccountsforaboutonethirdofthefamily backgroundeffects)Theevidenceontheeffect ofmaternalemploymentonchildoutcomesin theearlyyearsismorecomplexandhasbeen widelyresearchedResearchhasgenerallyfound smalleffectsofearlymaternalemploymentand negativeeffectsareinsignificantifthemother goesbacktoworkafterthechildis18months old38workspart-timeorflexiblyandwherethe childisinhighqualitychildcareduringherworking hoursTherearealsosignificantbenefitsof maternalemploymentlaterinchildhoodwhichcan counterbalancetheeffectsintheveryearlyyears

What are the key factors affecting outcomes later in childhood 330 ThisReviewfocusesonthecrucial importanceoftheearlyyearsbutthisisnottosay thattherearenoimportanteffectsonoutcomes lateroninchildhoodThefollowingsection providesaveryshortsummaryofliteratureon outcomesforschool-agechildrenChapter5 presentsanewsetofLifeChancesIndicatorsfor preschoolchildrenWehopethattheevidence presentedbelowwillultimatelyformthebasisof similarindicatorsforchildrenofschool age

Parents 331 Parentsrsquoimpactontheirchildrenrsquos outcomescontinuesaschildrengrowolderTheir involvementinchildrenrsquoslearningiscrucialand severalstudieshavefoundastrongrelationship

betweenparentsrsquohopesthattheirchildrenwillgo touniversityandeducationalattainmentResearch foundthatparentalattitudesandbehaviours explained20ofthegapinattainmentbetween thepoorestandtherichestchildrenatage11(not controllingforpriorability)andthatthemothersrsquo hopesforuniversityhadthesinglebiggestimpact 39

332 Aliteraturereview40foundthatmost parentshavehighaspirationsforyoungchildren butthesechangeaschildrengrowolderbecause ofeconomicconstraintschildrenrsquosabilitiesandthe availabilityofopportunitiesTheyalsofoundthat aspirationsarestrongerpredictorsofattainment foryoungpeoplefrommoredisadvantaged backgroundsthanforbetteroffchildrenandthat higherparentalaspirationscanlessentheeffectsof socioeconomicdisadvantage

333 Parentalmentalhealthandpsychological well-beingalsocontinuestohaveanimpacton childrenResearchhasshownthatthemotherrsquos perceptionofwhethershehascontroloverher ownlifeoractionsissignificantlyassociatedwith cognitivenon-cognitiveandhealthoutcomes atageeighttotenForexampleitexplains around20oftheincomegradientinbehaviour outcomesandover7oftheincomegradientin KeyStage1results41Thegreaterlevelofanxiety anddepressionandgreatertendencytowards harshdisciplineinlowerincomefamiliesare associatedparticularlywithpoorerchildself-esteemandgreaterbehaviouralissues

Child level factors 334 Attainmentearlierinchildhoodhasa significantimpactonlaterchildhoodattainment Onestudyfoundthatpriorattainment(measured atageseven)explainedover60ofthegapin

38 Recent research from the USA has concluded that the overall effect of 1st year maternal employment is neutral It finds that full time employment does have significant and negative direct effects on later child cognitive outcomes (compared with not working in the first year) but that those effects are counterbalanced by positive indirect effects (use of centre-based childcare and increased maternal sensitivity) Brooks-Gunn J et al (2010) lsquoDiscussion and Conclusionsrsquo Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development 75(2) 96-113

40 Gutman LM and Akerman R (2008) Determinants of Aspirations Centre for Research on the Wider Benefits of Learning Research Report 27 London Institute of Education

Figure 35 Explaining the gap between children from families in the bottom and top 20 of the income distribution at age 16 a decomposition analysis

Parental education and Residual gap 7 family background 6

Missing data 4

Child attitudes and behaviours 15

Parental attitudes and behaviours 15

Schools 1 Prior ability 59

Source Gregg and Goodman (2010)

attainmentbetweenthepoorestandtherichestat age11emphasisingtheimportanceofclosinggaps inattainmentatanearlierstageThesameapplies atage16asshowninFigure35Thisextremely strongrelationshipbetweenattainmentatdifferent agesisconfirmedinanumberofstudies42

335 Aschildrengrowoldertheirownattitudes andbehavioursalsostarttohaveanimpacton theirattainment(seeFigure35)Thisincludes factorsrelatingtoaspirationsforfurthereducation andenjoymentofschoolSelfesteemalsohasan impactonattainmentndashforexamplebeliefintheir ownabilityatage14hasasignificantimpacton attainmentatage16andlosingbeliefintheirown abilitybetweentheagesof14and16leadstoa smallincreaseinriskybehaviour43

Institutions 336 Moststudiesalsofindthatschoolsandin particularteachershaveanimpactonthegapin attainmentbetweentherichestandthepoorest Onestudyshowedthataround10ofthe variationinKeyStage2pupilattainmentinEnglish (and7forMaths)wasattributabletodifferences betweenschools44andanotherfoundthatschools explainedaround6ofthegapinattainment atKeyStage2betweentherichestandthe poorestwhencontrollingforpriorattainment45A similarpatternhasbeenfoundfornon-cognitive outcomesillustratingthattheimpactschoolsare havingisconsistentacrossallschools46

42 Gregg and Goodman (2010) Childrenrsquos Educational Outcomes the role of attitudes and behaviours from early childhood to late adolescence CMPO and Vignoles A and Meschi E (2010) The determinants of non-cognitive and cognitive schooling outcomes A report to the Department for Children Schools and Families CEE Special Report 004

43 A one standard deviation increase in a young personrsquos belief in their own ability at age 14 is associated with a 0244 standard deviation increase in Key Stage 4 test scores (equivalent to around 38 GCSE points) Chowdry et al (2009) Drivers and Barriers to Educational Success ndash Evidence from the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England DCSF-RR102

44 Gutman L and Feinstein L (2008) Childrenrsquos Well-Being in Primary School Pupil and School EffectsWBL Research Report No 25 Institute of Education

45 Gregg and Goodman (2010) Childrenrsquos Educational Outcomes the role of attitudes and behaviours from early childhood to late adolescence CMPO

46 Variations in changes in non-attainment outcomes between the ages of 14 and 16 (eg enjoyment of school bullying and depression) were found to be almost entirely due to differences within schools rather than between schools Vignoles A and Meschi E (2010) The determinants of non-cognitive and cognitive schooling outcomes CEE Special Report 004

337 Akeyfindingontheimpactofschools isthatteachingqualityinparticularmatters TheevidencefromtheSTARprojectsetout inparagraph39demonstratestheimportance ofbeingtaughtbyagoodteacherintheearly yearsTeachingqualitywasasignificantpredictor ofprogressinbothreadingandmathematics overKeyStage2Analysisoftheattainmentof olderchildrenshowedthatbeingtaughtbyahigh quality(top25)ratherthanlowquality(bottom 25)teacheradded0425ofaGCSEgradeper subject47

338 AnalysisofoutcomesinUKschoolsshows thatthevastmajorityndashover80ndashofsecondary schoolswhoseintakeatage11areinthebottom 20ofperformancearestillinthebottom20 ofGCSEresultsillustratingthatonlyasmall minorityofsecondaryschoolsmanagetoshift theperformanceoftheirstudentsduringthese yearsThepictureamongprimaryschoolsismore mixedalthoughnearlyhalfofprimaryschoolswith aschoolaverageFoundationStageProfilescorein thebottom20remainthereatKeyStage248

What matters during the transition to adulthood 339 Cognitivedevelopmentintheearlyyears hasastrongpredictivepowerforlaterlife outcomesandthisrelationshipgetsstronger duringchildhoodCognitivedevelopmentatage 11mattersforbothemploymentandwagelevels inadultlifeaswellashavinganimpactonhealth outcomes

340 Onceyoureachthelabourmarketthere arecleareconomicadvantagestoqualifications ndashhigherqualificationscarryhigherreturnsand academicqualificationsearnmorethantheir vocationalcounterparts(exceptinthecaseof

postgraduatequalificationswherevocational qualificationssuchasaccountancyearnhigher returnsthanPhDs)ForexampleFiveA-Cs at GCSEcarryawagereturnofaround10 and a firstdegreecarriesareturnofbetween 25 and3049

341 Thetypeofskillsdemandedinthelabour marketisandhasbeenchangingfrommanualskills toabilitiesincommunicationandself-management Thisindicatesthatsocialandemotionalskills arebecomingmoreimportantResearchhas confirmedthatsomenon-cognitiveskillsndashin particularattentivenessandthebeliefthatyour ownactioncanmakeadifferencendasharealmostas importantascognitiveskillsforachievingminimal educationalqualificationsbyage2650

342 Thiscombinationofahighdegreeof correlationbetweenparentsandchildrenrsquos educationaloutcomes(asoutlinedinparagraph 315)thelargegapsinattainmentbetweenricher andpoorerchildren(asshowninChapter2) andthebigwagereturnstohigherqualifications reinforceinequalityofoutcomesacross generationsThesearethedrivingforcesbehind thebyinternationalstandardslowlevelsofsocial mobilityintheUKintermsofeducationincome andsocialclass

Recommendations 343 Giventheevidencesetoutinthischapter thisReviewrecommendsthattheGovernment shouldgivegreaterprominencetotheearliest yearsinlifeadoptingthetermlsquoFoundationYearsrsquo toincreasetheprofileofthiscruciallifestage improvethepublicrsquosunderstandingofwhatis importantforbabiesandyoungchildrenand todescribethepackageofsupportforchild developmentinthatperiodTheFoundation Yearsshouldbeasimportantinthepublic

47 Burgess et al (2009) Do teachers matter Measuring the variation in teacher effectiveness in England Bristol CMPO

49 Jenkins et al (2007) The Returns to Qualifications in England Updating the Evidence Base on Level 2 and Level 3 Vocational Qualifications CEE Discussion Paper no 89

50 Feinstein L (2000) The relative importance of academic psychological and behavioural attributes developed in childhood London School of Economics

mindastheprimaryandsecondaryschool yearsanddevelopmentduringthoseyearsas wellunderstoodAreductionintheinequality ofoutcomesduringtheearlyyearsshouldbe anabsolutepriorityChapter4outlinessome practicalstepsthattheGovernmentcouldtake towardsachievingbetteroutcomesforthemost disadvantagedchildrenandChapter5setsout howwecouldmeasureoutcomesintheseyears

344 TheReviewrecommendsthatthe Governmentgraduallymovesfundingtotheearly yearsandthatthisfundingisweightedtowards themostdisadvantagedchildrenThereshould beacontinuedandincreasedFairnessPremium fortheFoundationYears(buildingontheFairness PremiumandEarlyInterventionGrantintroduced inthe2010SpendingReview57)whichshouldstart inpregnancyTheReviewwouldseethispremium asenablingSureStartChildrenrsquosCentrestopayfor specificadditionalservicesforlowincomefamilies

345 TheReviewsupportsasustainable approachtoreducingchildpovertyTothis endwerecommendthatforeveryBudgetthe Governmentcalculateswhatitwouldcostin termsofincometransferstoensurethatthechild povertyratedoesnotincreaseandthereshould beapublicdebateaboutthebestwaytoinvest thisamountofmoneyinimprovinglifechancesIf theevidenceshowsthatthismoneywouldhavea largerimpactonchildpovertyifitwereinvested inFoundationYearsservicesratherthanincome transfersthenGovernmentshouldconsiderthisas anoption

346 Thisincreasedfundingshouldbetargeted atthosefactorsthatweknowmatterinthe earlyyearsndashhighqualityandconsistentsupport duringpregnancyandintheearlyyearssupport forparentsregardingparentingandthehome learningenvironmentandearlyeducationChapter 4explainstheReviewrsquosvisionfortheFoundation Yearsinmoredetailandsetsoutwhatthe increasedfundingshouldbeusedon

347 Theserecommendationswillbechallenging intheshorttermbuttheGovernmentshould havealongtermambitiontonarrowthegapsin outcomesbetweenpoorerandricherchildrenby agefivebecausethatisthemostcost-effective wayofaddressinginequalitiesinlifechancesThere isnotimetowasteinbeginningthisnewoffensive infightingpoverty

348 TheReviewbelievesthatinthelongrun alldisadvantagedchildrenmusthaveaccessto affordablefulltimegraduateledearlyeducation fromagetwoThisisessentialtosupportparents returningtoworkaswellaschilddevelopmentIf highqualityearlyeducationisonlyavailablepart timeparentsmayhavetosupplementitwith lowerqualitycheaperchildcareorchoosenotto returntowork

349 WhilethisReviewhasfocusedonthe earlyyearsitrecognisesthatimportantchanges cananddotakeplacelaterinchildrenrsquoslivesand thatinvestmentintheearlyyearswillnotbefully effectiveunlessitisfollowedupwithhighquality servicesforthosewhoneedthemmostlaterin childhoodTheReviewthereforerecommends thattheGovernmentextendsthelifechances approachtolaterstagesinchildhood

57 wwwhm-treasurygovukspendingreview

Chapter 4 Building Foundation Years Services

This chapter looks at what Government (both central and local) voluntary sector and community bodies can do to ensure that disadvantaged children get the best start in life and to minimise the chances of them being poor in adulthood It goes through

A Briefly where we are now ndash including both the current system and evidence around effectiveness

B Where we want to be a vision for the future with practical steps that central and local Government and providers can take over the coming years

Summary

bull Chapter3setouttheimportanceoftheearlyyearsinachildrsquosdevelopmentincluding parentingandthehomelearningenvironmentGiventheimportanceoftheearlyyears GovernmentbothlocalandnationalshouldseetheseFoundationYearsbecomingasimportantas primaryandsecondaryeducationandtreattheirprovisionaccordingly

bull Evidencesuggeststhatthereareserviceswhichcanmakearealdifferencendashchangingthe trajectoryofwherechildrenareheading

ndash ChildreninSureStartareasshowbetterbehaviourandgreaterindependencepartly becauseofimprovedparentingandhomelearningenvironments ndash ProgrammesndashsuchasFamilyInterventionServicesndashcansavemoneybypreventingtheneed formoreintensivehelp ndash TheEPPEstudyfoundthatpre-schoolhelpstoreducethedisadvantagechildrenfromsome socialgroupsexperience

bull ButcurrentlyservicesonthegroundareveryvariableandsoaretheresultsToooftentherersquos littleunderstandingoftheoutcomesachievedorwhethertheyreachthefamiliesthatneedthem mostTheevidencebaseshowsinterventionscanimproveparentingandlifechancesbutdoesnot alwaysgiveusaclearideaofthebestwayofdoingthis

Summary (continued)

bull Poorfamilieswhohavemosttogain gettheworstdealfrompublicservices Ofstedreportsshowschoolsandchildcare indeprivedareasareofalowerstandard thaninaffluentareasThisneedstochangeif wearetoreducepovertyinthelongterm

bull Whatparentsdoisthemost importantfactorinchildrenrsquosdevelopment Servicesneedtobebetteratengaging parentsandbuildingontheirstrengths Moreopportunitiestolearnparentingskills shouldbeprovidedincludingthroughthe schoolcurriculum

bull TheReviewrecommendsformalising thepackageofsupportfromconception toagefiveastheFoundationYearsndash withaCabinetMinistersitedjointly intheDepartmentforEducation andDepartmentofHealthtotake responsibilityforthisapproachThe FoundationYearsshouldbe

ndash UniversalwithSureStartChildren rsquos Centresprovidingsupportforallparents andagatewayforthosethatneedmore help ndash Prov idinghelpforthosethatneedit mostwithincreasedfundingforfamilies whowouldbenefitmostatargetedhome visitingserviceandservicesindeprived areasbroughtuptothestandardofthose inmoreaffluentareas ndash Involvingthecommunityimproving

thecapacityoflocalparentstohelp eachotherandensuringlocalvoluntary groupshavethechancetorunservices ndash Evidencebasedwithserviceswhich

makeadifferenceandagoodunderstanding ofwhetherservicesaregettingtothe childrenthatneedthemmost

41 Thereisarangeofevidenceonwhathas afavourableimpactonparentingstylesandearly yearsdevelopmentforchildrenItshowsthatthere areinterventionswhichcanmakeadifferenceto childrenrsquoslifechancesThisisconsistentwiththe picturethatpractitionersandacademicshavegiven usindiscussion

42 Inadditionevidencefromothercountries suggeststhatthereisscopeformakingsignificant improvementsinbothparentingandchildrenrsquos outcomes

bullTheHarlemChildrenrsquosZonendashwhereone evaluationfoundldquotheeffectsarebigenough toclosetheblack-whiteachievementgapin mathematicsrdquo1

bullThetwocountriesatthetopoftheUNICEF LeagueTablesforChildWellbeingndashSwedenand theNetherlandsndashgiveprioritytoinvestment intheearlyyearsandimprovingparentingin Sweden98ofmaternityclinicsofferparenting educationintheNetherlandsparentingsupport isofferedtoallfamilies2

43 Runningthroughalltherecommendations aretwoprinciples

bullParentshavetobepartnersintheeducation systemfromtheirchildrsquosconceptionthroughto eighteenWhatparentsdointhehomeismore importantthanwhatschoolsdosoitisvitalthat earlyyearsservicesnurseriesschoolsandother professionalsinvolveparentsandbuildontheir strengths

bullSocietyneedstotakeserviceprovisionfrom conceptiontoagefiveasseriouslyasitdoes compulsoryeducationChapter3showedthat lessthanoneinfivechildrenwhowereinthe bottomquartileinearlydevelopmentscoresat agefiveachievedanALevelorhigherandthat parentalinvolvementinachildrsquoseducationiskey andstartsduringtheearlyyears

1 Dobbie and Fryer (2009)Are High Quality Schools Enough to Close the Acheivment Gap Evidence From A Social Experiment in HarlemNBER Working Paper 15473 wwwnberorgpapersw15473 (pg 1)

2 Hosking Walsh and Pillai (2010) International experiences of early intervention for children young people and their families Wave Trust commissioned by C4EO

BuildingFoundationYearsServices 55

What the Review has not covered 44 GiventheevidencesetoutinChapters 2and3thatinprincipleinterventionsinthe earlyyearscanbemostcosteffectiveandtheir influenceisfeltthroughoutthelifecoursethe Reviewhasconcentratedonwaysofimproving childrenrsquosattainmentintheearlyyears

45 Thereareanumberofareasofoverlap withotherworkandongoingreviewsthathave beencommissionedbytheGovernmentInthese casesthisreporthasnotgoneintodetail

bullThosechildrenwhoneedthemostintensive supportorcareProfessorEileenMunrois conductingareviewofthechildprotection systemwithafocusonstrengtheningthesocial workprofessiontoputthemintoabetter positiontomakewell-informedjudgements3

bullTheEarlyYearsFoundationStageFramework ndashwhichisthesubjectofareviewledbyDame ClareTickellThisreviewislookingathowbest earlyyearssettingscansupportyoungchildrenrsquos learningdevelopmentandwelfaretohelpgive allchildrenthebeststartinlife4

bullEvidenceofwhatworkswithspecific interventionshowwedisseminatethisand fundingmechanismswhichhelplocalbodiesto commissionpreventativeinterventionsndashwhich theGrahamAllenledEarlyInterventionreview iscovering

bullWiderissuesofsocialmobilityndashwhereAlan Milburnisprovidinganannualindependent reviewofGovernmenteffectiveness

A ndash The current situation and evidence on effectiveness

Key Points

bull Thereisevidencethatinterventions canmakeadifferenceinimproving parentingthehomelearningenvironment andimprovingchildrenrsquosattainmentfor example

ndash TriplePhasbeenshowntolead topositivechangesinparentingand reductionsinchildproblembehaviour ndash ChildreninSureStartareashave

beenshowntohaveimprovedbehaviour andgreaterindependencepartly becauseofbetterparentingandhome learningenvironment ndash Thereisstrongevidencetosuggest

assetoutinchapter3thathighquality childcareleadstobetteroutcomes especiallyfordisadvantagedchildren

bull Thereisastrongcaseforuniversal serviceswhicharenotstigmatising andwhichimproveawarenessof earlydevelopmentthroughthewhole populationIncountriessuchasSweden andtheNetherlandsparentingsupportis offeredtoalmostallparents

bull Buttherearemanytimeswhenmore specifichelpisneededTheevidencepoints tothemosteffectiveinterventionsbeing intensivefocusedonspecificpopulations andincludebothparentsandchildren Detailsmatterprogrammeswhichlook similaroftenhaveverydifferentlevelsof successAlthoughservicestargetedat specificgroupscanbemoreeffectivethey riskstigmatisingsomegroupsandreducing takeup

