The Foundation Years: Preventing Poor Children Becoming Poor Adults

The Foundation Years: preventing poor children becoming poor adults

The report of the Independent Review on Poverty and Life Chances

Frank Field

Cabinet Office 22 Whitehall London SW1A 2WH Publication date: December 2010 © Crown copyright 2010 This document/publication can also be viewed on You may re-use this information (not including logos) our website at www.frankfield.co.uk free of charge in any format or medium, under the Any enquiries regarding this document/publication terms of the Open Government Licence. should be sent to us at: To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ [email protected] doc/open-government-licence/ or write to the Information Policy Team, The material used in this publication is constituted The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, from 75% post consumer waste and 25% virgin fibre. or e-mail: [email protected]. Ref: 403244 /1210 December 2010

Contents

Acknowledgements 3 IntroductionandRecommendations 5 Chapter1 APersonalCommentary 11 Chapter2 PovertyandLifeChances 27 Chapter3 TheInfluencesonChildren’sLifeChances 37 Chapter4 BuildingFoundationYearsServices 53 Chapter5 ANewFrameworkforMeasuringPovertyandLifeChances 71 Chapter6 OverviewoftheConsultationProcessandSummaryofFormalSubmissions 85 AnnexA LifeChancesIndicators–RecommendedMeasures 93 AnnexB OptionsforanewMeasureofServiceQuality 95 AnnexC ConsultationDetails 98 AnnexD FrankField’sPublicStatements 104 2 TheFoundationYears Acknowledgements 3

Acknowledgements

AsthebulkoftheReview’sworkhasbeen IwishalsotothanktheteamofSeniorOfficials undertakenbytheReviewteamIwanttoplace fromtheDepartmentforWorkandPensions, onrecordmythankstothem. AnnChinner,as DepartmentforEducation,Departmentof ReviewTeamLead,andStephenBalchin,Lotta Health,HMTreasury,GovernmentEqualities Gustafsson,DanielleMason,TimCrosierand OfficeandDepartmentforCommunitiesand TimWeedon,asPolicyAdvisors,haveworked LocalGovernmentwhoplayedakeypartactingas onthefollowingreport.JonathanPortes,the valuablesoundingboardsforthisReview,andof CabinetOffice’sChiefEconomist,hasoverseen coursealltheacademics,charities,practitioners, theworkoftheReview.Itishardtothinkthat stakeholdersandindividualswhowehavemetand theReviewcouldhavebeenbetterservedfrom whosubmittedtheirevidence. acrossWhitehall.PatrickWhitefrommyHouse ofCommons’Officehaslinkedmyworkinthe HousewiththeworkoftheReviewandplayed akeyroleinshapingmycommentary.JillHendey, mysecretary,hastypedthenotesItookofallour evidencesessionsandtherecordsImadeofthe findingsfromtheresearchreportsIhaveread.I amextremelygratefultothisteamwhohasmade workingontheReviewapleasureaswesetabout ourtaskofreshapingananti-povertystrategythat willbeeffectiveduringthe21stcentury. 4 TheFoundationYears 5

