A new report examining the conditions faced by children across England highlights significant disparities in childhood experiences, with some areas described as facing “a state of emergency.” The study, published by the Children’s Commissioner, Dame Rachel de Souza, ranks local authorities based on 96 indicators covering education, health, safety, poverty, and access to support services.
The research underscores that children in many parts of the country are “radically failed,” with difficult environments spread throughout both northern and southern England. Among the ten hardest places to grow up, the report lists Middlesbrough, Liverpool, Bradford, Nottingham, Halton, Peterborough, Leicester, Sunderland, Hounslow in west London, and Medway in Kent. Conversely, areas such as Cheshire East, Merton, and Surrey scored as the least challenging environments.
The analysis reveals stark contrasts in educational attainment, with fewer than one in three children in Knowsley achieving a grade 5 or above in English and maths GCSEs, compared with 70 percent in Richmond upon Thames. Additionally, one-third of children were reported not to be ready for school at age five, and over half of pupils nationally did not reach the expected GCSE standards in English and maths.
Issues of safety and wellbeing also vary greatly. In Croydon, south London, 25 percent of children reported feeling unsafe—the highest proportion nationally—while in Bedford fewer than 7 percent shared this concern. The report found that children in Blackpool were 27 times more likely to be missing education than those in Lambeth and 46 times more likely to be excluded than pupils in Wiltshire.
Mental health support access remains inconsistent; for example, Leicestershire, despite being among the least challenging places to grow up, had the lowest provision of mental health support teams, and Hampshire faced some of the longest waiting times for treatment. Over one million children had active referrals to mental health services in the past year, while a comparable number of young people aged 16 to 24 were not in education, employment, or training—a designation often referred to as NEET.
Dame Rachel de Souza, in launching the report titled *The Childhood Lottery*, stressed that the challenges children face are linked to poverty but are not solely determined by it. She pointed to variation within regions and localities, noting that some poorer areas performed better than expected, while no region was without significant issues. The South East emerged as the strongest performing region overall, but two northern authorities also scored highly.
The findings come amid political commitments to address regional inequalities, particularly the North-South divide. Dame Rachel emphasized that every local area in England has a responsibility to improve conditions for children, acknowledging that even in the areas with the most favourable scores, challenges remain. The report presents a call for targeted interventions across the country to ensure more equitable childhood opportunities and support.