3 More background on the Munro Review of Child Protection is at wwweducationgovukmunroreviewbackground shtml

4 Terms of reference of the Review of the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework are on the web httpwwweducationgovukconsultations downloadableDocsSarah20Tether20Letterpdf

bull Theevidenceisnotasstrongaswe wouldlikemuchisbasedonstudiesfrom theUnitedStatesalotofBritishevidence isbasedonlsquosofterrsquoindicatorssuchas whetherparticipantshavesaidtheyfound acourseusefulratherthanchangesin behaviouroroutcomesServicesare veryvariableandtoooftenthereislittle understandingofhowwellthesystem deliversforthepoorestchildren

bull Thosethatneedmosthelpgetthe worstdealfromthesystemWehavealready notedthatgoodqualityearlyyearssettings canhavethemostbenefitforthepoorest childrenbuttheyareleastlikelytogoto themandformanyreasonsthepoorest childrengettheworstexperienceinschool

Overview of the evidence base 46 Thereisarangeofevidenceonwhatis effectivewithseveralbodiescollatingevidence onwhatworksincludingtheWashingtonState InstituteandtheWhatWorksClearingHousein theUnitedStatesandintheUKtheDartington SocialResearchUnittheInstituteofEffective EducationinYorkandC4EO(TheCentrefor ExcellenceandOutcomesinChildrenrsquosandYoung PeoplersquosServices)Severaloverarchingmessages comethroughincludingthatthemosteffective programmesare

bullTargetedatspecificpopulations

bullIntensive

bullVoluntary

bullMaintainfidelitytotheoriginalmodel

bullWorkwithbothparentsandchildren

47 Howeveritisdifficulttogiveagoodoverall pictureoftheevidenceandgiveaclearanswer tothequestionldquowhatworksbestrdquoTherearea numberofreasonsforthis

bullMuchoftheevidenceistakenfromtheUnited StatesAlthoughthisprovidespointerstogood practiceevidencedoesnotnecessarilyread acrosstotheUK

bullProgrammeswhichlooksimilartoanon-expert canbeverydifferentinhowsuccessfultheyare Thereareprogrammesofalltypeswhicheither donotworkorhaverelativelymodestresults5 Socommissionersofserviceshavetobecareful tounderstandwhetherevidenceisreallyrobust oralternativelytoevaluateprogrammeswhen theyareinplace

bullJudgementscanbebasedondifferentcriteria orimpactsondifferentoutcomesForexample thePromisingPracticewebsiteranksone programmeaslsquoprovenrsquoasthereisrobust evidenceitmakesadifferencehoweverthe WashingtonStateInstituteanalysisshowsthatit isnotcosteffectiveasitdoesnotmakeenough differencetospecificoutcomestojustifythe expenditure

48 TheGrahamAllenreviewofEarly Interventionislookinginmoredetailat

bullmodelsofgoodpracticewhatworksaround earlyinterventionandhowthesecouldbestbe supportedanddisseminatedand

bullnewandinnovativefundingmechanisms includingnon-governmentmoneywhichwould ensurelongtermstabilityandfundingofEarly Interventionprogrammesandpolicies

Services disadvantaged children receive 49 Disadvantagedchildrenoftengetworse servicesthanchildrenofbetteroffparentsor childreninmoreaffluentareas

410 Thechildrenwhowouldbenefitmostfrom goodqualityearlyeducationandchildcareareleast likelytoreceiveitThisreflectsanumberofissues

bullAsOfstednoteintheir2009-10annualreport ldquoThequalityofprovisionislowerinareasofhigh deprivationthemoredeprivedtheareathe

5 Examples of different programmes of a similar type are in Aos et al (2004) Benefits and Costs of Prevention and Early Intervention Programmes for Youth Washington State Institute for Public Policy

lowertheproportionofgoodandoutstanding providersJustoverhalf(52)ofchildminders inthemostdeprivedareasaregoodor outstandingcomparedwith71intheleast deprivedareasrdquo6Inparticularchildmindersand childcareprovidersworkbetterinpartnership withparentsinadvantagedareasthanin disadvantagedones

bullTake-upislowerfordisadvantagedchildrenThis partlyreflectscostbuteventakeupofthefree entitlementislowerforthe15hoursoffree earlyeducationplacesforthreeorfouryear olds79ofchildreninfamilieswithanannual incomeunderpound10000receivesomefree entitlementcomparedwith87forallchildren atthisageand97ofchildreninfamilieswith annualincomeoverpound450007

411 Schoolsthenoftenprovideworseteaching todisadvantagedpupilsThereareanumber ofreasonsforthisitishardertorecruitgood teacherstochallengingschoolsindeprivedareas andlowincomeparentsoftenfinditharderto engagewiththeirchildrenrsquoslearningorwiththe schoolTherecanbeadownwardspiralwithlow abilitygroupsreceivingpoorerteachingresulting inlowattainmentlowexpectationandpoor motivation8Manyteachersfinditeasiertoteach well-behavedchildrenandsoengagemorewith them

412 Whatparentsdointhehomeisatleast asimportantasearlyyearsandschooleducation Schoolsandearlyyearssettingscanencourage parentstoprovideabetterhomelearning environmentbutagainschoolsservingthemost deprivedpupilsarearoundhalfaslikelytobe judgedgoodoroutstandingforthequalityoftheir

parentalengagementasschoolswiththeleast deprivedpupilsTheOfstedsubmissiontothe reviewsaidldquomoreremainstobedonetoconvince someschoolsthatparentalengagementiscentral totheircorepurposeofraisingattainmentrdquo

Recent developments 413 Therehasbeenarecentincreaseinthe levelofactivityandinterestinservicesaround earlyyearsincludingwithSureStartChildrenrsquos Centresoriginallyannouncedin1998ndashsitedinthe mostdeprivedcommunitiesTheNationalRollout ofSureStartoccurredbetween2006and2010 bringingthetotalnumberofcentresfrom800to around3500TheChildrenSchoolsandFamilies SelectCommitteesaid

ldquoTheunambiguousbeliefofthosewhoworkin thesectoristhatChildrenrsquosCentresarebearing fruitinawaythatisdemonstratedbythe experiencesofindividualfamilieswhousethem Howeverthereisalsoaproperandnecessary awarenessthatevidenceaboutoutcomesmust becollectedmoresystematicallyandrigorously ndashaprocesshamperedinmanyareasbylackof dataInparticularinformationthatwouldallow ChildrenrsquosCentrestobeassessedforvalue formoneyisstillmoredifficulttocomeby thanitshouldbealthoughworkinthisareais progressingrdquo9

414 EarlyassessmentsofSureStart programmesshowedmixedresultsbutthemore recentevaluationsoffullyestablishedprogrammes showmorepositiveeffectswithsimilarpositive effectsforallchildrenfromarangeofbackgrounds (forexampleworklesshouseholdsandteenage mothers)10

6 Ofsted Annual report for 2009-10 November 2010

7 Smith et al (2010) Childcare and Early Years Survey of Parents Natcen DfE Research Report DFE_054

8 Department for Children Schools and Families (2009) Deprivation and Education the evidence on pupils in England Foundation State to Key Stage 4

9 House of Commons Children Schools and Families Committee (March 2010) Sure Start Childrenrsquos Centres Fifth Report of Session 2009-10 wwwpublicationsparliamentukpacm200910 cmselectcmchilsch130130ipdf

10 Melhuish et al (2008) Effects of fully-established Sure Start Local Programmes on 3-year-old children and their families living in England a quasi experimental observational study The Lancet Vol 372

415 Thereisanincreasingrangeofspecific programmesaimedatdisadvantagedfamilies withyoungchildrenwhichdemonstratethat improvementscanbemadetothehomelearning environmentparentingandchildoutcomesmore widelySomeofthesesuchasFamilyNurse Partnerships11andtheTriplePandIncredibleYears parentingprogrammeshaverigorousevidence basesOthersareshowingpromisingresults althoughdonotyethavethesortofrigorous evidencebasethatispreferable

Challenges in delivery 416 Mostoftheservicesthatsupportparents andearlyyearsdevelopmentarecommissionedby localbodieswhetherLocalAuthoritiesPrimary CareTrusts(andsoonGPs)orschools

417 Despiteanalysissuggestingthatearly yearsprogrammescansavemoneyanumber ofpracticalproblemsareoftenidentifiedwhich preventtheseservicesbeingprovidedArecent reportbyDEMOS12identified

bullalackofclearevidenceandpoorunderstanding oftheevidencebycommissioners

bullthelongtimescalesinvolvedinseeingreturns whichisapoorincentivetocommission preventativeworkand

bullsilobasedlocalbudgetingwithbenefitsfrom investmentoftengoingtoadifferentlocal budgetfromtheonewhichwouldcommission thepreventativeservice

418 Itisimportanttoalsonotelimitationsin thecapacityofmanyservicesInseveralareasfor examplethecaseloadshealthvisitorscarrymean theyareentirelyfocusedonsafeguardingand manyparentscannotexpectmorethanabrief visitTheReviewhasalsoheardthatthetwoyear healthreviewdoesnothappenformanychildren duetolimitsoncapacityGiventhesechallenges wewelcomethecommitmenttoanadditional 4200healthvisitorsfromtheGovernmentand wouldencouragejoinupbetweenhealthvisitors andotherprofessionalsndashsuchasearlyyears

practitionersndashtohelpreachandprovidesupport forallchildrenThesocialworkprofessionalso facessimilarcapacitychallengeswhichtheMunro reviewislookingatinmoredetail

B ndash Where do we want to be ndash a vision for the future

Key Points Thissectionsetsoutprinciplesforthe FoundationYearsincludingspecificactions

A single servicendashtheFoundationYearsshould providecoherentsupportSpecifically

bull ACabinetMinisterfortheFoundation Years

bull ChildrenrsquosCentresshouldexpandthe rangeofservicestheyprovidetoinclude forexamplebirthregistrationandbenefit advice

bull Localareasshouldconsidersetting uplocalchildpovertyandlifechances commissionstoinvestigateco-ordinateand tacklelocalissues

A universal servicefromwhichallparents canbecomfortableaskingforsupport

bull SureStartChildrenrsquosCentresand associatednetworksshouldprovideafirst portofcallforFoundationYearsservices forallparents

Providing most help for those that need it mostndashwithalongtermaimthatschools andchildcareindeprivedareasareatleastas goodasthoseinaffluentareas

bull TheprincipleoftheFairnessPremium shouldbeextendedtotheFoundationYears

11 Nurse Family Partnerships were developed in the United States and are being piloted in the UK as Family Nurse Partnerships

12 Sodha and Margo (2010) Ex curricula Demos

Builds on parental successndashaswhatparents doisthebiggestinfluenceonchildren Specifically

bull Childcareandschoolsshouldengageall parentswiththeirchildrenrsquoslearning

bull DepartmentforEducationshould ensurethatparentingandlifeskillsare taughtinschoolsthroughthecurriculum

Building capacity in the communityndash recognisingthatinformalnetworksare importantsourcesofsupportforparentsand stronglyinfluencethewaytheyparent

bull LocalAuthoritiesshouldensure thatprivatevoluntaryandindependent providersareabletobidtorunChildrenrsquos Centresandserviceswithinthem

bull FoundationYearsstaffshouldactively encouragelocalparentsgroupsandother networksandfacilitatetheircreationand sustainability

Professionally ledndashasprofessionalsin forexamplechildcareandFamilyNurse Partnershipsmakearealdifferenceto outcomesSpecifically

bull DepartmentforEducationin conjunctionwithChildrenrsquosCentresshould sponsortrainanddeveloptheFoundation Yearsworkforce

Underpinned by evidencendashusingmethods whichweknowmakeimprovements

bull LocalAuthoritiesshouldpooldata tounderstandwhetherdisadvantaged childrenarebenefitingfromkeyservices

Accountablendashsothepublichavethe informationtoholdspecificservicesLocal AuthoritiesandCentralGovernmentto account

bull Informationonprogressofthreeand fiveyearoldsshouldbecollectedtoshow theimpactofChildrenrsquosCentresandLocal Authorityservices

419 ThissectionsetsouttheReviewrsquosambitions fortheFoundationYearsandsomemore shortandmediumtermstepscentralandlocal governmentcantaketomakeprogress

420 Bothcentralandlocalgovernmentare lookinghardattheirexistingspendinlightofthe fiscalsituationEvenwithoutthefiscalconstraints itwillinevitablytakeseveralyearstobuildup capacityNeverthelessitisusefultosetoutwhat anidealservicemightlookliketoinformthesteps weareabletotakenow

What Foundation Years services might look like from parentsrsquo point of view 421 WhatareourambitionsfortheFoundation YearsservicesThissectionlooksatsomelonger termambitions

422 ThereviewseesFoundationYearsservices encompassing

bullMaternityunitsandmidwiferyservicesproviding supportandadvicetopregnantwomen

bullChildrenrsquosCentresprovidingcentrebased supportincludingparentingcoursesstayand playrelationshipsupportforparentsspeech therapyandothersupportforchildrenas wellasprovidingwidersupportasaonestop centreforarangeofparentcentredservices includingskillsadvicebirthregistrationadvice onbenefitsdebtandotherissues

bullAhomevisitingservicendashmadeupofboth trainedhealthvisitorsandoutreachworkers providinghomebasedsupportforparents unabletogettocentresorforthosewhoneed moreintensivesupport

bullWidervoluntarysupportnetworksndashwhichare promotedbyChildrenrsquosCentresandothers

Box 41 The Foundation Years Service Tostartwemightthinkaboutwhatthe FoundationYearswouldideallylooklike fromthepointofviewofafamilyndashletus callthemEllaandJohnndashgoingthroughthe challengeofraisingayoungchildonalow incomeEllaisnotinworkandJohnisin alowpaidjobthisistheirfirstchildand theydonothavealargefamilysupport networknearby(Ellarsquosparentsliveacouple ofhoursawayandJohnhasfallenoutwith hisparents)

OnfindingoutshersquospregnantEllagoesto herGPsurgerywhereshersquosreferredto themidwifeSheseesthemidwifeeight orninetimesthroughherpregnancywith Johnalsoinvitedalongtothevisitswhere EllaiscomfortableThemidwifetellsElla andJohnabouttheearlyyearsFairness Premiumwhichallowsfamiliesonalow incometoaccessapackageofadditional servicesincludingearlyeducationand childcarewhichgivesEllaandJohntime awayfromcaringfreebooksetcThe midwifealsoexplainsthattheywouldlike tosharesomeselectedinformationwith theChildrenrsquosCentresothatservicescan runmoresmoothlywhichEllaagreesto (shethoughtthishappenedanyway)

ThemidwifebooksEllaandJohnontoa locallsquoPreparationforParenthoodrsquoante-natalgroupwhichincludestheopportunity tomeetotherparentsandlearnabout theimportanceofearlyattachmentand caringforanewbabyThegroupisheldat thelocalChildrenrsquosCentrewheretheycan meettheirhealthvisitor-andtheparents areshownaroundtheCentreandthe facilitiesThestafftalktotheparentsabout itsrangeofservicesmakesuretheyfeel welcomeandletthemknowwhatservices theyareentitledtoandwhatispaidfor

Someante-natalclassesareheldin otherpremisesbutsomeonefrom theChildrenrsquosCentrecomesalongto introducethemselvesEllaandJohnarealso introducedtotheirhealthvisitoratthis session(Forpeoplewhomisstheante-natalclassthereareotheropportunities tomeetupwiththehealthvisitorandkey ChildrenrsquosCentrestaff)

Theprospectiveparentsaretalkedthrough themainroutesofsupport

bull TheChildrenrsquosCentrewhichprovides ahubwhichmostservicescaneitherbe accessedfromorsignpostedtoMany appointmentsareeitherattheChildrenrsquos CentreorthelocalGPssurgery

bull Ahealthvisitorwiththemidwifewho provideexpertguidanceoncaringfor anewbabyandhelpingthemmakethe transitiontoparenthoodalongwithateam ofprofessionalworkersandvolunteers Theteamisfocusedonpeoplewhohave problemsattendingtheChildrenrsquosCentre orfamilieswhomayneedextrasupport Theteamhasgoodlinkswiththelocal GPsrsquosurgeriesandtheChildrenrsquosCentre Eachfamilygetsthechancetobuildupa relationshipwiththehealthvisitorandtheir team

bull Voluntarysupportwhichsupplements theformalsupportandprovideseitherless formalhelporwithsupervisionsupport forparentsstatutoryservicescannotget toThiswilltakedifferentformsindifferent localareasbutChildrenrsquosCentresand healthvisitorshelptobuildupcapacityin thesector

ThemostimportantpeopleforEllaand JohnaretheirfriendsandfamilyThe ante-natalgroupbuildsfriendshipsso theymeetoutsidetheformalgroupand supporteachotherThesamegroupisalso invitedtofollowupmeetingsincludingon breastfeedingAvolunteerfromalocal parentsrsquogroupcomesalongtoencourage thefutureparentstomeetregularlyThere isalsoavolunteercommunityparent schemewhichprovideslowlevelsupport tonewparents(supplementinghealth visitors)

Ellagivesbirthinalocalhospital

AhealthvisitorcomestoseeEllaJohn andAidensoonafterthebirthattheir homeThehealthvisitorbooksthevisit foratimewhenJohncanmakeitShetalks Ellathroughsometipsforcontinuingto breastfeedEllahasfounditdifficultbut wantstokeeptryingassheknowshow importantitisforherbabyThehealth visitorputsherintouchwithalocalpeer supportgroupandvisitsregularlyoverthe nextcoupleofweekstosupportthefamily ThehealthvisitorencouragesEllaand JohntogobacktotheirlsquoPreparationfor Parenthoodrsquogroupwhichiscontinuinguntil allthebabiesaresixweeksoldTheythink theymaythenjointhepositiveparenting courserunbytheChildrenrsquosCentre(All parentsareaskedwhethertheywantto goononeofthesebutthehealthvisitor makesmoreeffortwithyoungparentsor parentsinmorechallengingcircumstances)

EllaandJohnregisterthebirthatthelocal ChildrenrsquosCentreAftertheregistrationa familybenefitsadvisorbasedinthecentre checkswhethertheyneedanyhelpwith childbenefitorotherformsandchecks theyknowabouttheservicefacilitiesand parentingcourses

Theydiscussagaintheimportanceof earlyattachmentandtalkingtoyoung childrenEllaandJohnarestrugglingwith theadditionalworkofbringingupAiden TheHealthvisitornotesthisandmakes suretheyarevisitedeverymonthtocheck theyareOKthatfeedingisgoingOKand tokeepencouragingthemtoplaywith AidenThehealthvisitorvisitsbecomeless frequentwhentheynoticethatEllaand Johnarecopingbetterandregularlygoing totheChildrenrsquosCentre(soCentrebased servicescanprovidemoreofthesupport)

TheChildrenrsquosCentrestafftalktoEllaand JohnaroundAidenrsquosfirstbirthday(and aroundsubsequentbirthdays)aboutwhat thesecondyearmaybelikeandwhatnew challengestheyarelikelytofaceThehealth visitingteamreviewallchildrenbeforetheir firstbirthdayandareonhandifneededin between

ThefamilymovehousewhenAidenisone andahalfmovingoutofthecatchment areaofthelocalChildrenrsquosCentreThe LocalAuthoritycollectsHousingBenefit recordsandChildrenrsquosCentreattendance recordsarepartofitsdatasystemItuses thesetoidentifythatthefamilyhasmoved Someonefromthehealthvisitingteam goestoseethemandinvitesthemtotheir nearestChildrenrsquosCentreandhelpsmake suresupportisasseamlessaspossible

TheChildrenrsquosCentreregularlyconsults theparentsonwhatitofferswhilegiving themasimpleoverviewontheevidence behinddifferentelementsofwhatitdoes

FromagetwoAidengetsafreeearly educationplacefor15hoursaweek (Thereissomefreeearlyeducation forchildrenyoungerthantwowhokey workersthinkwillbenefitfromit)Ellais encouragedtousesomeofthattimeto startworkingtowardsaqualificationThe staffatthenurserysupportAidenrsquoslearning throughplayTheyinviteEllaandJohnto spendacoupleofhoursinthenursery everycoupleofmonthstoseewhatthe nurserystaffaredoinganddiscusswhat theparentscandotohelptheirchildren Ellahasalwaysstruggledwithreadingand sohasnotreadtoAidenthenurserystaff discussthiswithherencouragehertosign uptoanadultskillscourseandshowher howshecantellstoriestoAidenusing picturebooks