Introduction and Recommendations

Introduction determiningwhethertheirpotentialisrealisedin adultlife.Thethingsthatmattermostareahealthy FrankFieldwascommissionedbythePrime pregnancy;goodmaternalmentalhealth;secure MinisterinJune2010toprovideanindependent bondingwiththechild;loveandresponsiveness reviewonpovertyandlifechancesbytheendof ofparentsalongwithclearboundaries,aswellas theyear.Theaimofthereviewisto: opportunitiesforachild’scognitive,languageand •generateabroaderdebateaboutthenatureand socialandemotionaldevelopment.Goodservices extentofpovertyintheUK; mattertoo:healthservices,Children’sCentresand highqualitychildcare. •examinethecaseforreformstopoverty measures,inparticularfortheinclusionofnon- Laterinterventionstohelppoorlyperforming financialelements; childrencanbeeffectivebut,ingeneral,the mosteffectiveandcost-effectivewaytohelpand explorehowachild’shomeenvironment • supportyoungfamiliesisintheearliestyearsofa affectstheirchancesofbeingreadytotakefull child’slife. advantageoftheirschooling;and Bytheageofthree,ababy’sbrainis80%formed recommendpotentialactionbygovernment • andhisorherexperiencesbeforethenshape andotherinstitutionstoreducepovertyand thewaythebrainhasgrownanddeveloped. enhancelifechancesfortheleastadvantaged, Thatisnottosay,ofcourse,itisalloverby consistentwiththeGovernment’sfiscalstrategy. then,butabilityprofilesatthatagearehighly predictiveofprofilesatschoolentry.Byschool Review findings age,thereareverywidevariationsinchildren’s ThequestiontheReviewfounditselfaskingwas abilitiesandtheevidenceisclearthatchildren howwecanpreventpoorchildrenfrombecoming frompoorerbackgroundsdoworsecognitively pooradults.TheReviewhasconcludedthatthe andbehaviourallythanthosefrommoreaffluent UKneedstoaddresstheissueofchildpovertyin homes.Schoolsdonoteffectivelyclosethatgap; afundamentallydifferentwayifitistomakeareal childrenwhoarriveinthebottomrangeofability changetochildren’slifechancesasadults. tendtostaythere. Wehavefoundoverwhelmingevidencethat Thereisarangeofservicestosupportparentsand children’slifechancesaremostheavilypredicated childreninthoseearlyyears.But,GPs,midwives, ontheirdevelopmentinthefirstfiveyearsoflife. healthvisitors,hospitalservices,Children’sCentres Itisfamilybackground,parentaleducation,good andprivateandvoluntarysectornurseries parentingandtheopportunitiesforlearningand togetherprovidefragmentedservicesthatare developmentinthosecrucialyearsthattogether neitherwellunderstoodnoreasilyaccessedbyall mattermoretochildrenthanmoney,in ofthosewhomightbenefitmost. 6 TheFoundationYears

Thecurrentpovertymeasurethatismost backgroundswillbeabletogainonmeritinthe commonlyreferredtoisthe60%medianincome incomehierarchy. measure.Thepreviousgovernmentpledgedto halvechildpovertyby2010-11anderadicateitby Overarching recommendations 2020.Itspoliciesandprogrammestoachievethis Therearetwooverarchingrecommendations. ambitioustargetincludedveryheavyinvestment inincometransfersthroughtaxcredits,supportto •Topreventpoorchildrenfrombecomingpoor parentsthroughitsNewDealprogrammetohelp adultstheReviewproposesestablishingaset loneparentsintowork,andearlyyearsservices, ofLifeChancesIndicatorsthatmeasurehow includingtheSureStartProgrammeforunder successfulweareasacountryinmakingmore fivesinthemostdeprivedareas. equallife’soutcomesforallchildren. Therehasbeensignificantimprovementinbuilding Nothingcanbeachievedwithoutworkingwith earlyyearsserviceprovisionoverthelastten parents.Allourrecommendationsareabout years.Highquality,professionallyled,childcare enablingparentstoachievetheaspirationsthat programmestosupportparents,andsome theyhavefortheirchildren. intensiveprogrammesarewellevidencedtoshow TodrivethispolicytheReviewproposes theycanbecosteffective.But,currentservices • establishingthe‘FoundationYears’coveringthe arealsoveryvariableandthereisgenerallyboth periodfromthewombtofive.TheFoundation alackofclearevidenceofwhatworksforpoorer Yearsshouldbecomethefirstpillarofanew childrenandinsufficientattentiontodeveloping tripartiteeducationsystem:theFoundation theevidencebase. Yearsleadingtoschoolyearsleadingtofurther, Progresswasmadetowardsmeetingthefinancial higherandcontinuingeducation. povertytargetsintheearlystagesofthestrategy, butithasbecomeincreasinglyclearthatnotonly Recommendations hasthe2010/11targetnotbeenmetbutitwould requireverylargeamountsofnewmoneytomeet The Foundation Years the2020target.Suchastrategyisnotsustainable inthelongerrun,particularlyaswestrivetoreduce 1. TheReviewrecommendsthatgovernment, thebudgetdeficit.Butevenifmoneywerenot nationalandlocal,shouldgivegreaterprominence aconstraintthereisaclearcasetobemadefor totheearliestyearsinlife,frompregnancyto developinganalternativestrategytoabolishchild agefive,adoptingthetermFoundationYears. poverty.ThisiswhattheReviewsetsouttoaddress. Thisisforseveralreasons:toincreasepublic understandingofhowbabiesandyoungchildren Itisthisstrategywhichofferstheprospectof developandwhatisimportanttoensuretheir preventingpoorchildrenfrombecomingpoor healthyprogressinthiscrucialperiod;tomake adults.Theevidenceabouttheimportanceof clearthepackageofsupportneededbothfor thepreschoolyearstochildren’slifechancesas childrenandparentsinthoseearlyyears;to adultspointsstronglytoanalternativeapproach establishtheFoundationYearsasofequalstatus thatfocusesondirectinggovernmentpolicyand andimportanceinthepublicmindtoprimaryand spendingtodevelopingchildren’scapabilitiesin secondaryschoolyears;andtoensurethatchild theearlyyears.Ashiftoffocusisneededtowards developmentandservicesduringthoseyearsare providinghighquality,integratedservicesaimed aswellunderstood. atsupportingparentsandimprovingtheabilities ofourpoorestchildrenduringtheperiodwhen 2. TheReviewrecommendsthattheGovernment itismosteffectivetodoso.Theirprospects graduallymovesfundingtotheearlyyears,and ofgoingontogainbetterqualificationsand thatthisfundingisweightedtowardthemost sustainableemploymentwillbegreatlyenhanced. disadvantagedchildrenaswebuildtheevidence Theaimistochangethedistributionofincomeby baseofeffectiveprogrammes.TheFairness changingthepositionwhichchildrenfrompoor Premium,introducedinthe2010SpendingReview, shouldbegininpregnancy. IntroductionandRecommendations 7