ThereisacafeintheCentrewhichisrun asalocalsocialenterpriseEllavolunteers atthisfortwomorningsaweekwhile AidenisinchildcareShegetstoknow morepeoplefromvolunteeringandfeels morecomfortableaboutapplyingforwork asAidengetsolderSomeotherparents volunteerwiththestayandplayservices andthecregraveche(althoughtheseservices remainprofessionallyled)Asmallnumber ofparentsgainqualificationsthroughthe worktheydovolunteering

AttwoandahalfAidenhasadevelopment checkwithahealthvisitorThislooksathis healthcognitiveandsocialandemotional developmentItisusedtoprovidepointers wheredevelopmentisnotasstrong asitshouldbeTheinformationisalso aggregatedupandusedtounderstand howchildrenintheareaasawhole areprogressingfeedingintotheoverall assessmentoftheChildrenrsquosCentre(and thepartoftheirpaymentthatisrelatedto results)

Atthedevelopmentcheckthehealth visitornotesthatAidenrsquosspeechisnot developingasfastaswouldnormallybe expectedThehealthvisitorusespartof theFairnessPremiumforAidentoaccess onesessionaweekwithaspeechtherapist andndashwithEllaandJohnrsquosagreement ndashspeakswithstaffatAidenrsquosnursery abouthowtheycanhelpsupportAidenrsquos languagedevelopment

AsEllagetsmoreconfidentshevolunteers asacommunityparentprovidingsupport andinformationtoothernewparentsin thecommunity

AsAidenapproachesschoolagethe familygetsinvitedtolookroundthelocal primaryschoolandaretalkedthrough thechangesTheChildrenrsquosCentreknows thattheschoolwillbeconductingAidenrsquos developmentcheckwhenhestartsschool andthattheresultswillhelpdeterminethe ChildrenrsquosCentrersquosbudgetTheChildrenrsquos Centreandschoolhavegoodrelations andpassoninformationsothattheschool knowshowAidenhasbeendoingupto thatpoint

423 Giventhesortofserviceswewant parentstoreceivewhataretheprinciplesofthe FoundationYearsservice

bullAsingleservicendashdifferentbranchesof Governmentworkingtogetherinacoherent way

bullUniversalndashaserviceallparentscanlooktofor somesupport

bullProvidesmosthelpforthosethatneeditmost ndashtoclosegapsinattainment

bullBuildsonparentingsuccessesndashaswhatparents doisthebiggestsingleinfluenceonchildren

bullBuildscapacityinthecommunityndashrecognising thatinformalnetworksareimportantsourcesof supportforparentsandstronglyinfluencethe waytheyparent

bullProfessionallyledndashprofessionalsinforexample childcaremakearealdifferencetooutcomes

bullUnderpinnedbyevidencendashusingmethods whichweknowmakerealimprovements

bullAccountablendashsothepublichavethe informationtoholdspecificservicesLocal Authoritiesandcentralgovernmenttoaccount

424 Althoughtheworkofthereviewhasbeen centredaroundFoundationYearsservicesmany oftheseprinciplesndashforexampleprovidingmost helptothosewhoneeditmostengagingwith parentsandbuildingcapacityinthecommunityndash areimportantthroughallages

425 A single service The Foundation Yearsndash parentsrsquofirstengagementwithpublicservicesin pregnancyisoftenthroughdoctorsandmidwives Thehealthserviceisoftenseenassomething separatefromeducationandearlyyearsseparate fromprimaryschoolIntheFoundationYearsthis cannotbethecaseparentsshouldbeabletobuild uprelationshipswithkeyworkerswhoworkacross transitionswithfundingalsoreflectingcoherent needsTotheparentthisshouldappeartobeone singlepublicserviceThisalsomeansincreasingly co-locatingservicessothatparentscaneasilyfind thesupporttheyneedForexampleparentscould registerabirthautomaticallyapplyforchildbenefit anddiscusswidersupportinthesameplace

426 Actions on providing a single universal service include

bullCabinetMinisterforFoundationYearssited jointlyintheDepartmentforEducationandthe DepartmentofHealth

bullLocalareasshouldconsidersettinguplocal childpovertyandlifechancescommissionsto investigatereformanddrivetheissuelocally

bullDepartmentofHealthshouldworkwithhealth visitorstoensureaconsistencyofserviceand lsquohandoverrsquobetweenmoremedicalpre-birth servicesandincreasinglyeducationalpostbirth

workforexampleearlyyearspractitionersand schoolstaff

bullLocalAuthoritiesshouldlookathowtheycould sitebirthregistrationinlocalChildrenrsquosCentres ChildrenrsquosCentresshouldlooktoprovide namingorwelcomingceremoniesorsignposting tocommunitygroupssuchasfaithgroupswho providetheseservices

bullChildrenrsquosCentresshouldprovidechildbenefit formsandotherbenefitadvice13

427 Universalndashprovidinghelptoallparents buildingawidelybasedcultureofunderstandingof goodparentingFoundationYearsservicesshould beseenascoregovernmentprovisioninthesame wayhospitalsandschoolsareWithoutauniversal approachitishardtochangetheoverallculture ofparentingParentingcourseswouldbeoffered asroutinetonewparents14andshouldbeseen assomethingnormaltodoratherthanremedial orsomethingonlyforlowincomefamiliesThere shouldalsobeclearfirstpointsofcontactfor parentswithinservicesforexampleinChildrenrsquos Centresthehealthvisitorledhomevisitingservice andchildcaresettingsTheseindividualsshould linkinwithotherservicesandwidercommunity networks

428 Actions on a universal service include

bullDespitecurrentfinancialpressurescentraland localgovernmentshouldtoaimtoprovide universalsupportpotentiallybymakingsavings throughparttimeCentresclustersofCentres makingefficienciesonadministrationand managementandmakingbestuseofdifferent buildings

429 Provide additional support for those who need it most ndashuniversalservicesalonewillnot closethegapbetweendisadvantagedandless disadvantagedchildrenTonarrowthegapitisvital thatfundingandwiderresourcesareaimedatthe areasandindividualsmostinneedTheFairness Premiumandlocalauthorityfundingareastart

13 Sunderland Council is piloting a project to share registration data and make child benefit more automatic

14 Only 2 of parents in the UK had completed a parenting course in Sweden 98 of maternity clinics offer parenting courses to first time parents From Sanders et al (2009) Designing effective interventions for working parents a survey of parents in the UK workforce

butassetoutinChapter3thereviewwould wanttoseetheprincipleoftheFairnessPremium extendedthroughouttheFoundationYears (buildingontheEarlyInterventionGrant)with moremoneygoingtothoseprovidersthatteach childrenfromthemostdeprivedbackgrounds anddeprivedparentsabletoaccessawider rangeofservicesOnelongtermaimshouldbe thatschoolschildcareandChildrenrsquosCentres indeprivedareasacheiveonaverageatleastas goodOfstedratingsasfacilitiesinmoreaffluent areas

430 Actions on providing additional support for those who need it most include

bullDepartmentforEducationandLocalAuthorities toensurethatSureStartChildrenrsquosCentres identifyreachandprovidemosthelpto mostdisadvantagedfamiliesNewSureStart contractsshouldincludeconditionsthatreward Centresforreachingouteffectivelytothemost disadvantaged

bullOfstedratingsforchildcareandschools indisadvantagedareascomparedtomore affluentareasshouldbeincludedasoneofthe DepartmentforEducationrsquosindicatorsinits BusinessPlanandGovernmentpolicyshouldaim toclosethegap

bullDepartmentforEducationtoensurethat schoolsareheldtoaccountforreducingthe attainmentgapinthesamewaytheyare forimprovingattainment15Whereaschool hasapersistentorincreasingattainment gapthisshouldhaveasignificantbearingon theinspectionoutcomefortheschooland ultimatelythisshouldbeamajorfactorin adecisiononwhethertheschoolisjudged inadequate

bullDepartmentforEducationshouldcontinueto lookforwaystoencouragegoodteachersto teachinschoolsandworkinChildrenrsquosCentres

15 This review has taken place while the Government has been devolving more power to local decision makers Given that it is not always clear how some recommendations should be implemented but here the basic principle is that narrowing the gap and helping the most disadvantaged pupils should be as important as attainment when reviewing school performance

indeprivedareasincludingthroughschemes suchasTeachFirstandNewLeadersinEarly Yearsndashanewprogrammestartinginanumber ofdisadvantagedareas

431 Builds on parental successndashwhatparents doisthesinglebiggestinfluenceonchildrenrsquos attainmentthereforeservicesshouldaimto engageandsupportparentsbuildingparentsrsquoown strengthsindealingwithproblemsnotaddtotheir worriesServicesneedtowelcomeallparents andcarersincludingfathersandgrandparents Wehavebeentoldthatservicesoftenassume thatthemotheristhemainoronlycarerThere areexamplesofchangingthewayinvitations arephrasedleadingtoasignificantincrease intheproportionoffatherscomingtosaya healthvisitorappointmentChildrenrsquosCentres andhomevisitorsshouldencourageparentsto cometoparentingcoursesasamatterofcourse throughoutthefirstthreeyearsoflife

432 Thereviewrecommendsthatparentingand familyrelationshipsaregivengreaterprominence ontheschoolcurriculumwithpupilsableto obtainacross-curricularqualificationatGCSE levelinparentingfromrelevantmodulesinother subjectsThisshouldstartfromprimaryschool ageexploringfriendshipsfamiliesandwhatrsquos importantforbabiesLatertheemphasisshould shifttowardsthecomplexitiesofrelationships pressuresandmentalhealthhowtobuildand maintainstablerelationshipsandconsideringhow parentscanbestsupportchildrenrsquosdevelopment Insecondaryschoolthereshouldalsobea focusonotherlifeskillssuchasbudgetingand InformationandCommunicationTechnology (ICT)Thecontentshouldbeevidence-based andshouldintroducechildrentothebasisforthe lifechancesindicators(seeChapter5)andhow parentsarebestplacedtosupporttheirchildren

Box 42 Approaches involving family learning WashingtonStateInstitutefoundthat manyofthemostsuccessfulprogrammes involvedbothparentsandchildrenThere areanumberofexamplesofprogrammes intheUKwhichinvolvebothchildrenand parents

FamilyLearningnormallyreferstolearning withinahouseholdwherechildrenand familieslearntogetherThiscaninvolvea numberofdifferentapproachesincluding FamilyLearningclassesgivingparentsan understandingofwhatishappeningintheir childrenrsquosschoolandhowtheycanhelp andparentsworkingwithchildrenwhen theyarebothimprovingtheirliteracyand numeracyAlloftheapproacheshelpto buildconfidenceinparentsandmakethem betterabletoengagewiththeirchildrenrsquos learning

ForexampletheFamiliesandSchools Togetherprogrammeinvolveseightweekly sessionswhichchildrenandparentstake partintogetherTherearestructured activitiestobuildtheparentchildbond andsocialconnectionsTheapproachis designedtoenhancethechildrsquosfunctioning inschoolinthecommunityandathome Aftertheeightweeklysessionstheparents graduateandaresupportedtosettheir ownagendaformonthlyfamilygroup meetings

433 Actions on building on parental success include

bullLocalAuthoritiesshouldensureallnewparents haveearlyaccesstoaparentingcourseandthe healthvisitorofferstosignthemupasamatter ofroutineinitiallytargetingthisonthosemost likelytobenefit

bullDepartmentforEducationshouldensurethat parentingandlifeskillsarereflectedinthe curriculumfromprimaryschooltoGCSE levelThisshouldculminateinacross-curricular qualificationinparentingatGCSElevelwhich

willbeawardedifpupilshavecompleted particularmodulesinanumberofGCSE subjectsTheManchesterAcademyiscurrently developingapilotschemewhichcouldbeused asthebasisforthisGCSE

bullSchoolsshouldengageparentsonanongoing basis(engagementneedstobeongoingrather thanonceatermatparentsrsquoevenings)with increaseduseofhome-schoolagreementsto encourageschoolsparentsandpupilstodiscuss theirgoals

bullDepartmentforEducationcontinuesto publishandpromoteclearevidenceonwhatis successfulinencouragingparentalengagement intheirchildrenrsquoslearning

bullOfstedcontinuestoreportonschoolsand childcareengagementwithparentsndashthisisa particularlykeyareandashwhichsettingsshouldbe heldtoaccountfor

bullMorewidelytherersquosachallengetoimprove awarenessofparentingacrossthecountry TheCabinetOfficeBehaviouralInsightteam shouldleadalongwithkeyDepartmentsan examinationofhowparentingandnuturingskills canbebestpromotedthroughoutsociety

434 Build capacity in the communityndashakey partofsupportforfamiliescomesfromfriends GroupssuchastheNationalChildbirthTrustcan beverysuccessfulinbringingparentstogetherto sharetheirexperiencesChildrenrsquosCentrescan signposttothesegroupsbutalsohelpbuildthe capacityofparentstosetuptheirowngroups orsharetheirexperienceswithotherparents (ThereisthepotentialforCommunityOrganisers tohelpwiththisifitisidentifiedasalocalpriority ChildrenrsquosCentresshouldbereadytoworkwith them)AspartofthisChildrenrsquosCentresshould increasinglycommissionoutspecificservicesor provideaplatformforvoluntaryandcommunity groupswhichcanshowsomeevidenceoftheir impactsuchasHomeStart

Box 43 Community Parents CommunityParentsisahomebased parentsupportprogrammewhere volunteerlocalparentsaretrainedand offerinformationandguidancetoother parentsintheareaDifferentversionsare beingpilotedorruninseveralareasThey offerinformationandsupportaround issuessuchasbehaviouralproblemssetting aroutineandsleepproblemsaswellas widerissuessuchasbudgetingandhousing

Theschemehelpsbuildtheconfidence ofvolunteerswithsometrainingwhich canleadtorecognisedqualificationsIt alsoprovidesusefullowlevelsupport forfamilieswhoneeditandcanhelp tostrengtheninformallocalnetworks Volunteerprogrammescanalsohelp providesupportwhichisclearlyseenas independentfromthestate

Whilethereareobviouslylimitsonthe problemsvolunteerscanbeexpectedto dealwiththeseschemesprovideauseful wayofprovidinglowlevelsupportwhile alsobuildingcommunitylinks

435 Actions on building capacity in the community include

bullLocalAuthoritiesensuringthatservices providedbyChildrenrsquosCentresdonotreplicate existingprovisionfromprivatevoluntaryand independentgroupsndashinsteadtheysignpostto thosegroupsormayprovideCentrespace

bullLocalAuthoritiestoopenupcommissioningof ChildrenrsquosCentresorserviceswithinthemto privatevoluntaryandindependentgroups

bullEnsureChildrenrsquosCentressignposttoservices providedbyothercommunitygroupsand encouragethosegroupstouseChildrenrsquos Centrespace

436 Professionally ledndashtheevidencefrom severalsourcessuggeststhatprofessional leadershipwhetherthroughearlyyears professionsandqualifiedteachersinearlyyears settingornursesinFamilyNursePartnerships

arekeyinensuringgoodoutcomesTheReviewrsquos ambitionwouldbetostafftheFoundationYears asprofessionallyaswenowstaffschoolswith childcaresettingswhicharegraduate-ledThere wouldbeclearrecruitmententrypointsforearly yearsastherearenowforschoolsChildrenrsquos Centrescanplayakeyroleinfacilitatinganddriving thisimprovementacrossthesector

437 Buildingontheannouncementsthatthe Governmentrecentlymadearoundtheteaching professiontheReviewwelcomesthestartofa similarprogrammeforearlyyearsandhopesthat theGovernmentwillbuildfurtheronthelsquoNew LeadersinEarlyYearsrsquoprogrammeChildrenrsquos Centresshouldactascentresofprofessional developmentprovidingformalandinformal training(mirroringteachingschools)Thiswill helpbuildlocalnetworksandsharingofbest practiceInordertoattracthighcalibrepeople totheseprofessionstherealsoneedtobeclear professionaldevelopmentroutesbothfornew andexistingstaffTheEarlyYearsProfessional Statushasgonealongwaytowardsachievingthis butmoreneedstobedonetoprovidearouteto managementandleadershipinthesector

438 Inthelongertermifanimproved professionaldevelopmentframeworkand increasedimportancegiventotheearlyyearsdoes notonitsowndriveanincreaseingraduatesin childcaresettingstheGovernmentshouldconsider subsidisinggraduateledsettingstoensurethatthe Reviewrsquosambitionisachievedandthequalityand statusofFoundationYearsprovisionshowsthe necessaryimprovement

439 Actions on professional leadership

bullDepartmentforEducationinconjunctionwith ChildrenrsquosCentresshoulddevelopamodelfor professionaldevelopmentinearlyyearssettings whichmirrorstheoneforschools

440 Underpinned by strong evidencendashboth ofwhatworksandagoodunderstandingofthe localpopulationThereareexamplesbothinthe UnitedStatesandofLocalAuthoritiesintheUK focusingonevidencebasedpoliciesOfcourse therewillbetimeswhenthereisnotevidence onwhichtobaseapproachesinthesecaseshigh qualityevaluationsmustassesswhetherwhatis

beingdoneiseffectivevalueformoneyandworth repeating

441 Aswellasusingevidencebasedpolicies LocalAuthoritiesalsoneedabetterunderstanding ofwhichchildrenusetheirservicesandwhich familiesarenotbenefitingfromearlyyears servicesLegislationcanmakesharingdata betweenservicesdifficultndashbutitisnotimpossible ndashseveralLocalAuthoritieshavebeenableto overcomethischallenge

Box 44 Islington and data pooling Islingtonhascreatedasingledatasetfrom administrativesystemsincludingbirth recordsfromthePrimaryCareTrust childrenregisteredatChildrenrsquosCentres schoolpupildataandCouncilTaxand HousingBenefitrecordsThisresource allowsmuchbetterunderstandingofwhich familiesaremostdeprivedandwhether theyareusinglocalservices

Thisresourcehas

bull enabledtargetedoutreachinspecific housingestates

bull identifiedblackandminorityethnic groupswhoarenotusingChildrenrsquos Centresleadingtohomelanguage speakersbeingusedtoencouragefamilies tocometoCentres

bull enabledtargetingofspecificsupport forworklessfamilieswhichhasthenled toanincreaseinChildrenrsquosCentreuseby worklessfamiliesand

bull promotedmoreintegratedservices throughsharedintelligence

DataProtectionActrequirementsin relationtotheuseofpooleddatawere metthroughuseofserviceuserconsents andacommonFairProcessingNotice acrossallservicesThiswasadequatefor themajorityofdatasourcesused

442 Actions for pooling data include

bullLocalAuthoritiestogetherwiththenewlocal childpovertyandlifechancescommissions shouldpooldataandtrackthechildrenmostin needintheirareaALocalAuthorityshouldbe abletounderstandwherethechildrenwhoare mostinneedareandhowtheirservicesare impacting

bullTheGovernmentshouldreviewlegislation whichpreventsLocalAuthoritiesusingexisting datatoidentifyandsupportfamilieswhoare mostinneedwiththeintentionofmakinguse ofdatabyLocalAuthoritieseasierandpromote atemplateforsuccessfuldatapoolingwhilst respectingdataprivacyissuesInparticular

bullCentralGovernmentshouldensurethatnew legislationontheUniversalCreditallowsLocal Authoritiestousedatatoidentifyfamiliesmost inneed

bullDepartmentofHealthshouldlookatwhatdata fromhospitalsanddoctorscanbesharedso astoguaranteebettertargetingofchildrenin need

443 Actions on building a strong evidence base include

bullTheGovernmentshouldmakealongterm commitmenttoenablingandsupportingthe bringingtogetherofevidencelearningfrom examplessuchastheNationalInstitutefor ClinicalExcellenceandtheWashingtonState Institutendashthiswillbecoveredinmoredetailas partoftheGrahamAllenledreviewonearly intervention

bullLocalAuthoritiesshouldeithercommission serviceswhichhavestrongevidencebasesor ensurenewinterventionsareevaluatedrobustly

444 Accountablendashweshouldexpectto buildinformationtounderstandoutcomesthat ChildrenrsquosCentresandlocalservicestogether achieveandtoholdtheseservicesaccountable Thereviewrecognisestheimportanceoflocal decisionmakingbutwantstoensurethatparents canseewhetherlocalservicesareimprovingand howservicescomparewithservicesinsimilarlocal authoritiesItisalsoimportanttohavethisdatato facilitateincreasedpaymentbyresultsThiscallsfor

somecommoninformationbeingavailableacross differentareasSpecificallywethinkparentsshould expecttobeableto

bullcompareserviceswithinaLocalAuthorityover time

bullcompareLocalAuthoritieswithsimilar authoritieselsewhereand

bullcomparesettingswherethisisfeasible(given somechildcaresettingswilllookafterverysmall numbersofchildrenthiswillnotalwaysbe possible)

445 Othercountrieshavemeasuredschool readinessforexamplethroughtheEarly DevelopmentInstrument(EDI)16developedin CanadandashOntariousestheEDIasoneofitskey indicatorsofprogresstowardsreducingpoverty TheDepartmentforEducationwillbepublishing dataonschoolreadinessatagefivebrokendown bylocalauthority17

446 Thereviewbelievesthattheobjectivein makingtheFoundationYearsaninstrumentfor equalisinglifechancesofyoungchildrencannot beachievedwithoutdevelopmentdatacheckat agefivebeingcomparedwithchilddevelopment dataaroundagetwoandahalf(underthebroad headingsofthelifechancesmeasureinChapter 5) Thiscouldbecollectedatthetwoandahalf yearhealthchecksoratthestartoffreeearly educationforthreeandfouryearoldsChapter 5 setsoutsomemoredetailonaligninglocaldata collectionwiththenationalmeasure

447 TheTickellreviewoftheEarlyYears FoundationStageislookinginmoredetailatthe practicalityofwhatanearlyyearspractitioner-led developmentcheckatages24-36monthsand oragefivewouldinvolveandDameClareTickell willbemakingrecommendationsonthisButthis reviewrecommendsmakinganydevelopment checksat24-36monthsandahalfandfive mandatoryndashwiththeaimofunderstandinghow wellservicesareimprovingchildrenrsquosoutcomes

448 Inspectionofearlyyearsrsquosettingsshouldbe asrigorousasinspectionofprimaryandsecondary schoolsDespitefinancialpressuresOfstedneeds tocontinuetoinspectearlyyearslsquosettingspull togetherlessonsfromthebettersettingsand challengethosethatneedtoimproveThisiskeyto understandingwhetherdisadvantagedchildrenare receivinggoodprovisionIfOfstedisapproaching inspectioninamoreriskbasedwaytheReview recommendsthatittargetsschoolsandchildcare settingsservingdeprivedcommunitiesorwhere FreeSchoolMealspupilsarefallingbehind

16 A brief description of the Early Development Instrument is at httpwwwcouncilecdca internationaledi0920The20EDI20-20A20 Brief20Descriptionpdf

17 Set out in the DfE Business Plan

Chapter 5 A New Framework for Measuring Poverty and Life Chances

This chapter sets out a new framework for measuring poverty and life chances including our headline recommendation for a set of Life Chances Indicators and

new measures of public service quality and severe child poverty These measures are intended to complement the Governmentrsquos existing indicators

Summary

bull Amajorlimitationoftheexistingchildpovertymeasuresisthattheyhaveincentiviseda policyresponsefocusedlargelyonincometransfersThisapproachhasstalledinrecentyears andisfinanciallyunsustainableAmoreeffectiveapproachistouseasetofmeasuresthatwill incentiviseafocusonimprovingchildrenrsquoslifechancesandultimatelybreakthetransmissionof intergenerationaldisadvantage

bull BasedontheevidencereviewedinChapter3wehaveidentifiedasmallsetofkeyfactorsin theearlyyearswhicharepredictiveofchildrenrsquosfutureoutcomesTheseincludechildparentand environmentalfactorsWeproposeanumberofvalidandreliableindicatorswithwhichtomeasure thesefactorswhichwilltogetherformthenewLifeChancesIndicators

bull TheGovernmentrsquosexistingchildpovertymeasureshavebeendesignedtocaptureincomeand livingstandardsWebelievethattheyneedsupplementingtoensurethatGovernmentpoverty measuresrecognisetherolethathighqualitypublicservicescanplayinalleviatingpoverty

bull WealsobelievethatGovernmentshouldmonitortheimpactofpolicyontheverypoorest childrenwhoexperienceprolongedfinancialandmaterialdeprivation

Focusing on life chances 51 TheReviewlsquosprimarymeasurement recommendationisthattheGovernmentadopts anewsetofLifeChancesIndicatorsThese indicatorsareintendedtomeasureannual progress1atanationallevelonarangeoffactors thatarepredictiveofchildrenrsquosfutureoutcomes andwhicharebasedontheevidencesetoutin Chapter3Iftheseindicatorsshowimprovements foreachnewcohortofchildrenfromlowincome familiesthenwecanexpecttheirfutureoutcomes inadulthoodwillalsobebetterShortterm progressontheLifeChancesIndicatorswillbe alignedwithlongtermprogressontacklingthe effectsofchildpovertyandthiswillimprovethe incentivesforpolicymakerstoinvestinlongterm solutions

52 Therearecurrentlyfourmeasuresused byGovernmenttomonitorchildpovertywhich areincludedintheChildPovertyActAllfourare designedtocapturedifferentaspectsofinsufficient financialresourcesidentifiedeitherthroughlow incomeorpoormateriallivingstandardsWe agreethatoverthecourseofagenerationwe shouldaimtoreducethenumberofchildrenliving inpovertyaccordingtothesemeasures

53 HoweverasdiscussedinChapter2these measureshaveincentivisedapolicyresponse focusedlargelyonincometransferwhichis financiallyunsustainableAmoreeffectiveapproach istouseasetofmeasuresthatwillincentivise investmentinpolicythatwillimprovelifechances andpayahigherdividendfortaxpayersSuchan approachwhichultimatelyaimstoreducethe transmissionofintergenerationaldisadvantageis moresustainablethanonewhichaddressespoverty usingyear-by-yearincometransfer

i A new set of Life Chances Indicators 54 TheaimsoftheLifeChancesIndicators areto

bullincentivisepolicy-makerstofocuspolicyand investmentonimprovingthefuturelifechances

ofchildrenparticularlythosefromlowincome households

bullenableregularnationallevelmonitoringof thegapinlifechancesbetweenchildrenfrom lowincomehouseholdsandtheaverageofall childrenand

bullprovideaclearmessagetoserviceprovidersand parentsaboutthethingsthatmattermostfor improvingchildrenrsquosschoolreadinessandfuture lifechances

55 Chapter3ofthisReviewidentifiesfactors thatoccurintheearlyyearsthatarestrongly predictiveofchildrenrsquosschoolreadinessandtheir outcomesinlaterlifeInparticularthisevidence showsthatwhileincomehasadirecteffecton childrenrsquosoutcomesthiseffectissmallwhenother driversaretakenintoaccountandindeedmuchof theeffectofincomeistransmitted(ormediated) throughotherfactorsTheseincludechild factorssuchascognitive(includinglanguageand communication)developmentparentfactorssuch aspositiveparentingandenvironmentalfactors suchasqualityofnurserycare

Selecting the Life Chances Indicators 56 Wewanttomeasurehowthesefactors changeovertimeinawaythatcanbeeasily presentedandunderstoodOnewaytodo thiswouldbetocreateasingleindexoflife chancesHoweverwedonotthinkitwouldbe methodologicallyappropriatetocombineallthese factorsintoasingleindexItwouldalsoresultin acomplexmeasurewhichwouldruncontrary totheCoalitionGovernmentrsquoscommitmentto transparencyofinformationInsteadwehave identifiedasmallsetofkeypredictivefactorsfor inclusioninasetofLifeChancesIndicatorsEach indicatorwillbepresentedseparatelyandtogether theywillprovideatoolformonitoringtheimpactof policyonthekeyfactorsthatinfluencelifechances

57 Thecriteriabelowwereusedtoassessthe evidenceanddeterminewhichfactorswouldbe measuredandincludedinthesetofindicators

1 We envisage that the annual progress review required under the Child Poverty Act would be a sensible place for these annual results to be published but

this is subject to factors such as when in the year the indicators become available

ANewFrameworkforMeasuringPovertyandLifeChances 73

bullstrengthofpredictionbetweenthefactorin questionandreadinessforschoolatagefiveas wellasoutcomesinlaterlifeforchildrenfrom poorhouseholds(whilecontrollingforallother factors)

bullmagnitudeofimpactonreadinessforschooland laterlifeoutcomesamongchildrenfrompoor householdsthatresultsfromvaryingthefactor inquestion(holdingallotherfactorsconstant)

bullextenttowhichthefactorinquestionactsasa headlineindicatorandlsquopullsrsquoorlsquocoralsrsquoarange ofotherfactorsand

bullpotentialforthefactortobeinfluencedby policyinboththeshortandlongerterm

58 Wealsoreviewedmeasuresand frameworksonchildrenrsquoslifechancesusedby academicandthinktankorganisationsaswellas thegovernmentsofotherdevelopedcountries2 OfparticularinteresttotheReviewwerethe CanadianEarlyDevelopmentInstrument(CEDI) andtheAustralianEarlyDevelopmentIndex (basedontheCEDI)whichbothassessand publiclyreportonfivedomainsofchildrenrsquos developmentforallchildrenagedfourorfive Othercountriesalsoprovidechecksonchildrenrsquos earlyhealthdevelopmentandreadinessfor schoolsuchasthroughNewZealandrsquosWell ChildprogrammeFinlandrsquosWellChildClinics andGermanyrsquospaediatricassessmentsalthough theresultsofthesearenotreportedtoapublic audienceThesehavebroadlyinformedour approachtomeasurement

59 Followingourassessmentoftheevidence andinitialshortlistingofkeydriverstheReview commissionedexternalanalysisoftheMillennium CohortStudytoassesswhethertheselected driversweresuitableformeasuringlifechances ThefindingsfromthisanalysisbytheUniversityof BristolaresummarisedinBox51andshowthat allofthekeydrivershavesomepredictivepower inexplainingthegapinchildrenrsquosschoolreadiness betweenthosefromlowincomehouseholds andtheaverageFurthermoremodelingshows thatnarrowingthegaponeachofthekeydrivers

predictsvirtuallyallofthedifferenceinchildrenrsquos outcomesatagefive

510 Table51setsoutthefactorsthatthe Reviewrecommendsbeincludedinthenewset ofLifeChancesIndicatorstakingintoaccountthe criteriasetoutaboveandtheexternalanalysis carriedoutbytheUniversityofBristol

Table 51 Factors to be covered by the new set of Life Chances Indicators

Child factors Parent Environmental factors factors

Cognitive Home Qualityof (including learning nurserycare languageand environment communication) development ataroundage

Positive parenting

three Maternal

Behavioural mentalhealth

andsocialand Motherrsquosage emotional atbirthof development firstchild ataroundage three Motherrsquos

educational Physical qualifications development ataroundage three

511 Thesefactorshaveallbeenmeasuredand analysedbeforeandweproposethatexisting methodologiesareemployedtocreatethe indicatorsBelowisanexampleofamethodthat canbeusedtomeasureoneofthefactorsin Table 51thehomelearningenvironment

Example Measuring home learning environment 512 TheMillenniumCohortStudyincludesa validmeasureofthehomelearningenvironment forchildrenagedaroundthreeyearsoldThis measureincludesasetofquestionsthatasksabout

2 Canada Netherlands France Germany United States of America Sweden Denmark Finland Australia New Zealand

Figure 51 Graphical presentation of the home learning environment Life Chances Indicator for children in low income households and the average for all other children

ndash01

ndash02

ndash03

ndash04 Children in bottom

20 of household income Average of all lsquoGaprsquo other children

Data source Millenium Cohort Study

thefrequencywithwhichrespondentsandtheir child(ren)engageinthefollowingsixactivitiesthat areimportantforcreatingagoodhomelearning environment

bullreadingtotheirchild

bulltakingtheirchildtothelibrary

bullhelpingtheirchildlearnthealphabet

bullteachingtheirchildnumbersorcounting

bullteachingtheirchildsongspoemsornursery rhymesand

bullpaintingordrawingathome

513 Respondentsarefirstaskedifthey undertakeeachactivitywiththeirchild(ren)and ifsoarethenaskedhowfrequentlytheyengage ineachactivityThisisrecordedonthefollowing scalesreadingfromlsquonotatall(0)toeveryday (5)rsquolibraryfromlsquonotatall(0)rsquotolsquoonceaweek (4)rsquootherfouritemsfromlsquonotatall(0)rsquotolsquo7 timesaweekconstantly(7)rsquoThescoresforeach questionarestandardizedtohaveameanof0and astandarddeviationof1summedtogetherand

thenre-standardizedtoproduceasingleoverall scorewithmean0andstandarddeviation1

Presenting the Life Chances Indicators 514 Figure51showshowtheresultsofthe homelearningenvironmentindicatordiscussed abovecouldbepresentedItshowstheaverage standardisedhomelearningenvironmentscore forchildreninlowincomehouseholdsandthe averageforallotherchildrenaswellasthelsquogaprsquo betweenthesegroupsTheindicatorwouldbe monitoredovertimewithsuccessdemonstrated byanarrowingofthegapbetweenchildrenfrom lowincomehouseholdsandallotherchildren

515 AllthefactorsinTable51canbequantified usingindicatorswhichcanbepresentedinasimilar wayThemajorityoftheseindicatorsaresimilarin naturetothehomelearningenvironmentindicator inthattheyarebasedonsurveyquestionsandor observationsRecommendedindicatorsforeach factorwhichhavebeenshowntobevalidand reliablemeasuresinaUKcontextarepresentedin AnnexA

Box 51 Analysis by the University of Bristol on the predictive factors of childrenrsquos outcomes TohelpinformourselectionoffactorsforinclusionintheLifeChancesIndicatorswe commissionedtheUniversityofBristoltoconductquantitativeanalysisusingtheMillenniumCohort Studyndashanationallyrepresentativesurveyofaround19000childrenbornintheUKin200001 Thisstudytrackschildrenthroughtheirearlychildhoodyearsandcoversarangeoftopicsincluding childrenrsquoscognitiveandbehaviouraldevelopmentandhealthparentingparentsrsquosocio-demographic characteristicsincomeandpovertyaswellasotherfactors

Theaimoftheanalysiswasto

bull testtheextenttowhichthekeydriversweidentifiedfromtheliteratureexplainthegapin childrenrsquoscognitivebehaviouralsocialandemotionalandhealthoutcomesbetweenthosefrom lowincomehouseholdsandtheaverageatagefiveand

bull modeltheextenttowhichvaryingthekeydriversresultsinnarrowingofthegapinchildrenrsquos outcomesatagefivebetweenthosefromlowincomehouseholdsandtheaverage

Findings

Overalltheanalysisfoundthatthekeydriversndashsuchashomelearningenvironmentmotherrsquos educationalqualificationspositiveparentingmaternalmentalhealthandmotherrsquosageatbirthof firstchildndashaswellasdemographicandfamilycharacteristicsexplainasignificantproportionof thevarianceinchildrenrsquoscognitivebehaviouralsocialandemotionalandgeneralhealthoutcomes atagefive(between34and43)Whilethemajorityofvarianceremainsunexplainedthese proportionsarecomparablewithsimilartypesofanalysesconductedinthisarea

Allofthekeydriverswerefoundtohavesomepredictivepoweralthoughnosinglegroup couldexplainthegapinanyoftheoutcomesatagefiveonitsownTherewerehoweversome differencesintherelativeimportanceofdriversacrossdifferentoutcomesForexampleparental educationandhomelearningenvironmentemergedasrelativelystrongpredictorsofchildrenrsquos cognitiveoutcomeswhileparentalsensitivity(anaspectofpositiveparenting)andmaternalmental healthwerestrongpredictorsofchildrenrsquosbehaviouralsocialandemotionaloutcomes

Varyingthekeydriverssothatchildrenfromlowincomehouseholdshadlevelscomparablewith theaverageforallchildrenwasfoundtopredictvirtuallyallofthedifferenceinchildrenrsquosoutcomes atagefiveNosingledriverwasfoundtopredictthesegapsratheritwasaresultofthecumulative effectofvaryingallthekeydriversWhilethesefindingsarebasedoncorrelationandtherefore shouldnotbeinterpretedascausationthevastanddiversebodyofevidenceshowingsimilar findingstothesegivesusreasontothinkthatmanyoftheseconnectionsarecausal

Thefindingsfromtheanalysisarereportedinthefollowingpaperwhichisavailableonthe ReviewwebsiteWashbrookE(2010)EarlyenvironmentsandchildoutcomesUniversityof BristolAnalysiscommissionedbytheIndependentReviewonPovertyandLifeChances wwwindependentgovukpovertyreview

Collecting the life chances data 516 Theeasiestwaytocollectthedataneeded fortheindicatorswouldbetoaddthenecessary questionstoanationallyrepresentativesurvey whichalreadymeasureshouseholdincomeonan annualbasisandwhichhasasuitablylargesample ofpreschoolchildrenThesurveyneedstocollect incomebecauseoftheneedtomeasurethe lsquoincomegaprsquoforeachindicator

517 Howeverwerecognisethatspacefor additionalquestionsinexistingsurveysisscarce andthatlargenewsetsofquestionscannotbe addedtosurveyswithoutaffectingthequalityofall thedatathatiscollectedunlessexistingquestions areremoved3Ifremovingexistingquestions fromanexistingincomesurveyisnotpossible theGovernmentcouldconsidercommissioning anewannualsurveyofpreschoolchildrenand theirparentstocollectthisdataAnewsurveyof childrenandfamilieswouldbeavaluableresource formonitoringthesuccessofthelifechances approachandothernewfamilypolicy

ii Aligning national and local measures

Using a national measure to influence local decision making 518 TheCoalitionGovernmentiscommitted toincreasingdevolutionofpolicyandspending decisionstothelocallevelandtoreducingthe numberofcentrallydefinedmeasureswhich areimposedonlocalauthoritiesWerecognise thatthispresentsachallengefortheReview whendevelopingchildpovertyandlifechances measurestheexistingmeasuresandthechild povertystrategyarebothdefinedinlegislationat anationallevelbutmanyoftheleversavailablefor tacklingchildpoverty(particularlywhentakinga lifechancesapproach)areincreasinglycontrolled locallyandnotsubjecttocentraltargets

519 Acknowledgingthischallengewehave proposedanationalmeasureoflifechanceswhich webelievecandrivepolicyintwowaysFirst thepublicationofthenineindicatorsprovides

localauthoritieswithasetofninefactorswhich theyknowtheyneedtoaddressiftheywantto improvethelifechancesofpoorchildrenSecond themeasureprovidesanincentivefornational governmentandpolicymakerstoreinforcethis messageandencouragelocalpartnerstoactto improvelifechancesbecausewithoutthiskind ofcooperationthenationalmeasureswillnot improve

The role of local information 520 Webelievethatrequiringalllocalauthorities tocarryoutasurveyinordertocreatelocal levelLifeChancesIndicatorswouldplacean unnecessaryburdenonthemHoweverwealso believethatlocalleveldataonlifechancescan playacrucialroleindrivingprogressbecauselocal servicesaresocrucialtomakingtheFoundation Yearsareality

521 Fortunatelythereisawealthoflocaldata whichisalreadycollectedforadministrativeor professionalpurposesandwhichcouldbeused tocreateaslimmeddownversionoftheLife ChancesIndicatorsforeveryLocalAuthority withoutplacinganyadditionaldatacollection burdensonlocalgovernmentForexamplethe Governmentaimstohaveeveryfamilyvisitedby ahealthvisitorwhentheirchildisaroundtwoand ahalf(thisvisitisreferredtohereastheldquoagetwo healthcheckrdquo)Healthvisitorsgatherinformation onthechildrsquoshealthanddevelopmentwhich allowsthemtodiagnoseanyphysicalcognitiveor behaviouralproblemsthechildisexperiencing andidentifyanyparticularsupporttheythinkthe childortheparentsshouldbegettingSomeofthis informationissimilartothedevelopmentdatathat wouldbeusedtocreatethenationalLifeChances Indicators

522 Theagetwohealthchecksarenottheonly circumstanceinwhichlocalbodiesalreadycollect dataaboutchildrenrsquoslifechancesTheEarlyYears FoundationStageProfilecurrentlycheckschildrenrsquos development(socialandemotionalaswellas cognitive)whentheystartschoolAreviewofthe

3 This is because increasing the length of a survey affects the quality of responses and the number of people who are willing to take part

EarlyYearsFoundationStageiscurrentlybeing carriedoutbyDameClareTickellWewould supportanyrecommendationfromthisreview forchecksofchildrenrsquosdevelopmentparticularly between24and36monthsandatagefiveandwe wouldsupportthejoiningupofthefirstofthese withtheexistingagetwohealthcheckInaddition anychecksatagefiveshouldcomplementthese earlierchecks

523 InlinewiththeGovernmentrsquosnewapproach totransparencyandaccountabilitywerecommend thatthiskindofdatawhichisalreadygathered locallyforotherpurposesbutwhichprovides informationonchildrenrsquoslifechancesshouldbe madepubliclyavailablesothatslimmeddownLocal LifeChancesIndicatorscanbecreatedforevery localauthoritySuchdatacouldalsobeusedto createindicatorsforothergeographiessuchascity regionsorlocalneighbourhoods