3. Nolongershouldgovernmentsautomatically tobidforcontracts.Theyshouldensureservices increasebenefitsforchildrenbutineachfinancial withinChildren’sCentresdonotreplicateexisting yearconsiderwhetherthelifechancesofpoorer provisionfromprivate,voluntaryandindependent childrenwillbeincreasedmorebytransferringany groupsbutshouldsignposttothosegroups,or benefitincreasesintobuildingtheFoundationYears. shareCentres’space.Thisshouldencourage mutualsandcommunitygroupstobidandhelp 4. Theincreasedfundingshouldbetargetedat ensurethatefficienciesaremade.Non-working thosefactorsweknowmattermostintheearly parentsshouldspendonenurserysessionwiththeir years:highqualityandconsistentsupportforparents children.Thepatternofprovisionthathasbeen duringpregnancy,andintheearlyyears,support developedinWales,ScotlandandNorthernIreland forbetterparenting;supportforagoodhome inordertomeetlocalneedsofthemostvulnerable learningenvironment;and,highqualitychildcare. childrenshouldactasatemplatetothoseproviders 5. Governmentshouldstartnowtodevelopa inEnglandwhohavesuccessfullywoncontracts. longtermstrategy,toincreasethelifechances 10. LocalAuthoritiesshouldaimtomake ofpoorerchildrenbynarrowingthegapsin Children’sCentresahubofthelocalcommunity. outcomesbetweenpoorerandricherchildrenin Theyshouldmaintainsomeuniversalservices theFoundationYears.Thiswillprovethemostcost sothatCentresarewelcoming,inclusive,socially effectivewayofaddressinginequalitiesinadultlife mixedandnon-stigmatising,butaimtotarget outcomes.WehopethattheGovernment’ssocial servicestowardsthosewhocanbenefitfrom mobilitystrategy,tobepublishedintheNewYear, themmost.Theyshouldlookathowtheycould willreflectthisrecommendation. sitebirthregistrationsinCentres,providenaming 6. Thestrategyshouldincludeacommitment ceremonies,childbenefitformsandotherbenefit thatalldisadvantagedchildrenshouldhaveaccess advice.Children’sCentresshouldensureallnew toaffordablefull-time,graduate-ledchildcare parentsareencouragedtotakeadvantageofa fromagetwo.Thisisessentialtosupportparents parentingcourse.Midwivesandhealthvisitors returningtoworkaswellaschilddevelopment. shouldworkcloselywithCentresandensurea consistencyofserviceisprovided,withcontinuity 7. TheReviewhasfocussedontheearlyyears,but betweenthemoremedicalprebirthservices recognisesthatimportantchangescananddotake andincreasinglyeducationalpostnatalwork. placelaterinchildren’slivesandthatinvestment Children’sCentresshouldseektoincludeparents’ intheearlyyearswillnotbefullyeffectiveunless representationontheirgovernanceanddecision- itisfollowedupwithhighqualityservicesfor makingbodies. thosewhoneedthemmostlaterinchildhood. TheReviewthereforerecommendsthatthe 11. LocalAuthoritiesshouldconsiderjoining Governmentextendsthelifechancesapproachto withsurroundingauthoritiestoestablishPoverty laterstagesinchildhood. andLifeChancesCommissionstodrivepolicyin theirlocalitiesliketheLiverpoolCityRegionhas Foundation Years service delivery pioneered. 8. SureStartChildren’sCentresshouldre-focus 12. TheDepartmentforEducation,inconjunction ontheiroriginalpurposeandidentify,reachand withChildren’sCentres,shoulddevelopamodel providetargetedhelptothemostdisadvantaged forprofessionaldevelopmentinearlyyears families.NewSureStartcontractsshouldinclude settings,lookingtoincreasegraduate-ledpre conditionsthatrewardCentresforreachingout schoolprovision,whichmirrorsthemodelfor effectivelyandimprovingtheoutcomesofthe schools.TheDepartmentshouldalsocontinue mostdisadvantagedchildren. tolookforwaystoencouragegoodteachersand earlyyearsprofessionalstoteachinschoolsand 9. LocalAuthoritiesshouldopenupthe workinChildren’sCentresindeprivedareas, commissioningofChildren’sCentres,orservices throughschemessuchasTeachFirstandNew withinthem,toserviceprovidersfromallsectors LeadersinEarlyYears. toallowanysector,orcombinationofsectors, 8 TheFoundationYears