524 InordertomaketheLocalLifeChances Indicatorsasusefulaspossiblewerecommend thatwhereverappropriatewithoutcompromising itsprimaryuseinformationcollectedlocallyis comparabletothedatacollectedatthenational levelSoforexampleiftheEarlyYearsFoundation Stagereviewweretorecommendchecksatage fivetoassesschildrenrsquoscognitivedevelopment therelevantteamswithinGovernmentshould worktogethertoensurethatthislocallycollected measureofcognitivedevelopmentiscomparable tothemeasureofcognitivedevelopmentincluded inthenationalsurveyfortheLifeChances Indicators

525 Table52providesanexampleofhowdata collectedatthelocallevelinthiscaseaspartof theagetwohealthcheckscouldbeusedtocreate LocalLifeChancesIndicatorswhichwouldmap acrosstothenationalLifeChancesIndicators

Table 52 Example of making local and national data comparable to enable the creation of Local Life Chances Indicators

Factor that will be measured for national Life Chances Indicators

Information needed to create Local Life Chances Indicators

Potential concerns about using age two health check to collect information

Potential solutions (these would require further consideration by the Government)

Cognitivedevelopment Levelofcognitive development

Healthvisitorsdonot haveenoughtimeto collectfromeverychild thecomprehensive cognitivedevelopment datathatwillbe collectedforthe nationalsurvey

Ifnecessar yhealth visitorscouldcollect asub-setofthesame data

Physicaldevelopment Levelofphysical development

Healthvisitorsdonot haveenoughtimeto collectfromeverychild thecomprehensive physicaldevelopment datathatwillbe collectedforthe nationalsurvey

Table 52 Example of making local and national data comparable to enable the creation of Local Life Chances Indicators (continued)

Socialemotional Levelofsocial Healthvisitorsdonot Ifnecessar yhealth andbehavioural emotionaland haveenoughtimeto visitorscouldcollect development behavioural

development collectfromeverychild thecomprehensive datathatwillbe collectedforthe nationalsurvey

asub-setofthesame data

Homelearning QualityofHLE HLEshouldnotbe GoodHLEappearsto environment(HLE) coveredintheagetwo

healthcheckbecauseit isnotrelatedtohealth

Healthvisitorsdonot haveenoughtimeto assessHLEindetailfor everychild

haveadirectimpacton developmentsoitis entirelyappropriatefor ittobecovered

Healthvisitorscould askasubsetofthe widersetofHLE questionssuchasthose aboutlearningactivities undertakenwiththe child

Positiveparenting Levelofwarmthand responsivenessExtent ofboundarysettingand routine

Parentswillfeelthey arebeingtestedand thiscouldundermine theroleofthehealth visitor

Healthvisitorscould usetheleastintrusive questionsfromthe surveyforexample questionsabout bedtimesmealtimes andTVwatching

Orhealthvisitorscould assessparentingby observationprovided asuitablyobjective approachcouldbe developed

Motherrsquosage Alreadycollected

Motherrsquosqualifications Highestqualification gainedbymother

Motherwillfeelshe isbeingjudgedand thiscouldundermine theroleofthehealth visitor

Healthvisitorsmight beabletoraisethis questioninthecontext ofskillsdevelopmentor returningtowork

Maternalmentalhealth Maternalmentalhealth Motherwillfeelsheis beingjudgedtestedand thiscouldundermine theroleofthehealth visitor

Healthvisitorscould usetheirjudgement todecideifquestions onmentalhealthare inappropriate

Ifthisisthecase healthvisitorscould assessmentalhealthby observationprovided asuitablyobjective approachcouldbe developed

Qualityofnurserycare Qualityofnurserycare Qualityofnurserycare shouldnotbecovered intheagetwohealth checkbecauseitisnot relatedtohealth

Ideallyhealthvisitors wouldhavetimeto engagewithfamilies aboutthequalityof nurserycareavailableIf thisisnotfeasiblethen itmightbepossible forthemtocollect justthenameofthe providerInformation onthequalityofthe provider(forexample fromOfsted)could thenbelinkedinlater duringthecreationof theLocalLifeChances Indicators

Incomepoverty Whetherthechildis inpovertylow-income forthepurposesofthe indicators

Discussionofincome isinappropriateduring ahealthcheckParents willfeeltheyarebeing judgedandthiscould underminetheroleof thehealthvisitor

Toavoiddirect discussionofincome thehealthvisitorcould askinsteadwhetherthe householdreceivesany meanstestedbenefits whichwouldprovide someinformation aboutthehouseholdrsquos financialstatusinaless intrusiveway

Figure 52 Household consumption of benefits in kind (measured by expenditure on public services) by net equivalised income quintile (pound per week 201011)

Source Annex B of the Oc tober 2010 Spending Review Note the analysis covers around two thirds of resource DEL expenditure consisting of many of the services delivered by The Department of Health The Department for Education The Department for Work and Pensions The Department for Communities and Local Government The Department for Business Innovation and Skills The Department for Transport The Department for Energy and Climate Change Local Government The Ministry of Justice and The Department for Culture Media and Sport It excludes the Devolved Administrations

526 ThecombinationofthenationalLife ChancesIndicatorswithdatafromuniversal healthanddevelopmentchecks(theagetwo healthchecksandpotentialEarlyYearsFoundation Stagechecksatagestwoandfive)wouldtogether provideaninvaluablesourceofinformationwith whichtoevaluatethesuccessoftheFoundation YearsThesesourcesoflocaldatacouldalsobe usedtoensurethatprovidersareaccountable fortheresourcesthatareinvestedinthem Chapter4discussesinmoredetailwaysinwhich accountabilitymightbeimproved

527 Iflocallevelmeasuresarewidelyadopted bystakeholdersandiftheyprovetobesuitably robustandcomprehensiveincomingyearsand abletomeaningfullycoverallnineofthefactors whicharecoveredbythenationalLifeChances

Indicatorsthentherewillbenoneedtocontinue collectingnationallifechancesdatathrougha surveyItwillbepossiblejusttoaggregateup thelocalleveldataHoweveranationalsurvey measurewillbenecessaryintheshorttermat leastThisoriginalnationalmeasurewillprovidea benchmarkintermsofdesignandqualitywhich anyfutureaggregatedmeasureshouldhaveto meetItiscrucialtohavethisqualitybenchmark becauselocaldatacollectedfornon-survey purposescanbedifferentinnatureandless objectivethansurveydataInthemeantimeif somebutnotallofthenineindicatorscanbe createdrobustlyusinglocalleveldatatheReview wouldencouragethatthislocaldataislinkedin tothesurveydataratherthancollectedagain throughthenationalsurvey

528 Wehopethatintimethenationalandlocal LifeChancesIndicatorswillbesupplemented bydetailedqualitativeinformationcollectedby researchersandacademicswhoareinterestedin howalifechancesapproachworksinpractice andtheeffectthatitcanhaveonindividualfamilies andchildren

iii Other measures 529 Sofarthereporthasarguedthatinfuture thereshouldbeamuchgreateremphasison improvingthelongtermlifechancesofpoorer childrenTheLifeChancesIndicatorswilldrive progresstowardsthisnewapproachInaddition toadoptingthenewindicatorswethinkthereare twootherwaysinwhichtheGovernmentrsquoscurrent monitoringframeworkcouldbeimproved

bullItshouldcapturetheimpactofservicequality onlivingstandards

bullItshouldprovideinformationonwhatis happeningtothelivingstandardsofthevery poorestchildren

Service quality 530 Itisobviousthatthequalityoflifeofall childrenisinfluencedbythequalityofthepublic servicesavailabletothemThisisespeciallytruefor poorerchildrenbecausetheytendtohavegreater needofthesekindsofservices(forexample childrenfrompoorerhouseholdsaremorelikely toexperienceillhealthandthereforeneedaccess tohealthservices)

531 Figure52presentsconsumptionofpublic servicesbyhouseholdincomequintileandreveals therelativeimportanceofpublicservicesto thelivesofpoorerfamiliesResearchevidence emphasisestheimpactthatpublicserviceshave ontheexperiencesofsomechildrencurrently growingupinlowincomefamiliesForexample lackofflexiblehighqualitychildcarecanprevent

theirparentsfrommovingintoworklackof subsidisedlocaltransportcanpreventthemfrom takingpartinafter-schoolclubsandsocialactivities iftheyhavenoaccesstoprivatetransportand poorpolicingandneighbourhoodmanagement canleavethemwithnosafeplacetoplay4

532 TheReviewrecommendsthatthe Governmentdevelopsameasureofservice qualitywhichispublishedannuallyandistakeninto considerationwhentheGovernmentisassessing anddevelopingchildpovertystrategyThenew measureshouldmeetthesetwokeyrequirements

bullItshouldcaptureimprovementsinpublic servicesforchildrenfromlowincomefamilies Thiswillrebalancetheincentivescreatedby thecurrentincomemeasuresandensurethat investmentinpublicservicesisrecognised asoneappropriatepolicyresponsetochild poverty

bullItshouldshowhowthequalityofservices availabletochildrenfromlowincomefamilies compareswiththequalityoftheservices availabletotheirmoreaffluentpeers

533 Measurementofthequalityandavailability ofservicesisknowntobemethodologically difficultandwerecommendthattheGovernment consultswithinternalandexternalexpertsto takethisrecommendationforwardHoweverto providesomeguidanceonthekindofmeasure thatisenvisagedandhowitmightbedeveloped wepresenttwopossibleoptionsforaservice qualitymeasurewhichinitialconsultationhas suggestedareconceptuallyfeasible(seeAnnexB) IftheGovernmentacceptsthisrecommendation itwillneedtobuildoneoftheseoptionsintoa workingmeasureordevelopanalterativeIn doingsoitshouldconsiderthefollowing

534 Firsthowtoensurethatthenewmeasure meetsthekeyrequirementssetoutinparagraph 532

4 Ridge T (2009) Living with poverty A review of the literature on childrenrsquos and familiesrsquo experiences of poverty DWP

535 Secondwhichserviceareasshouldbe capturedbythenewmeasureWerecommend thatearlyyearsprimaryandsecondaryeducation andhealthservicesareallcapturedOtherservice areaswhichwethinkcouldbeincludedinthe measurearecrimeandpolicinghousingleisure andplayfacilitiesandqualityoflocalenvironment Therearealsoserviceswhichdonotaffect childrendirectlybutwhichcanhaveanindirect effectforexampleadulthealthservicesItwillbe necessarytodecidewhethertheseserviceareas shouldalsobeincluded

536 Thirdwhatdatatousetomeasurequality ofandaccesstopublicservicesTherearea numberofaspectsofservicethatcouldbe measured

bullIndividualperceptionofservicesforexamplea surveycouldbeusedtoaskhouseholdstorate thequalityoftheservicestheyhaveaccessto onascalefrom1to10Thiswouldallowthe measuretocapturebothaccessandquality

bullTake-upofprovisionthemeasurecouldutilise informationaboutwhetherornotpeople actuallytake-upparticularserviceswhichis anempiricalindicationofwhethertheyare accessibleForexampleitwouldbepossibleto usedataonthetake-upofthefreechildcare availableforthreeandfouryearsoldsItwould benecessarytotakeintoaccountthatsome householdsdonottakeupaservicebecause theydonotneeditafamilyshouldnotbe classedaspooriftheydonottakeuptheirfree childcareplacebecausetheychoosetohave privatechildcareinstead

bullArealeveladministrativedataforexamplewe couldusethecrimeratesinahouseholdrsquoslocal areaasameasureofthequalityofservicethey receiveintermsofpolicingandcommunity supportOtherexamplesmightberoad accidentincidencesoraccesstogreenspaces

bullQualityassessmentdataforexamplethe Ofstedassessmentofthelocalschoolordata onhospitalquality

bullGeographicaldistancetoqualityservicesfor serviceswhereitisreasonabletoassume thatproximityistheprimaryaccessissuethe distancefromapersonrsquoshometothenearest goodqualityprovisioncouldbemeasured5

537 Overthelongertermarobustservice qualitymeasurecouldbecombinedwithone oftheincomemeasurestoproduceamulti-dimensionalmeasurethatcoversbothafamilyrsquos abilitytopurchasemarketgoodsandservicesand thequalityofthenon-marketgoodsandservicesit isabletoaccessagenuinemultidimensionallsquoquality oflifersquomeasure

Severe poverty 538 Oneoftheprimarymessagesofthisreport supportedbytheevidencewepresentisthat increasedincomeonitsownisinsufficientto improvethelifechancesofpoorchildrenOur focushasthereforebeenondevelopingmeasures whichwillincentivisepolicythatdoesnotfocusso heavilyonincomeTheLifeChancesIndicatorsand servicequalitymeasurearenon-financialmeasures whichareintendedtodothis

539 HowevertheReviewalsowantsto recognisetheimportanceofensuringthatchildren donotexperienceseverefinancialandmaterial povertywhiletheyaregrowingup

540 Ithasnotbeenpossiblewithinthetimescale oftheReviewtodevelopapovertymeasurewhich wethinkcapturestheselsquoseverelypoorrsquochildrenin arobustwaybutwedowanttosuggestthatthe Governmentconsiderswaysinwhichtheimpact ofchildpovertypolicyonthesepoorestchildren canbemonitoredThisshouldensurethatpolicy makersarenotincentivisedtooverlookthese childrenandfocusinsteadonthosewhoare nearertothepovertyline(andthereforecanbe liftedoverthethresholdatlessexpense)

5 If geographical measures are used it might be necessary to take into account whether familes have access to a private vehicle

541 Inmakingthissuggestionwewouldadvise againstdevelopingameasurewhichdefinessevere povertyusinga40ofmedianincomepoverty thresholdBothgovernmentanalysisandexternal evidencehasrevealedthathouseholdsrecorded asbeingrightatthebottomoftheincomescale (andthusbelow40medianincome)tendto havelivingstandardsequatingtoincomestillbelow 60ofmedianincomebutabove406This suggeststhata40thresholdwouldresultina measurethatwasnotrobustanddidnotcapture withsufficientaccuracythosechildrenwhowere sufferingfromtheseverestmaterialpoverty

Recommendations 542 TheReviewlsquosprimarymeasurement recommendationisthattheGovernmentadopts anewsetofLifeChancesIndicatorsThese indicatorswillmeasureannualprogressata nationallevelonarangeoffactorswhichweknow tobepredictiveoffutureoutcomesandwillbe createdusingnationalsurveydata

543 Existinglocaldatashouldbecollatedand madepubliclyavailabletoenablethecreation ofLocalLifeChancesIndicatorswhichcanbe comparedwiththenationalmeasureInorder tomakethislocaldataasusefulaspossible informationcollectedbyhealthvisitorsduring theagetwohealthcheckandanyinformation collectedaspartoftheEarlyYearsFoundation Stage(followingtheresultsofDameClareTickellrsquos review)shouldbeassimilaraspossibletothe informationusedtocreatethenationalmeasure

544 TheGovernmentshoulddevelopand publishannuallyameasureoflsquoservicequalityrsquo whichcaptureswhetherchildrenandinparticular childreninlowincomefamilieshavesuitableaccess tohighqualitypublicservices

545 Giventheimportanceofensuringthat childrendonotexperienceprolongedmaterial andfinancialdeprivationtheGovernmentshould considerwaysinwhichtheimpactofchildpoverty policyontheseverypoorestchildrencanbe monitored

6 Brewer M OrsquoDea C Paull G and Sibieta L (2009) The living standards of families with children reporting low incomes Department for Work and Pensions Research Report NO 577 DWP

Chapter 6 Overview of the Consultation Process and Summary of Formal Submissions

This chapter provides an overview of the consultation process that the Review undertook and a summary

of the predominant themes that were put forward through formal consultation responses

Summary

bull FrankFieldandtheReviewteammetwithawiderangeofstakeholderswhocontributed viewsandevidencethatfedintotheReviewTherewereinaddition210formalwritten submissionsmadetotheReview

bull Keypointshighlightedbytheformalsubmissions

ndash Parenting(especiallyqualityofparent-childrelationshipsandparentalengagement)andthe homelearningenvironmentweretheaspectsofearlychildhoodmostoftencitedashavingthe greatestinfluencesonpositiveoutcomesandgoodlifechances

ndash Therewasconsensusthatthehomelearningenvironmentiscentraltosupportingallformsof achildrsquosdevelopment

ndash Increasedearlyyearssupportthathelpsparentstounderstandchilddevelopmentandoffersa broadrangeofparentingadviceiscrucial

ndash Thereisaneedforamoreholisticlsquofamilyapproachrsquotoboththedesignanddeliveryof servicesandthemeasurementofchildpoverty

ndash Earlyyearsservicesforchildrenandparentsmustbemoreeffectivelyintegratedand coordinated

ndash Schoolsmustdomoretoengagewithparentstoencouragethemtosupportlearningat home

ndash Measuresofchildpovertycouldbeenhancedbysupplementingincomemeasureswitha rangeofcarefullyselectedparentchildandenvironmentalindicators

ndash Incomeisanimportantdeterminantofoutcomesforchildrenespeciallyduetoits interrelationshipswithotherkeydeterminantsofoutcomes

ndash Parentalemploymentisakeyrouteoutofpoverty

ndash QualityandstabilityofhousingisimportantOvercrowdingcancontributesignificantlyto negativeoutcomesforchildren

The consultation process 61 ThroughoutthecourseoftheReview wehaveconsultedwitharangeofstakeholders includingpovertyexpertsdeliveryorganisations charitiesthinktankslobbygroupsandparentsand childrenabouttheirviewsandexperiencesThe aimoftheconsultationprocesswastoensurethat theReviewandtherecommendationswehave deliveredwereinformedbyaswidearangeof viewsandevidenceaspossible

62 Theconsultationprocessconsistedof

bullStakeholdermeetingsseminarsworkshopsand evidencesessions

bullAninvitationtosubmitformalresponsestoaset ofconsultationquestionsaswellasanyother relevantsupportingdocuments

bullVisitstochildrenrsquoscentresschoolsandcharities

bullAttendanceatexternalconferencesand seminarsbyFrankFieldandmembersofthe Reviewteam

63 Theoverallconsultationprocessranfrom mid-Junerightupuntilthefinaldevelopment ofrecommendationsinNovemberWewere delightedwiththelargenumberofresponses totheReviewconsultationwithatotalof463 responsesreceived

64 Formalresponsestotheconsultation questionswereacceptedfrom14July2010 to1October2010Asetofnineconsultation questionswasdevelopedbytheReviewteam whichaimedtofocusontheissuesthatwe consideredtobeattheheartoftheReview Respondentswerealsoinvitedtoincludeadditional relevantviewsorinformationnotcoveredbythe questionsInordertoensurethatthequestions werecirculatedwidelytheywerehostedon theReviewwebsite(withtextboxestoallow forelectronicsubmission)senttoanextensive Governmentdatabaseofcontactsrelevanttothe Reviewrsquostermsofreferenceandprovideddirectly tomembersofthepublicwhohadcontacted FrankFieldabouttheReviewSubmissions wereacceptedviathewebsiteviaemailandby postResponsesthatdidnotconformtothe consultationquestionframeworkandadditional relevantdocumentswerealsoaccepted

65 TheCentreforSocialJustice(CSJ)madea majorefforttoassistwiththeconsultationprocess Theycirculatedourquestionstomembersofthe CSJAlliance(anetworkofcharitiesandsocial enterprises)with31organisationssubmitting responsesWeareverygratefultotheCSJfor theirdedicationincollatingsuchalargenumber ofresponsesandforassistingwiththeanalysisof thesesubmissionsNootherpieceofevidence placedsuchemphasisontheimportanceof lookingatthecausesofpovertyaswellastryingto alleviatecurrentpoverty

66 SubmissionsfromtheCSJAlliance emphasisedtheroleofthefamilyandrelationships asbeingkeydeterminantsofpositiveoutcomes Structureandstabilityofthefamilyemotional stabilityoftheparentsparentingskillsquality ofadultandchildrelationshipsinter-adult relationshipsandpositiveadultrolemodelswere allidentifiedascrucialfactorsLoveandaffection inacommittedfamilysettingwasbyfarthesingle aspectofearlychildhoodmostoftencitedas havingthegreatestinfluence