13. LocalAuthoritiesshouldpooldataandtrack theattainmentgapinthesamewaytheyarefor thechildrenmostinneedintheirareas.ALocal improvingoverallattainment.Whereaschool Authorityshouldunderstandwherethechildren hasapersistentorincreasingattainmentgap,this whoaremostdeprivedare,andhowtheirservices shouldhaveasignificantbearingontheinspection impactuponthem.CentralGovernmentshould fortheschool,ultimatelythisshouldbeamajor reviewlegislationthatpreventsLocalAuthorities factorinadecisiononwhethertheschoolis usingexistingdatatoidentifyandsupportfamilies judgedinadequate. whoaremostinneedwiththeintentionof 19. TheDepartmentforEducationshould makinguseofdatabyLocalAuthoritieseasier, continuetopublishandpromoteclearevidence andprovideatemplateforsuccessfuldatasharing onwhatissuccessfulinencouragingparental whichrespectsdataprivacyissues.Inparticular, engagementintheirchildren’slearning. DepartmentforWorkandPensionsshouldensure thatnewlegislationontheUniversalCreditallows 20. TheDepartmentforEducationshould LocalAuthoritiestousedatatoidentifyfamilies ensurethatparentingandlifeskillsarereflected mostinneed. inthecurriculum,fromprimaryschooltoGCSE level.Thisshouldculminateinacross-curricular 14. LocalAuthoritiesshouldensureuseof qualificationinparentingatGCSElevelwhichwill serviceswhichhaveastrongevidencebase,and beawardedifpupilshavecompletedparticular thatnewservicesarerobustlyevaluated.Central modulesinanumberofGCSEsubjects.The Governmentshouldmakealongtermcommitment ManchesterAcademyiscurrentlydevelopinga toenableandsupportthebringingtogetherof pilotschemewhichcouldbeusedasabasisforthis evidencearoundinterventions,learningfrom GCSE. examplessuchastheNationalInstituteforClinical ExcellenceandtheWashingtonStateInstitute.We understandthiswillbecoveredinmoredetailby New measures of poverty and life chances theGrahamAllenReviewonearlyintervention. 21. TheReviewrecommendsanewsuiteof measurestorunalongsidetheexistingfinancial 15. Ofstedratingsforchildcareandschoolsin povertymeasures.Thenewmeasureswillinform disadvantagedareascomparedwithmoreaffluent anddrivepolicy,aswellasspendingdecisions areasshouldbeincludedasoneoftheDepartment aimedatnarrowingtheoutcomegapsbetween forEducation’sindicatorsinitsBusinessPlanand childrenfromlowandhigherincomefamilies.The governmentpolicyshouldaimtoclosethegap. Review’sprimarymeasurementrecommendation Ofstedshouldcontinuetoreportonschoolsand isthattheGovernmentadoptsanewsetofLife childcaresettings’engagementwithparents.This ChancesIndicators.Theseindicatorswillmeasure isaparticularlykeyarea,forwhichsettingsshould annualprogressatanationallevelonarangeof consistentlybeheldtoaccount. factorsinyoungchildrenwhichweknowtobe 16. Theinitiativesforthewidersocietyshouldbe predictiveofchildren’sfutureoutcomes,andwill takenupbytheBehaviouralInsightTeambased becreatedusingnationalsurveydata. intheCabinetOffice.ThisReviewrecommends 22. Existinglocaldatashouldbemadeavailable thatitleads,alongwithkeyDepartments,an toparentsandusedanonymouslytoenablethe examinationofhowparentingandnurturingskills creationofLocalLifeChancesIndicatorswhichcan canbepromotedthroughoutsociety. becomparedwiththenationalmeasure.Inorderto 17. ACabinetMinistershouldbeappointedfor makethislocaldataasusefulaspossible,information theFoundationYears,atthenextre-shuffle. collectedbyhealthvisitorsduringtheagetwo healthcheck,whichthisReviewrecommends Continuing Foundation Years progress in shouldbemandatory,andinformationcollectedas narrowing attainment gaps partoftheEarlyYearsFoundationStage(following theresultsofDameClareTickell’sreview)should 18. TheDepartmentforEducationshould beassimilaraspossibletotheinformationusedto ensureschoolsareheldtoaccountforreducing createthenationalmeasure. IntroductionandRecommendations 9

23. TheGovernmentshoulddevelopandpublish annuallyameasureof‘servicequality’which captureswhetherchildren,andinparticular childreninlowincomefamilies,havesuitableaccess tohighqualityservices. 24. ThisReviewisaboutensuringthatthelife chancesoftheverypoorestchildrenareenhanced. Wesuggestthatanewmeasureofseverepoverty shouldbedeveloped.Thiswillfocusattention onprolongedmaterialandfinancialdeprivation andwerecommendtheGovernmentbeginsto developastrategyspecificallytohelpthemost disadvantagedchildren. 10 11

Chapter 1 A Personal Commentary

Summary: • The Foundation Yearsdemandsabroadeningoftheattackonchildpoverty.Indoingsoit questionsthealmostuniversalassumptionoverthelasthundredyearsthatincreasesinincome alonewillautomaticallyleadtosocialprogress.Overthepost-warperiodwehaveexperienced aconsiderableincreaseintherealincomesandyetwestillfindthattoomanychildrennowstart schoolwhoareunabletomakethemostoftheirschoollives.Itisfromthisgroupthattomorrow’s unemployedandlowpaidwillbeoverwhelminglydrawn. • Whyshouldthisbeso?The Foundation Yearsarguesthattheexclusiveconcernofthe adultworldabouthowfinancialpovertyaffectschildren’slifechanceshaspreventeda morecomprehensiveunderstandingofwhylife’sraceisalreadydeterminedformostpoor childrenbeforetheyevenbegintheirfirstdayatschool.Thesinglepurposebehindallofour recommendationsistobreakthatcycleandpreventpoorchildrenfrombecomingpooradults. • Childrenneednurturingfarlongerthananyotherspeciesandthequalityofthisnurturing hasamajorimpactonhowwellchildrendevelopandthenfulfiltheirpotential.Thistaskisnot primarilyonethatbelongstothestate.Weimperilthecountry’sfutureifweforgetthatitisthe aspirationsandactionsofparentswhicharecriticaltohowwelltheirchildrenprosper. • Toachieveanhistoricshiftinhowoursocietycombatspovertythisreportarguesforthe adoptionofasetofLifeChancesIndicators.TheIndicatorswillmeasuretheeffectivenessofthe FoundationYearsinhelpingparentssteadilyincreasetheopportunitiesthatwillopenupfortheir children,particularlyforthemostdisadvantaged.TheseIndicatorsshouldbecomethedriver ofpolicyanditshouldrunalongsidethetraditionalfinancialdefinitionssoastomountamore effectiveattackonpovertyanddisadvantage. • Thetaskofequalisinglifechancescannotbefullyaccomplishedduringachild’searliestyears, althoughtheseyears,previouslyignoredintermsoftheirdecisiveinfluenceindeterminingachild’s lifechances,arefundamental.Thatiswhyinaddition,weadvocatethatovertimetheGovernment shouldlookatestablishingasimilarsetofIndicatorstomeasureprogressinwideninglifechances forpoorerchildrenattheageoften,andthenagainattheendoftheirsecondaryschooling. • TheFoundationYearsbringstogetherallofthecurrentservicesforchildren,fromthewomb untiltheygotoschool.TheaimisthattheFoundationYearswillbecome,forthefirsttime,an equalpartofanewtripartiteeducationsystem:theFoundationYearsleadingtotheschoolyears, leadinginturntofurther,higherandcontinuingeducation. • EachyeartheGovernmentshouldconsiderwhetherthelifechancesofpoorerchildrenare bestenhancedbyincreasingchildtaxcreditpaymentssothat,ataveryminimum,thenumbers ofpoorchildrendonotgrow,orwhetheritwouldbemoreadvantageousforpoorerchildrento spend,insomeyears,allorpartofthissuminbuildinguptheFoundationYears. 12 TheFoundationYears