67 179writtenresponses(including29from membersofpublic)weresubmitteddirectlyto FrankFieldandtheReviewteamwhichcombined withtheCSJAlliancesubmissionsresultedina totalof210formalreponsesAlistofrespondents isprovidedinAppendixCWehavenotdisclosed namesofprivateindividualsAsignificantnumber ofmembersofthepublicalsocontributedtheir viewsthroughlettersconcerningtheReviewthat weresenttoFrankField(atotalof253letters werereceived)Weverymuchappreciatethat somanypeopletookthetimetogetintouch withtheirviewsonsomanyimportantissuesAll correspondencewasreadandallconsultation submissionswereanalysedbymembersofthe Reviewteamandwereconsideredaspartofthe evidenceprocessthatfedintothefinalreport

68 FrankFieldandtheReviewteamalsoheld over100sessionsincludingmeetingsseminars andworkshopswithorganisationsandprominent individualswhocontributedevidenceandviews totheReviewFrankFieldandmembersofthe teamalsoattendedarangeofrelevantexternal conferencesandseminarsandmadevisitsto childrenrsquoscentresschoolsandcharitiesacrossthe country

OverviewoftheConsultationProcessandSummaryofFormalSubmissions 87

69 Weareverygratefultoeveryonewhotook partintheconsultationprocessinallitsformsAll theevidencethatwehavegatheredhasplayed acrucialroleinhelpingustodevelopourfinal recommendationsAlistoforganisationsthathave contributedtotheconsultationprocessisprovided inAnnexC

Summary of written evidence submitted to the Review 610 Wehavesummarisedbelowthe predominantthemesandviewsforeach consultationquestionthatcameoutstronglyfrom analysisofallwrittenconsultationevidence

Which aspects of childrenrsquos early years are the most important determinants of positive outcomes and good life chances 611 Respondentscontributedawiderange ofviewstothisquestionManyhighlighted theimportanceofstrongparentandchild relationshipsKeyfactorsputforwardwerethe qualityofengagementbetweenparentand childtheformingofstrongattachmentsandthe demonstrationoflovecareandaffectionfrom theearliestdaysofachildrsquoslifewhichcanbe crucialtothechilddevelopingemotionalstrength andresilienceParentalstylewasviewedasbeing centraltopositiveoutcomeswithprovisionoflove andwarmthandthesettingofrulesandroutines seentobeoptimalParentingskillsknowledgeand aspirationsalsohaveasignificantimpactParental mentalhealthandemotionalstabilityofthe parentswassuggestedbymanyasakeyfactorin determiningoutcomesforthechild

612 Householdincomewasviewedbya significantnumberofrespondentsasbeingan importantdeterminantofchildrenrsquosoutcomes especiallyduetoitsinterrelationshipswithother keydeterminantsofpositiveoutcomes

613 Theimportanceforthechildofgood qualityearlyyearsservicesincludingpre-school educationnurserycareandhealthserviceswas emphasisedbymanyrespondentsTherewas agreementthatsocialemotionalandcognitive development(particularlylanguageability)isvital andthatthehomelearningenvironmentiscentral tosupportingallformsofchilddevelopment

Severalrespondentsalsocitedtheimpactof nutritionwithlow-incomegroupstendingtohave lesshealthydiets

614 Thequalityandstabilityofhousingwas alsomentionedasanimportantfactorwith overcrowdinginparticularviewedascontributing significantlytonegativeoutcomes

What single aspect of early childhood has the greatest influence 615 Thehomelearningenvironmentand parentingweretheaspectsmostoftencitedby respondentsashavingthegreatestinfluenceMany focusedinparticularonparent-childrelationships (encompassingtherangeofaspectsmentioned inparagraph611)Thethirdmostcitedfactor washouseholdincomeItwasoftennotedthat itisdifficulttopickoutanyonesingleaspectbut thatthefocusshouldbeonanumberofrelated factors

How can early years support from parents childrenrsquos services and the community best deliver positive outcomes for the most disadvantaged children and their families 616 Severalrespondentsindicatedthatassisting parentswithunderstandingchilddevelopmentand providingabreadthofparentingadvicearetwo ofthemostcrucialaspectsofearlyyearssupport Supportthatleadstoimprovementsinparent-childinteractionsandhelpsparentstocopewith thepressuresofparentingwasviewedasespecially importantOthersalsoindicatedthatparents requireincreasedsupportinunderstandingthe behavioursthatleadtobetteroutcomesfor childrenwhichcouldbedeliveredthroughSure StartChildrenrsquosCentresandorFamilyNurse PartnershipsItwashighlightedthatstrategiesthat developparentingandbasicskillsoffamilieswhen childrenareyoungcanhavesignificantpositive impactsonlong-termeducationaloutcomes

617 Alargenumberofrespondentsemphasised theimportanceofalsquofamilyapproachrsquotoservices withashiftfromfrontlineservicescentredon theindividualtofamilyfocussedservicesrequired Moreeffectivelyintegrated(andindeedbetter co-ordinated)supportserviceswerealsoseen tobecrucialManyviewedSureStartChildrenrsquos

Centresasthemosteffectivemechanismsfor deliveringsuchlsquojoined-uprsquosupportwhichshould offerafullrangeofservicestobothparents (includingsupportingadultlearningandbasicskills aswellasemploymentservices)andchildren Theseservicesmustberigorouslytargetedon meetingtheneedsofparentsandchildrenand bedevelopedinpartnershipwithfamiliesrather thanbeingimposeduponthemManyrespondents believedthatservicesmustdomuchmoreto effectivelyengageparentswhohavetraditionally beenhardertoreachAnumberofsubmissions alsoemphasisedthatchildrenrsquosservicesneedtobe morelsquofather-friendlyrsquoThecontinuationofuniversal serviceswaswidelycitedasbeingvitalespecially topreventstigmatisationandenablelsquosocialmixingrsquo Healthvisitorswerehighlightedasawelcomingand non-stigmatisingservicewithsomerespondents praisingthemasbeingparticularlyeffectiveat reachingthosethatneedthemthemostthough otherssuggestedthatmorecouldbe done

618 Severalrespondentsnotedldquomistrustof servicesrdquoasbeinganissueandthatfamiliestendto trustvoluntaryservicesmorethanstatutoryones (andindeedthatgovernmentshouldtakethisinto accountwhencommissioningservices)

619 Strategiescentredoneducationand employmentespeciallyintermsofimproving theskillsofparentswereviewedbyseveral respondentsasfundamentaltopovertyreduction Indeedmanysubmissionsemphasisedthat parentalemploymentisakeyrouteoutofpoverty

620 Respondentsalsohighlightedthe importanceofearlyinterventionsManystressed thatinterventionsmusthaveastrongtheoretical evidencebaseandtheimportanceoflookingat interventionsthatworkfirstonasmallerscale Thefactthatinterventionsneedtobesustained tobeeffectivewasalsoemphasisedEarly identificationofneedespeciallyfromtheparentsrsquo perspectiveisalsoseentobeimportant

621 Mentoringwassuggestedinseveral submissionsasaneffectivemethodtohelpprevent familiesreachingcrisispoint

In what ways do family and the home environment affect childrenrsquos life chances 622 Manyrespondentsbelievedparentstobe themostsignificantinfluenceontheirchildrenrsquos liveswitheffectiveparentingbeingcentralto nurturingresilienceDamagingparentalconflict wasnotedasbeingamajorcauseofchild adjustmentdifficultiesFracturedunstableor unlovingfamilieswereviewedtohaveaserious negativeimpactonachildrsquoslifechancesasthey candamageachildrsquosself-esteemtrustandability toformpositiverelationshipsandtohaveclear aspirationsRespondentsalsopointedoutthatbad parentalexamplesandpoorlifechoicesareoften passeddownfromonegenerationtothe next

623 Asignificantnumberofrespondents emphasisedthatthehomelearningenvironment canbemorepowerfulthansocio-economic backgroundandthatastronghomelearning environmentcangoalongwaytowardscountering theeffectsofpoverty

624 Respondentsalsonotedthatpoorhousing conditionsnegativelyaffecthealthandeducational attainmentOvercrowdedlivingspacescancause childrentofeelstressedfromanearlyagemakeit difficultforthemtofindspacetodohomework andcanalsohavesignificantnegativeimpactsona childrsquoshealth

What role can the Government play in supporting parents to ensure children grow up in a home environment which allows them to get the most out of their schooling 625 Manyrespondentscommentedonschools engagingwithfamiliesSeveralrecommended thatschoolsfocustheireffortsonengaging parentstosupportlearningathomeHoweverit wasindicatedthatmoreremainstobedoneto convincesomeschoolsthatparentalengagementis centraltothecorepurposeofraisingachievement Otherssuggestedthatextendedservicesshould beprovidedwithinschoolsthatencourageparent andchildlearningtogetherItwaswidelynoted thatprimaryandsecondaryschoolsneedtodo moretoensurethatrelationshipswithparentsare maintainedaschildrengetolder

626 Anumberofrespondentssuggested thatparentingshouldbetaughtaspartofthe curriculuminschoolsItwasproposedthat pupilsshouldbetaughtaboutrelationshipsand childdevelopmentinparticularOthersnoted thatparentsrsquoownnegativeexperiencesofthe educationsystemcanaffecttheirabilityanddesire toworktogetherwiththeirchildrsquosschoolandthat thisissueshouldbeaddressed

What role do family earnings and income play in childrenrsquos outcomes and life chances 627 Manyrespondentsbelievedfamilyearnings andincometobeimportantdeterminantsof childrenrsquosoutcomesandlifechancesThemajority indicatedthatitisnotnecessarilyincomepoverty itselfthatisdamagingbutitsinterrelationships withotherdeterminantsofpositiveoutcomes

628 Anexampleputforwardinmany submissionswasthefactthatlowincomecan haveanegativepsychologicalimpactonparents includingthefactthattheymayfeelthatthey havefailedtoprovidetheirchildrenwithadecent upbringingAnumberofrespondentsalso emphasisedthatincome-stressedparentsanxious aboutmoneywithinsecurejobsandunsocial hourshaveamuchreducedcapacitytospend qualitytimewiththeirchildrenLowincomecan furtherundermineparentingcapacityduetoits damagingimpactonmentalandphysicalhealth

629 Itwasalsoemphasisedthatlowincome canhavearangeofnegativeimpactsonachildrsquos wellbeingSeveralresponsesnotedthatchildren areveryawareofpovertyfromanearlyage andthatthiscannegativelyaffecttheirattitudes behavioursandfeelingofcontrolovertheirlives aswellascausethemtohaveloweraspirations Forexamplechildrendolesswellintermsof educationalattainmentwhentheyhavelessbelief intheideathattheiractionscanhaveaneffect Materialpovertywhichcanforexamplepreventa childfromgoingonaschooltripcanalsoleadto socialexclusion

630 Similarlyotherrespondentsindicatedthat thenegativeimpactcomespredominantlyfrom thefactthatearningandincomeoftendetermine qualityoflivingconditionsthehomelearning environmenthealthdietandaccesstoactivities

What constitutes child poverty in modern Britain 631 Themajorityofrespondentsagreedthat whilstlowincomeisclearlyimportantthereisa needtoconsiderabroaderrangeofissuesthat constitutechildpovertysuchas

bullachildlackingtheloveattentionandsupport neededforpositivedevelopment

bullfailuretofulfilachildrsquosnormativephysicalsocial emotionalandpsychologicaldevelopmentneeds

bullexclusionfromactivitiesthatareessentialfor developmentsuchassocialinteractionsand play

bullbarriersthatpreventchildrenfromreaching theirfullpotentialandwhichnegativelyimpact theirlifechancesexperiencesasanadult

bullpovertyofaspiration

bullmaterialdeprivationand

bullachildbeingunlikelytoachievethestandards ofhealthhousingaccesstoservicessafetyand educationenjoyedbythoselivinginhouseholds above60medianincome

How can our measures of child poverty be reformed to better focus policy development and investment on delivering positive outcomes and improved life chances for children 632 Alargenumberofrespondentscommented thatconcentratingonincomealoneistoo simplisticasmostvulnerablefamiliesexperience complexdeprivationmadeupofarangeofneeds anddifficultiesSomesuggestedlookingbeyond incometosocialandeducationalopportunity Manyrespondentsemphasisedthatamoreholistic lsquofamilyapproachrsquotomeasurementisrequired

633 Severalrespondentsstronglyfeltthat thefourmeasuressetoutintheChildPoverty Actshouldremaintheheadlinemeasuresbut indicatedthatthereisscopefordeveloping additionalindicatorstositbelowthesetargetsand coverabroaderrangeofissuesSomesuggested supplementingincomemeasureswithwellbeing measuresandindicatorsthattakeexternalfactors intoaccount

634 Severalrespondentsthoughtthatit wouldbeusefultohavemeasuresofsevereand persistentpovertyandalsoameasurethatfocuses onavailabilityandqualityofservicesOthers suggestedusingameasurebasedonminimum incomestandards

635 Additionalsuggestedimprovements includedmeasuresthatbothmoreeffectivelytake accountofthelocalcontextandcanbebroken downandusedlocallyanlsquoafterhousingcostsrsquo povertymeasureandafocusonraisingawareness ofkeyissuesinthepublicmindset

What are the strong predictors of childrenrsquos life chances which might be included in any new measure of child poverty 636 Predictorssuggestedinclude

bullParentaleducation

bullParentalemployment

bullMotherrsquosageatbirthofchild

bullPoornutritionduringpregnancy

bullMaternalhealth

bullParentsrsquomentalhealth

bullParentingskills

bullParentingbehaviour

bullFamilystructureandstability

bullParentalinvolvementinchildcareeducation

bullLeveloffatherrsquosinvolvement

bullChildrsquospsychologicalwell-being

bullChildrsquoscognitivedevelopment

bullChildrsquossocialdevelopment

bullChildrsquosqualityofdiet

bullAspirations(bothparentandchild)

bullAccesstogoodpre-schooleducation

bullAccesstochildcare

bullUseofSureStartChildrenrsquosCentres

bullQualityandsuitabilityofhousing

bullQualityofneighbourhood

bullAccesstoplayfacilities

bullLevelofcommunityinvolvement

bullRelativeandabsolutelowincome

Additional views 637 Therewasbroadconsensusthattheearly years(agezerotothreeinparticular)arecrucial andthatinterventionsearlyinachildrsquoslifearemost effectiveinimprovingoutcomesandlifechances Howeveranumberofresponsesstressedthatitis importantnottofocusentirelyontheearlyyears Earlyinterventionsafteragefivearealsocrucial especiallyatkeytransitionpoints

638 Therewasalsogeneralagreementthat schoolsarenotcurrentlybreakingthelink betweenpovertyandpoorlifechancesanddonot narrowtheoutcomesgapaschildrengetolder

639 Severalrespondentsstressedthe importanceofincreasedinvestmentinearlyyears servicesandthatthereshouldbeareversalofthe currentsystemofspendingmoremoneyonthe educationofchildrentheoldertheygetItwas suggestedthatalong-termstrategyisrequired toredirectresourcesintoearlyintervention investment

640 Anumberofresponsesindicatedthatthere isabeneficialimpactofachildgrowingupina familythatoperatesaspartofawidernetwork (extendedfamilycommunitychurchetc)

641 Theimportanceofnotunderestimatingthe impactofthesignificantreductioninthenumber ofunskilledjobsincertainareasofthecountry wasstressedbyanumberofsubmissions

642 Manyrespondentsalsopointedoutthat disabilityremainsoneofthemostsignificant indicatorsofgreaterchancesoflivinginpoverty

643 Anumberofrespondentsbelievedalackof positiverolemodelsforchildrentobeasignificant problem

Annexes

Annex A Life Chances Indicators ndash Recommended Measures

Table A1

Factors Key elements Recommended measures

Cognitive developmentatage three

Languageandcommunication developmentproblemsolvingskills andschoolreadiness

BritishAbilityScales(inparticular thenamingvocabularyandpicture similaritiessub-scales)

BrackenSchoolReadinessAssessment

Behaviouralsocial andemotional developmentatage three

Emotionalhealthbehaviouraland conductproblemshyperactivitypeer relationshipsandpositivebehaviour

StrengthsandDifficulties Questionnaireforthreetofouryear olds

Physicaldevelopment atagethree

Bodymassindex(BMI)andgeneral healthofchild

HeightandweighttocalculateBMI

Parentalratingofchildrsquosgeneralhealth

Parent

Homelearning environment

Activitiesthatparentsundertakewith theirchild(ren)whichhaveapositive effectontheirdevelopmentsuch asreadingwiththeirchildteaching songsandnurseryrhymespainting anddrawingplayingwithletters andnumbersvisitingthelibrary teachingthealphabetandnumbers andcreatingregularopportunities forthemtoplaywiththeirfriendsat home

HomeLearningIndexfromthe EffectiveProvisionofPre-School Education(EPPE)study

Maternalmental health

Generalmeasureofmental healththatenablesidentification ofsignificantlevelsofdistressor impairedfunctionassociatedwith commonmentaldisorderssuchas anxietyanddepression

ShortForm12orKessler6

Positiveparenting Warmthofparent-childrelationship (includingparentrsquosaffectionpraise andempathywiththeirchildaswell aschildrsquosopennessaffectionand feelingtowardsparent)andcontrol ofparentoverchild(including parentaldisciplineandtheextent towhichthechildobeysparental requests)

Piantachild-parentrelationshipscale

MillenniumCohortStudyauthoritative parentingmeasures

Motherrsquoseducational qualifications

Educationalschoolvocationalor otherqualifications

StandardUKeducationalschool vocationalorotherqualifications thatallowforcategorisationintothe NationalQualificationsFramework andQualificationsandCredit Frameworklevels

Motherrsquosageatbirth offirstchild

Ageinyearsandmonths

Environment

Qualityofnursery care

Qualityofnurserycarecentres coveringaspectsofthesetting(both facilitiesandhumanresources)the educationalandcareprocesseswhich childrenexperienceeverydayand theoutcomesorthelongerterm consequencesoftheeducationand carethechildreceives

EarlyChildhoodEnvironmentRating Scale(ECERS)

Annex B Options for a New Measure of Service Quality

1 Hereweproposetwopossibleframeworks foraservicequalitymeasurewhichcouldbetaken forwardbytheGovernment

bullOption1Amulti-dimensionalservicequality indexwhichcombinesindividuallevelsurvey datausagedataandarealeveladministrative datatoproduceanindividuallevelindexof servicequality

bullOption2Alsquoservicedeprivationrsquomeasure tomirrortheexistingmaterialdeprivation measurebasedonpeoplersquosperceptionof whethertheyhavelsquosufficientrsquoaccesstoservices oflsquosufficientrsquoquality

Option1 multi-dimensional service quality index 2 Thismeasurewoulduseamethodology similartothatusedtocreatetheIndexof MultipleDeprivationwhichndashatanarealevelndash combinesarangeofdifferentnumericalmeasures foragivenareaintoasinglenumberForexample itcombinesnumericaldataonhousingconditions airqualityandroadtrafficaccidentstocreatea lsquoLivingEnvironmentDeprivationrsquoscoreforevery CensusSuperOutputAreainthecountrySeven suchscoresarethenweightedandcombinedto createanoverallMultipleDeprivationscoreIn thecaseofthemulti-dimensionalservicequality indexwewouldexpectthenumericalmeasures combinedintheindextocapture

bullTake-upofprovisiontheindexcoulduse informationaboutwhetherornotpeople actuallytake-upparticularserviceswhichis anempiricalindicationofwhethertheyare accessibleForexampleitwouldbepossibleto usedataonthetake-upofthefreechildcare availableforthreeandfouryearsoldsItwould benecessarytotakeintoaccountthatsome householdsdonottakeupaservicebecause theydonotneeditafamilyshouldnotbe classedaspooriftheydonottakeuptheirfree childcareplacebecausetheychoosetohave privatechildcareinstead

bullArealeveladministrativedataforexamplewe couldusethecrimeratesinahouseholdrsquoslocal areaasameasureofthequalityofservicethey receiveintermsofpolicingandcommunity supportOtherexamplesmightberoad accidentincidenceoraccesstogreenspaces

bullGeographicaldistancetoqualityservicesfor serviceswhereitisreasonabletoassume thatproximityistheprimaryaccessissuethe distancefromapersonrsquoshometothenearest goodqualityprovisioncouldbemeasured

3 Thechoiceofmeasureswouldbebasedon relevanceandavailabilityandwouldalsohaveto takeintoaccountthesuitabilityofthemeasureto becombinedwithothersinamulti-dimensional indexExactlyhowthedifferentmeasureschosen wouldbecombinedtogetherwoulddependon conceptualchoicesaboutwhichfactorsaremost importantaswellasstatisticalrequirements

Forexampletheremaybemorearealevel measuresavailablethanindividuallevelmeasures buttheindividuallevelfactorsmightbegivena largerweightingtoreflectthefactthattheyare consideredmoreimportant

4 Theprimaryadvantageofthisoptionis thatitcouldpotentiallytakeadvantageoflotsof existingadministrativedataandcombineitwith arelativelysmallamountofhouseholdleveldata collectedviaasurveytocreateanindividuallevel index

5 Thedisadvantageisthatthemethodology forcreatingtheindexfromtheindividualmeasures wouldhavetobedevelopedfromscratchandit mayprovethattheavailabledatasourcesarenot wellsuitedtobeingcombinedinthiswayintoan indexItisonlyafterthedatahasbeencollated andanalysedthatitispossibletoknowwhethera coherentindexcanbecreated

Option 2 lsquoservice deprivationrsquo measure 6 Thismeasurewouldaddresstheissue ofcapturingqualityandaccessibilitybyusinga methodologysimilartothatusedtocreatethe existinglsquomaterialdeprivationrsquomeasureusedby government

7 Brieflythatmeasureiscreatedbyasking surveyrespondentswhethertheirhouseholdowns eachofalistof21goodsservicesThelistisinitially developedusingfocusgroupandsurveydataA listisderivedofthetypesofgoodsandservices thatpeoplethinkarelsquonecessaryrsquoforpeopleto haveinordertofullyparticipateincontemporary societyAnalysisisthenusedtoensurethatthelist containsawideenoughrangeofitemstobeable todistinguishbetweenhouseholdswithdifferent degreesofmaterialdeprivationThelististhen includedinahouseholdsurveyandhouseholdsare askedwhethertheyowneachitemIfahousehold doesnotownagivenitemonthelisttheyare askedwhetherthatisbecausetheycannotafford itorbecausetheydonotwantitEveryitemon thelistisallocatedascorethemorepeopleinthe populationhavethatitemthehigherthescore

A householdrsquostotalmaterialdeprivationscoreis thesumofthescoreofeveryitemwhichtheylack becausetheycannotafforditAnyonewithascore aboveagiventhresholdisdefinedasexperiencing materialdeprivation

8 Thematerialdeprivationmethoddoesnot measuresimplywhetherahouseholdownsagiven itemitalsoasksifanitemisnotownedwhether thisisduetobeingunabletoafforditItshould bepossibletotakeasimilarapproachtoservices askingfirstwhetherthepersonhasagooddoctor schoolchildcareproviderwhichtheyuseandif notwhetherthatisbecausetheydonotwant thatparticularserviceorbecausetheyareunable toaccessit(perhapsprovidingalistofpossible reasonswhytheyareunabletoaccessitsuchas distancelanguageoropeninghours)

9 Thematerialdeprivationmeasurealso providesapossiblemethodforchoosingwhich servicesshouldbeincludedinthelistthey shouldreflectthetypesofservicesthatpeople inthegeneralpopulationthinkarelsquonecessaryrsquo foreveryonetohaveandtheyshouldallowfor sufficientdistinctionbetweenthosewhohave goodaccesstoqualityservicesandthosewho do not

10 Theissueofqualitymightbeharderto addressasthismethodreliesontherespondent toassessqualityThiscanbeproblematicbecause assessmentofqualitycanbeaffectedbyprevious experienceSopeoplewhoareusedtolowquality servicesmightbesatisfiedwithprovisionwhich wouldnotbeconsideredsufficientbypeople whoareaccustomedtohigherqualityHowevera similarproblemexistsandhasbeenmanagedfor thematerialdeprivationmeasurewhichrelieson therespondenttoassesswhetherornottheycan affordanitemwhichisobviouslysubjecttotheir assumptionsaboutwhatotherthingsitisnecessary tospendmoneyonOnewaytoaddressthismight betodefinetheitemsonthelistasqualityservices Forexamplelsquoasecondaryschoolrsquowouldnotbea goodenoughmeasurebecausealmostallchildren willhaveaccesstosomeschoolAbetteritem mightbelsquotheschoolofyourchoicersquo

AnnexBOptionsforaNewMeasureofServiceQuality 97

11 Themajorbenefitofthismeasurewould betheexistenceofasimilarmeasurethathas alreadybeendevelopedandwhichcouldbeused asastartingpointforthedevelopmentofthe methodologyalthoughclearlythiswouldhave toberefinedtocapturethisdifferentaspectof poverty

12 Themajordisadvantageisthatitwould requirenewsurveydataatatimewhenthe Governmentisspendinglessmoneyonsurveys Therewouldneedtobestrongcross-government supportforsomeoftheincreasinglylimitedsurvey spaceavailabletobeallocatedtothismeasure

Annex C Consultation Details

List of organisations who provided formal submissions to the consultation 58i

4Children

AccordGroup(includingAshramHousing Association)

ActionforChildren

ActionforPrisonersrsquoFamilies

AdvertisingStandardsAuthority

AllPartyParliamentaryGrouponSureStart

AllSoulsClubhouse

AquilaWay

ARKSchools

ArtsandDramaInterventionatThornhillSchool

AssessmentinCare

AssociationofSchoolandCollegeLeaders

AssociationofTeachersandLecturers

BalsallHeathForum

Barnardorsquos

BarnsleyMetropolitanBoroughCouncil

BBCChildreninNeed

BirkbeckUniversityofLondonInstituteforthe StudyofChildrenFamiliesampSocialIssues

BlackburnwithDarwenBoroughCouncil

BlackpoolCouncil

BlueSkyDevelopmentampRegeneration

Booktrust

BradfordandWestYorkshireMethodistHousing Limited

BristolCommunityFamilyTrust

BritishEmbassyBerlin

BritishEmbassyParis

BritishEmbassyStockholm(submissioncovering DenmarkandFinland)

BritishEmbassyTheHague

BritishEmbassyWashington

BritishHighCommissionCanberra

BritishHighCommissionWellington

C4EO(theCentreforExcellenceandOutcomes inChildrenrsquosandYoungPeoplersquosServices)

Capacity

CentreforPublicScrutiny

ContactaFamily

ChildPovertyActionGroup

ChildrenrsquosFoodCampaign

ChildrenrsquosVoicesinFamilyLaw

ChildrenrsquosWorkforceDevelopmentCouncil

ChristiansAgainstPoverty

AnnexC 99

CroydonJubileeChurch

ChurchofEngland

CitizensAdviceBureau

CityampGuildsCentreforSkillsDevelopment

CityLifeEducationandActionforRefugees

DaycareTrust

DisabilityAlliance

DWPSocialInclusionAdvisoryGroup

EarlyExcellence

EconomicandSocialResearchCouncil

EDENOpenshawTheSalvationArmy

e-LearningFoundation

EndChildPoverty

EnergyActionScotland

EqualityandHumanRightsCommission

EveryChildaChanceTrust

EveryDisabledChildMatters

FacultyofPublicHealth

FamiliesNeedFathers

FamilyAction

FamilyandParentingInstitute

FamilyFriends

FamilyLinks

FamilyMattersYork

FPWPHibiscus(theFemalePrisonersWelfare Project)

GreaterLondonAuthority

Gingerbread

GypsyRomaandTravellerAchievementService

HaringeyCouncil

IndependentAcademiesAssociation

InstituteforFiscalStudies

IntoUniversity

InstituteofEconomicAffairs

JosephRowntreeFoundation

KentCountyCouncil

KidsCompany

KingrsquosArmsProject

KingrsquosCollegeInstituteofPsychiatry

KinshipCareAlliance

KirkleesCouncil

KnowsleyMetropolitanBoroughCouncil

LiverpoolCityRegionPartnership

LocalGovernmentImprovementand Development

LondonBoroughofTowerHamlets

LondonBoroughofWalthamForest

LondonCouncils

LondonEarlyYearsFoundation

LondonSouthBankUniversityWeeksCentrefor SocialandPolicyResearch

LoughboroughUniversityDepartmentofSocial Sciences

LutonBoroughCouncil

MakingEveryAdultMatter

MAPSVolunteerCentreSutton

Medicash

MotorvationsProjectLtd

NationalChildbirthTrust

NationalChildrenrsquosBureau

NationalFamilyInterventionStrategyBoard

NationalHeartForum

NationalHousingFederation

NewcastleUniversitySchoolofGeographyPolitics andSociology

NewPolicyInstitute

NationalInstituteforAdultContinuingEducation (NIACE)

NorthStaffsYMCA

Ofsted

OnePlusOne

ParentandChildEmpowermentOrganisation

ParentingUK

ParentlinePlus

PeersEarlyEducationPartnership(PEEP)

PortsmouthCityCouncil

PovertyAlliance

RoyalAssociationofDisabilityRights(RADAR)

Reflex

Relate

RelationshipsFoundation

RotherhamMetropolitanBoroughCouncil

RoyalCollegeofPaediatricsandChildHealthand ImperialCollegeLondon

SafeGround

SandwellMetropolitanBoroughCouncil

SavetheChildren

SchoolFoodTrust

School-HomeSupport

SheffieldHallamUniversityCentreforRegional EconomicandSocialResearch

Shelter

SkillsFundingAgency

SocialFundCommissioner

SouthamptonAnti-PovertyNetwork

SouthamptonCityCouncil

SouthLondonampMaudsleyNHSFoundationTrust

SouthwarkCouncil

StGeorgersquosCrypt

StGilesTrust

StokeSpeaksOut

StraightTalking

SurreyCountyCouncilEarlyYearsandChildcare Service

SwedishMinistryofHealthandSocialAffairs

The999Club

TheAssociationofCharityOfficers

TheAttleeFoundation

TheBritishYouthCouncil

TheCampaignforNationalUniversalInheritance

TheChildrenrsquosSociety

TheFamilyHolidayAssociation

TheFosteringNetwork

TheFoyerFederation

TheLivingWellTrust

ThePlace2Be

ThePovertyTruthCommission(Scotland)

ThePrincersquosFoundationforChildrenamptheArts

ThePrincersquosTrust

ThePrisonReformTrust

TheSafetyZoneCommunityProject

TheSourceYoungPeoplersquosCharity

TraffordBoroughCouncil

TranmereCommunityProject

TyneGateway(NorthTynesideCouncilampSouth TynesideCouncilChildhoodPovertyInnovation Pilot)

UNICEFUK

UNITE(CommunityPractitionerrsquosampHealth VisitorrsquosAssociation)

UniversityofBathDepartmentofSocialand PoliticalSciences

UniversityofBradford

UniversityofCentralLancashireFacultyof Education

UniversityofLeedsSchoolofSociologyandSocial Policy

AnnexC 101

UniversityofLiverpoolCentreforTheStudyof TheChildTheFamilyandTheLaw

UniversityofManchesterTheCathieMarsh CentreforCensusandSurveyResearch

UniversityofOxfordCentreforResearchinto ParentingandChildren

UniversityofOxfordDepartmentofSocialPolicy andSocialWork

UniversityofYorkDepartmentofSocialPolicy andSocialWork

U-TooCommunityBusinessLtd

WestChadsmoorFamilyCentre

WhatMakesYouTick

TheWildernessFoundation

WirralPartnershipHomes

WomenLikeUs

YouthJusticeBoardforEnglandandWales

YoungMinds

YWCAEnglandampWales

Zacchaeus2000Trust

List of organisations that met with or spoke to Frank Field and the Review team during the consultation process 4Children

ActionforChildren

ANationalVoice

ATDFourthWorld

Barnardorsquos

BidstonAvenuePrimarySchoolBirkenhead

BlackpoolLocalAuthority

CentreforSocialJustice

ChurchActiononPoverty

CityHall

ColumbiaUniversitySchoolofSocialWork

ContactaFamily

CroydonLocalAuthority

DartingtonSocialResearchUnitDaycareTrust

EndChildPovertyCoalition

EveryDisabledChildMatter

FamiliesUnited

FamilyAction

FamilyLinks

FamilyRightsGroup

FatherhoodInstitute

FosteringNetwork

Gingerbread

GrandparentsPlus

HaltonHousingTrust(onbehalfoftheChartered InstituteofHousingNorthWestBranch)

HeriotWattUniversitySchooloftheBuilt Environment

Impetus

InstituteofChildHealth

InstituteofEducationUniversityofLondon

InstituteforSocialandEconomicResearch UniversityofEssex

IslingtonLocalAuthority

LiverpoolCityCouncil

LondonCouncils

LondonSchoolofEconomicsandPoliticalScience CentreforAnalysisofSocialExclusion

LoughboroughUniversityCentreforResearchin SocialPolicy

MarriageCare

MentalHealthAlliance

MentalHealthFoundation

NationalCentreforSocialResearch

NationalChildmindingAssociation

NationalDayNurseriesAssociation

NationalLiteracyTrust

NewYorkUniversity

Ofsted

OnePlusOne

ParentingUK

ParentlinePlus

Relate

ReviewofEarlyYearsFoundationStage

SalfordLocalAuthority

SavetheChildren

Shelter

SynergyResearchandConsulting

TheBigIssue

TheCentreforExcellenceandOutcomesin ChildrenandYoungPeoplersquosServices

TheChildrenrsquosCommissionerforEngland

TheCross-PartyGrouponDrugandAlcohol TreatmentandHarmReduction

TheFamilyandParentingInstitute

TheInnovationUnit

TheManchesterAcademy

TheMarmotReview

ThePrincersquosCharities

TogetherforChildren

ToynbeeHall

TurningPoint

UNICEF

UniteCommunityPractitionersandHealthVisitors AssociationNationalProfessionalCommittee

UniversityCollegeLondonGlobalHealthEquity Group

UniversityofBirminghamInstituteofApplied SocialStudies

UniversityofBristolCentreforMarketandPublic Organisation

UniversityofBristolCentrefortheStudyof PovertyandSocialJustice

UniversityofBristolDepartmentofSocial Medicine

UniversityofOxfordDepartmentofEducation

UniversityofOxfordFacultyofLinguistics PhilologyandPhonetics

UniversityofOxfordSocialDisadvantageResearch Centre

UniversityofWarwickHealthSciencesResearch Institute

UniversityofWestminster

UniversityofYorkSocialPolicyResearchUnit

UrbanBishoprsquosPanel

AnnexC 103

FrankFieldandtheReviewteamalsometwith arangeofofficialsandMinistersfromrelevant Governmentdepartments

List of visits and seminars attended by Frank Field and the Review team

Visits 4ChildrenKnowsley

BarnardorsquosChildrenrsquosCentreBirmingham

BidstonandStJamesChildrenrsquosCentre Birkenhead

BirkenheadampTranmereChildrenrsquosCentre

CherryFoldPrimarySchoolBurnley

FamilyLinksndashTheNurturingProgramme

FamilyNursePartnershipBirkenhead

HeasandfordPrimarySchoolBurnley

ICEWirralBirkenhead

InsiteBirkenhead

JubileeChildrenrsquosCentreEaling

LiverpoolKensingtonChildrenrsquosCentreLiverpool

OxfordParentingInfantProject(OXPIP)

OxfordUniversity

RockFerryChildrenrsquosCentreBirkenhead

TheChaiCentreChildrenrsquosCentreBurnley

ThePrincersquosTrustCharitiesBurnley

Seminars CentreforSocialJusticepresentationdeliveredby ProfessorMattSandersfounderoftheTripleP- PositiveParentingProgramme

DemoseventlsquoProofPositiveEvidence-based practiceinchildrenrsquosservicesrsquo

FamilyandParentingInstituteconferencelsquoFamily PolicyandtheNewGovernmentrsquo

IFSconferencelsquoReducingchildpovertyand improvingchildrenrsquoslifechancesrsquo

NationalInstituteofAdultContinuingEducation eventlsquoFamiliesknowhowaskthefamilyrsquo

NewPhilanthropyCapitalseminarlsquoScalingup charitableapproachestoearlyinterventionrsquo

ParentingUKpolicyroundtablelsquoTeaching ParentinginSchoolsndashaGCSEinParentingrsquo

PolicyExchangeseminarlsquoTheChildPoverty TargetTowardsanIndexofLifeChancesrsquo

ThePrivateEquityFoundationConference2010 lsquoInterveningbeforeitrsquostoolatersquo

Annex D Frank Fieldrsquos Public Statements

Poverty Measures

Date Publication or lecture host

18thOctober2010 PolicyExchange

14thOctober2010 CanterburyUniversity

23rdSeptember2010 NurseryWorld

16thSeptember2010 HaileyburySchool

13thSeptember2010 2ndProgressReporttothePrimeMinister

7thSeptember2010 IFSconference

28thJuly2010 1stProgressReporttothePrimeMinister

3rdJuly2010 TheGuardian

29thJune2010 TheGuardian

23rdJune2010 AttleeFoundationLecture

11thJune2010 TheTimes

5thJune2010 TheTelegraph

Public Finance

15thOctober2010 TheGuardian

15thOctober2010 TheFinancialTimes

12thSeptember2010 TheIndependentonSunday

11thSeptember2010 TheTimes

8thSeptember2010 TheFinancialTimes

1stAugust2010 TheSundayTimes

20thJune2010 TheSundayExpress

AnnexDFrankFieldrsquosPublicStatements 105

Parenting and Employment

8thNovember2010 TheGuardian

2ndNovember2010 BBCRadio4rsquosTodayProgramme

12thOctober2010 LiverpoolEcho

30thSeptember2010 TheTelegraph

10thAugust2010 DailyMail

13thJuly2010 TheTimes

Foundation Years

17thSeptember2010 PressAssociation

8thSeptember2010 TheSun

8thSeptember2010 LiverpoolEcho

Schools

2ndDecember2010 Prospect

31stOctober2010 TheObserver

12thOctober2010 BBCRadio4rsquosWomanrsquosHour

24thSeptember2010 TES

16thAugust2010 TheIndependent

8thAugust2010 TheNewsoftheWorld

Sure Start Childrenrsquos Centres

14thOctober2010 BBCDailyPolitics

15thAugust2010 TheSundayTimes

December 2010

Frank Field

fieldfparliamentuk

Ref 403244 1210

The Foundation Years

Contents

Acknowledgements

Summary


II The Life Chances Indicators

III The Foundation Years

IV Delivering the Foundation Years

V The revolution waiting to happen






Annex A Life Chances Indicators




Contents

Acknowledgements 3

IntroductionandRecommendations 5

Chapter1 APersonalCommentary 11

Chapter2 PovertyandLifeChances 27

Chapter3 TheInfluencesonChildrenrsquosLifeChances 37

Chapter4 BuildingFoundationYearsServices 53

Chapter5 ANewFrameworkforMeasuringPovertyandLifeChances 71

Chapter6 OverviewoftheConsultationProcessandSummaryofFormalSubmissions 85

AnnexA LifeChancesIndicatorsndashRecommendedMeasures 93

AnnexB OptionsforanewMeasureofServiceQuality 95

AnnexC ConsultationDetails 98

AnnexD FrankFieldrsquosPublicStatements 104

3 Acknowledgements

Acknowledgements

Recommendations

Summary

bullModest Results

Preshyschool

No preshyschool

Expected minimum

Summary

ndash200

ndash199

R outine and Manual

ily in

istrib

United

Kingdo

Greece

Lux Ger

Belgium

Irelan

Norway

Icelan

Finlan

Nether

Austri

Denmark

Summary

Drivers of

Pregnancy

5 years

Primary years

Secondary years

25shy35 years

Bottom 25

Top 25

Literacy Numeracy

Low Medium High

Missing data 4

Summary

Summary (continued)

Key Points

bullIntensive

bullVoluntary

Thisresourcehas

Summary

Positive parenting

three Maternal

ndash01

ndash02

ndash03

Findings

Summary

bullMaternalhealth

bullParentingskills

Annexes

Table A1

Parent

Ageinyearsandmonths

Environment

4Children

ActionforChildren

AllSoulsClubhouse

AquilaWay

ARKSchools

AssessmentinCare

BalsallHeathForum

Barnardorsquos

BBCChildreninNeed

BlackpoolCouncil

Booktrust

BritishEmbassyParis

Capacity

ContactaFamily

AnnexC 99

ChurchofEngland

DaycareTrust

DisabilityAlliance

EarlyExcellence

EndChildPoverty

FamiliesNeedFathers

FamilyAction

FamilyFriends

FamilyLinks

FamilyMattersYork

Gingerbread

HaringeyCouncil

IntoUniversity

KentCountyCouncil

KidsCompany

KinshipCareAlliance

KirkleesCouncil

LondonCouncils

LutonBoroughCouncil

Medicash

NationalHeartForum

NewPolicyInstitute

NorthStaffsYMCA

Ofsted

OnePlusOne

ParentingUK

ParentlinePlus

PovertyAlliance

Reflex

Relate

SafeGround

SavetheChildren

SchoolFoodTrust

School-HomeSupport

Shelter

SkillsFundingAgency

SouthwarkCouncil

StGeorgersquosCrypt

StGilesTrust

StokeSpeaksOut

StraightTalking

The999Club

TheAttleeFoundation

TheFosteringNetwork

TheFoyerFederation

TheLivingWellTrust

ThePlace2Be

UNICEFUK

AnnexC 101

WhatMakesYouTick

WomenLikeUs

YoungMinds

YWCAEnglandampWales

Zacchaeus2000Trust

ActionforChildren

ANationalVoice

ATDFourthWorld

Barnardorsquos

CityHall

ContactaFamily

FamiliesUnited

FamilyAction

FamilyLinks

FamilyRightsGroup

FatherhoodInstitute

FosteringNetwork

Gingerbread

GrandparentsPlus

Impetus

LondonCouncils

MarriageCare

NewYorkUniversity

Ofsted

OnePlusOne

ParentingUK

ParentlinePlus

Relate

SavetheChildren

Shelter

TheBigIssue

TheInnovationUnit

TheMarmotReview

TogetherforChildren

ToynbeeHall

TurningPoint

UNICEF

AnnexC 103

ICEWirralBirkenhead

InsiteBirkenhead

OxfordUniversity

Poverty Measures

Public Finance

Foundation Years

Schools

December 2010

Frank Field

fieldfparliamentuk

Ref 403244 1210

Contents

Acknowledgements

Summary















3 Acknowledgements

Acknowledgements

Recommendations

Summary

bullModest Results

Preshyschool

No preshyschool

Expected minimum

Summary

ndash200

ndash199

R outine and Manual

ily in

istrib

United

Kingdo

Greece

Lux Ger

Belgium

Irelan

Norway

Icelan

Finlan

Nether

Austri

Denmark

Summary

Drivers of

Pregnancy

5 years

Primary years

Secondary years

25shy35 years

Bottom 25

Top 25

Literacy Numeracy

Low Medium High

Missing data 4

Summary

Summary (continued)

Key Points

bullIntensive

bullVoluntary

Thisresourcehas

Summary

Positive parenting

three Maternal

ndash01

ndash02

ndash03

Findings

Summary

bullMaternalhealth

bullParentingskills

Annexes

Table A1

Parent

Ageinyearsandmonths

Environment

4Children

ActionforChildren

AllSoulsClubhouse

AquilaWay

ARKSchools

AssessmentinCare

BalsallHeathForum

Barnardorsquos

BBCChildreninNeed

BlackpoolCouncil

Booktrust

BritishEmbassyParis

Capacity

ContactaFamily

AnnexC 99

ChurchofEngland

DaycareTrust

DisabilityAlliance

EarlyExcellence

EndChildPoverty

FamiliesNeedFathers

FamilyAction

FamilyFriends

FamilyLinks

FamilyMattersYork

Gingerbread

HaringeyCouncil

IntoUniversity

KentCountyCouncil

KidsCompany

KinshipCareAlliance

KirkleesCouncil

LondonCouncils

LutonBoroughCouncil

Medicash

NationalHeartForum

NewPolicyInstitute

NorthStaffsYMCA

Ofsted

OnePlusOne

ParentingUK

ParentlinePlus

PovertyAlliance

Reflex

Relate

SafeGround

SavetheChildren

SchoolFoodTrust

School-HomeSupport

Shelter

SkillsFundingAgency

SouthwarkCouncil

StGeorgersquosCrypt

StGilesTrust

StokeSpeaksOut

StraightTalking

The999Club

TheAttleeFoundation

TheFosteringNetwork

TheFoyerFederation

TheLivingWellTrust

ThePlace2Be

UNICEFUK

AnnexC 101

WhatMakesYouTick

WomenLikeUs

YoungMinds

YWCAEnglandampWales

Zacchaeus2000Trust

ActionforChildren

ANationalVoice

ATDFourthWorld

Barnardorsquos

CityHall

ContactaFamily

FamiliesUnited

FamilyAction

FamilyLinks

FamilyRightsGroup

FatherhoodInstitute

FosteringNetwork

Gingerbread

GrandparentsPlus

Impetus

LondonCouncils

MarriageCare

NewYorkUniversity

Ofsted

OnePlusOne

ParentingUK

ParentlinePlus

Relate

SavetheChildren

Shelter

TheBigIssue

TheInnovationUnit

TheMarmotReview

TogetherforChildren

ToynbeeHall

TurningPoint

UNICEF

AnnexC 103

ICEWirralBirkenhead

InsiteBirkenhead

OxfordUniversity

Poverty Measures

Public Finance

Foundation Years

Schools

December 2010

Frank Field

fieldfparliamentuk

Ref 403244 1210

Contents

Acknowledgements

Summary















3 Acknowledgements

Acknowledgements

Recommendations

Summary

bullModest Results

Preshyschool

No preshyschool

Expected minimum

Summary

ndash200

ndash199

R outine and Manual

ily in

istrib

United

Kingdo

Greece

Lux Ger

Belgium

Irelan

Norway

Icelan

Finlan

Nether

Austri

Denmark

Summary

Drivers of

Pregnancy

5 years

Primary years

Secondary years

25shy35 years

Bottom 25

Top 25

Literacy Numeracy

Low Medium High

Missing data 4

Summary

Summary (continued)

Key Points

bullIntensive

bullVoluntary

Thisresourcehas

Summary

Positive parenting

three Maternal

ndash01

ndash02

ndash03

Findings

Summary

bullMaternalhealth

bullParentingskills

Annexes

Table A1

Parent

Ageinyearsandmonths

Environment

4Children

ActionforChildren

AllSoulsClubhouse

AquilaWay

ARKSchools

AssessmentinCare

BalsallHeathForum

Barnardorsquos

BBCChildreninNeed

BlackpoolCouncil

Booktrust

BritishEmbassyParis

Capacity

ContactaFamily

AnnexC 99

ChurchofEngland

DaycareTrust

DisabilityAlliance

EarlyExcellence

EndChildPoverty

FamiliesNeedFathers

FamilyAction

FamilyFriends

FamilyLinks

FamilyMattersYork

Gingerbread

HaringeyCouncil

IntoUniversity

KentCountyCouncil

KidsCompany

KinshipCareAlliance

KirkleesCouncil

LondonCouncils

LutonBoroughCouncil

Medicash

NationalHeartForum

NewPolicyInstitute

NorthStaffsYMCA

Ofsted

OnePlusOne

ParentingUK

ParentlinePlus

PovertyAlliance

Reflex

Relate

SafeGround

SavetheChildren

SchoolFoodTrust

School-HomeSupport

Shelter

SkillsFundingAgency

SouthwarkCouncil

StGeorgersquosCrypt

StGilesTrust

StokeSpeaksOut

StraightTalking

The999Club

TheAttleeFoundation

TheFosteringNetwork

TheFoyerFederation

TheLivingWellTrust

ThePlace2Be

UNICEFUK

AnnexC 101

WhatMakesYouTick

WomenLikeUs

YoungMinds

YWCAEnglandampWales

Zacchaeus2000Trust

ActionforChildren

ANationalVoice

ATDFourthWorld

Barnardorsquos

CityHall

ContactaFamily

FamiliesUnited

FamilyAction

FamilyLinks

FamilyRightsGroup

FatherhoodInstitute

FosteringNetwork

Gingerbread

GrandparentsPlus

Impetus

LondonCouncils

MarriageCare

NewYorkUniversity

Ofsted

OnePlusOne

ParentingUK

ParentlinePlus

Relate

SavetheChildren

Shelter

TheBigIssue

TheInnovationUnit

TheMarmotReview

TogetherforChildren

ToynbeeHall

TurningPoint

UNICEF

AnnexC 103

ICEWirralBirkenhead

InsiteBirkenhead

OxfordUniversity

Poverty Measures

Public Finance

Foundation Years

Schools

December 2010

Frank Field

fieldfparliamentuk

Ref 403244 1210

Contents

Acknowledgements

Summary















Recommendations

Summary

bullModest Results

Preshyschool

No preshyschool

Expected minimum

Summary

ndash200

ndash199

R outine and Manual

ily in

istrib

United

Kingdo

Greece

Lux Ger

Belgium

Irelan

Norway

Icelan

Finlan

Nether

Austri

Denmark

Summary

Drivers of

Pregnancy

5 years

Primary years

Secondary years

25shy35 years

Bottom 25

Top 25

Literacy Numeracy

Low Medium High

Missing data 4

Summary

Summary (continued)

Key Points

bullIntensive

bullVoluntary

Thisresourcehas

Summary

Positive parenting

three Maternal

ndash01

ndash02

ndash03

Findings

Summary

bullMaternalhealth

bullParentingskills

Annexes

Table A1

Parent

Ageinyearsandmonths

Environment

4Children

ActionforChildren

AllSoulsClubhouse

AquilaWay

ARKSchools

AssessmentinCare

BalsallHeathForum

Barnardorsquos

BBCChildreninNeed

BlackpoolCouncil

Booktrust

BritishEmbassyParis

Capacity

ContactaFamily

AnnexC 99

ChurchofEngland

DaycareTrust

DisabilityAlliance

EarlyExcellence

EndChildPoverty

FamiliesNeedFathers

FamilyAction

FamilyFriends

FamilyLinks

FamilyMattersYork

Gingerbread

HaringeyCouncil

IntoUniversity

KentCountyCouncil

KidsCompany

KinshipCareAlliance

KirkleesCouncil

LondonCouncils

LutonBoroughCouncil

Medicash

NationalHeartForum

NewPolicyInstitute

NorthStaffsYMCA

Ofsted

OnePlusOne

ParentingUK

ParentlinePlus

PovertyAlliance

Reflex

Relate

SafeGround

SavetheChildren

SchoolFoodTrust

School-HomeSupport

Shelter

SkillsFundingAgency

SouthwarkCouncil

StGeorgersquosCrypt

StGilesTrust

StokeSpeaksOut

StraightTalking

The999Club

TheAttleeFoundation

TheFosteringNetwork

TheFoyerFederation

TheLivingWellTrust

ThePlace2Be

UNICEFUK

AnnexC 101

WhatMakesYouTick

WomenLikeUs

YoungMinds

YWCAEnglandampWales

Zacchaeus2000Trust

ActionforChildren

ANationalVoice

ATDFourthWorld

Barnardorsquos

CityHall

ContactaFamily

FamiliesUnited

FamilyAction

FamilyLinks

FamilyRightsGroup

FatherhoodInstitute

FosteringNetwork

Gingerbread

GrandparentsPlus

Impetus

LondonCouncils

MarriageCare

NewYorkUniversity

Ofsted

OnePlusOne

ParentingUK

ParentlinePlus

Relate

SavetheChildren

Shelter

TheBigIssue

TheInnovationUnit

TheMarmotReview

TogetherforChildren

ToynbeeHall

TurningPoint

UNICEF

AnnexC 103

ICEWirralBirkenhead

InsiteBirkenhead

OxfordUniversity

Poverty Measures

Public Finance

Foundation Years

Schools

December 2010

Frank Field

fieldfparliamentuk

Ref 403244 1210

Contents

Acknowledgements

Summary















Recommendations

Summary

bullModest Results

Preshyschool

No preshyschool

Expected minimum

Summary

ndash200

ndash199

R outine and Manual

ily in

istrib

United

Kingdo

Greece

Lux Ger

Belgium

Irelan

Norway

Icelan

Finlan

Nether

Austri

Denmark

Summary

Drivers of

Pregnancy

5 years

Primary years

Secondary years

25shy35 years

Bottom 25

Top 25

Literacy Numeracy

Low Medium High

Missing data 4

Summary

Summary (continued)

Key Points

bullIntensive

bullVoluntary

Thisresourcehas

Summary

Positive parenting

three Maternal

ndash01

ndash02

ndash03

Findings

Summary

bullMaternalhealth

bullParentingskills

Annexes

Table A1

Parent

Ageinyearsandmonths

Environment

4Children

ActionforChildren

AllSoulsClubhouse

AquilaWay

ARKSchools

AssessmentinCare

BalsallHeathForum

Barnardorsquos

BBCChildreninNeed

BlackpoolCouncil

Booktrust

BritishEmbassyParis

Capacity

ContactaFamily

AnnexC 99

ChurchofEngland

DaycareTrust

DisabilityAlliance

EarlyExcellence

EndChildPoverty

FamiliesNeedFathers

FamilyAction

FamilyFriends

FamilyLinks

FamilyMattersYork

Gingerbread

HaringeyCouncil

IntoUniversity

KentCountyCouncil

KidsCompany

KinshipCareAlliance

KirkleesCouncil

LondonCouncils

LutonBoroughCouncil

Medicash

NationalHeartForum

NewPolicyInstitute

NorthStaffsYMCA

Ofsted

OnePlusOne

ParentingUK

ParentlinePlus

PovertyAlliance

Reflex

Relate

SafeGround

SavetheChildren

SchoolFoodTrust

School-HomeSupport

Shelter

SkillsFundingAgency

SouthwarkCouncil

StGeorgersquosCrypt

StGilesTrust

StokeSpeaksOut

StraightTalking

The999Club

TheAttleeFoundation

TheFosteringNetwork

TheFoyerFederation

TheLivingWellTrust

ThePlace2Be

UNICEFUK

AnnexC 101

WhatMakesYouTick

WomenLikeUs

YoungMinds

YWCAEnglandampWales

Zacchaeus2000Trust

ActionforChildren

ANationalVoice

ATDFourthWorld

Barnardorsquos

CityHall

ContactaFamily

FamiliesUnited

FamilyAction

FamilyLinks

FamilyRightsGroup

FatherhoodInstitute

FosteringNetwork

Gingerbread

GrandparentsPlus

Impetus

LondonCouncils

MarriageCare

NewYorkUniversity

Ofsted

OnePlusOne

ParentingUK

ParentlinePlus

Relate

SavetheChildren

Shelter

TheBigIssue

TheInnovationUnit

TheMarmotReview

TogetherforChildren

ToynbeeHall

TurningPoint

UNICEF

AnnexC 103

ICEWirralBirkenhead

InsiteBirkenhead

OxfordUniversity

Poverty Measures

Public Finance

Foundation Years

Schools

December 2010

Frank Field

fieldfparliamentuk

Ref 403244 1210

Contents

Acknowledgements

Summary















Recommendations

Summary

bullModest Results

Preshyschool

No preshyschool

Expected minimum

Summary

ndash200

ndash199

R outine and Manual

ily in

istrib

United

Kingdo

Greece

Lux Ger

Belgium

Irelan

Norway

Icelan

Finlan

Nether

Austri

Denmark

Summary

Drivers of

Pregnancy

5 years

Primary years

Secondary years

25shy35 years

Bottom 25

Top 25

Literacy Numeracy

Low Medium High

Missing data 4

Summary

Summary (continued)

Key Points

bullIntensive

bullVoluntary

Thisresourcehas

Summary

Positive parenting

three Maternal

ndash01

ndash02

ndash03

Findings

Summary

bullMaternalhealth

bullParentingskills

Annexes

Table A1

Parent

Ageinyearsandmonths

Environment

4Children

ActionforChildren

AllSoulsClubhouse

AquilaWay

ARKSchools

AssessmentinCare

BalsallHeathForum

Barnardorsquos

BBCChildreninNeed

BlackpoolCouncil

Booktrust

BritishEmbassyParis

Capacity

ContactaFamily

AnnexC 99

ChurchofEngland

DaycareTrust

DisabilityAlliance

EarlyExcellence

EndChildPoverty

FamiliesNeedFathers

FamilyAction

FamilyFriends

FamilyLinks

FamilyMattersYork

Gingerbread

HaringeyCouncil

IntoUniversity

KentCountyCouncil

KidsCompany

KinshipCareAlliance

KirkleesCouncil

LondonCouncils

LutonBoroughCouncil

Medicash

NationalHeartForum

NewPolicyInstitute

NorthStaffsYMCA

Ofsted

OnePlusOne

ParentingUK

ParentlinePlus

PovertyAlliance

Reflex

Relate

SafeGround

SavetheChildren

SchoolFoodTrust

School-HomeSupport

Shelter

SkillsFundingAgency

SouthwarkCouncil

StGeorgersquosCrypt

StGilesTrust

StokeSpeaksOut

StraightTalking

The999Club

TheAttleeFoundation

TheFosteringNetwork

TheFoyerFederation

TheLivingWellTrust

ThePlace2Be

UNICEFUK

AnnexC 101

WhatMakesYouTick

WomenLikeUs

YoungMinds

YWCAEnglandampWales

Zacchaeus2000Trust

ActionforChildren

ANationalVoice

ATDFourthWorld

Barnardorsquos

CityHall

ContactaFamily

FamiliesUnited

FamilyAction

FamilyLinks

FamilyRightsGroup

FatherhoodInstitute

FosteringNetwork

Gingerbread

GrandparentsPlus

Impetus

LondonCouncils

MarriageCare

NewYorkUniversity

Ofsted

OnePlusOne

ParentingUK

ParentlinePlus

Relate

SavetheChildren

Shelter

TheBigIssue

TheInnovationUnit

TheMarmotReview

TogetherforChildren

ToynbeeHall

TurningPoint

UNICEF

AnnexC 103

ICEWirralBirkenhead

InsiteBirkenhead

OxfordUniversity

Poverty Measures

Public Finance

Foundation Years

Schools

December 2010

Frank Field

fieldfparliamentuk

Ref 403244 1210

Contents

Acknowledgements

Summary















bullModest Results

Preshyschool

No preshyschool

Expected minimum

Summary

ndash200

ndash199

R outine and Manual

ily in

istrib

United

Kingdo

Greece

Lux Ger

Belgium

Irelan

Norway

Icelan

Finlan

Nether

Austri

Denmark

Summary

Drivers of

Pregnancy

5 years

Primary years

Secondary years

25shy35 years

Bottom 25

Top 25

Literacy Numeracy

Low Medium High

Missing data 4

Summary

Summary (continued)

Key Points

bullIntensive

bullVoluntary

Thisresourcehas

Summary

Positive parenting

three Maternal

ndash01

ndash02

ndash03

Findings

Summary

bullMaternalhealth

bullParentingskills

Annexes

Table A1

Parent

Ageinyearsandmonths

Environment

4Children

ActionforChildren

AllSoulsClubhouse

AquilaWay

ARKSchools

AssessmentinCare

BalsallHeathForum

Barnardorsquos

BBCChildreninNeed

BlackpoolCouncil

Booktrust

BritishEmbassyParis

Capacity

ContactaFamily

AnnexC 99

ChurchofEngland

DaycareTrust

DisabilityAlliance

EarlyExcellence

EndChildPoverty

FamiliesNeedFathers

FamilyAction

FamilyFriends

FamilyLinks

FamilyMattersYork

Gingerbread

HaringeyCouncil

IntoUniversity

KentCountyCouncil

KidsCompany

KinshipCareAlliance

KirkleesCouncil

LondonCouncils

LutonBoroughCouncil

Medicash

NationalHeartForum

NewPolicyInstitute

NorthStaffsYMCA

Ofsted

OnePlusOne

ParentingUK

ParentlinePlus

PovertyAlliance

Reflex

Relate

SafeGround

SavetheChildren

SchoolFoodTrust

School-HomeSupport

Shelter

SkillsFundingAgency

SouthwarkCouncil

StGeorgersquosCrypt

StGilesTrust

StokeSpeaksOut

StraightTalking

The999Club

TheAttleeFoundation

TheFosteringNetwork

TheFoyerFederation

TheLivingWellTrust

ThePlace2Be

UNICEFUK

AnnexC 101

WhatMakesYouTick

WomenLikeUs

YoungMinds

YWCAEnglandampWales

Zacchaeus2000Trust

ActionforChildren

ANationalVoice

ATDFourthWorld

Barnardorsquos

CityHall

ContactaFamily

FamiliesUnited

FamilyAction

FamilyLinks

FamilyRightsGroup

FatherhoodInstitute

FosteringNetwork

Gingerbread

GrandparentsPlus

Impetus

LondonCouncils

MarriageCare

NewYorkUniversity

Ofsted

OnePlusOne

ParentingUK

ParentlinePlus

Relate

SavetheChildren

Shelter

TheBigIssue

TheInnovationUnit

TheMarmotReview

TogetherforChildren

ToynbeeHall

TurningPoint

UNICEF

AnnexC 103

ICEWirralBirkenhead

InsiteBirkenhead

OxfordUniversity

Poverty Measures

Public Finance

Foundation Years

Schools

December 2010

Frank Field

fieldfparliamentuk

Ref 403244 1210

Contents

Acknowledgements

Summary















Documents

The Foundation Years: preventing poor children becoming poor adults