ThePrimeMinisteraskedmeinJune2010to Thesecondsectionofthiscommentarywidens headanIndependentReviewonPovertyandLife outthetraditionaldebatetolookatthedrivers Chances.HisaimsfortheReviewwereto: ofthisinter-generationalpovertywhichchapter3 reviewsindetail.Itisspecificallyconcernedwith generateabroaderdebateaboutthenatureand • thebodyofresearchshowingthat,whileincomeis extentofpovertyintheUK; stillimportant,itisnottheexclusiveornecessarily •examinethecaseforreformstopoverty thedominantcauseofpovertybeinghandedon measures,inparticularfortheinclusionofnon- fromonegenerationtoanother.Thefactthat financialelements; nonincomefactors,suchasthehomelearning environmentandqualityofchildcare,areso explorehowachild’shomeenvironment • importantindecidingthefateofchildrenhasled affectstheirchancesofbeingreadytotakefull ustoconstructasetofLifeChancesIndicators. advantageoftheirschooling;and, TheReviewproposesthatthecountry’seffortsto recommendpotentialactionbygovernment • makethelifechancesofallchildrenmoreequal andotherinstitutionstoreducepovertyand shouldbebroughttobearthroughwhatwehave enhancelifechancesfortheleastadvantaged, calledtheFoundationYears.Thisisthesubject consistentwiththeGovernment’sfiscalstrategy. matterofthethirdsection.Thefourthsection Twoprogressreportsweresubmittedon28July outlineshowtheFoundationYearscanbestbe and13September2010.Thisisthefinalreport delivered.Thefinalsectioncommentsonthe whichthePrimeMinisterrequestedshouldbe revolutionthatiswaitingtohappen. submittedtohimbyChristmasofthisyear. TheevidenceandanalysisunderpinningtheReview 1. A traditional anti-poverty strategy aresetoutinChapters2to6,andtheReview’s specificrecommendationsareincludedineach Child poverty targets ofthosechaptersandpulledtogetherinthe ThePrimeMinisterspecificallyrequestedthe Introduction.However,inthisChapter,Iwouldlike Reviewtoconsiderhowhomecircumstances tosetoutmyownpersonalperspectiveonsome impactonchildren’slifechances,andinparticular ofthebroaderissuescoveredbytheReview. howthishomebackgrounddeterminesachild’s readinessforschool.Thisprovidedaparticular Introduction focusfortheReview.Thebasisforthereport’s TheReviewreflectshowmyideasoncombating recommendationsonhowpovertyisdefined,and povertyhavedevelopedoverthelastfour howthesedefinitionsmightbeexpanded,also decades–thefirstdecadespentattheChild arisesfromtheChildPovertyAct,2010,whichset PovertyActionGroup,andthethreesubsequent outfourmeasuresofchildpoverty: decadesrepresentingBirkenheadintheHouse 1. Relative low income:childreninhouseholds ofCommons–asthisformsthebasisforallof below60percentofmedianincome; therecommendationsthatfollow.Iconsiderhow governmentshavetraditionallygoneabouttrying 2.Absolute low income:childreninhouseholds totacklechildpoverty,howthisapproachwas below60percentof2010/11medianincome broughttoitszenithinthe2010ChildPoverty upratedinlinewithinflation; Act,andwhyIdoubtedtheadequacyofthe 3.Combined low income and material approachlaiddowninthatAct.Ihaveincreasingly deprivation:childreninhouseholdsbelow70 cometoviewpovertyasamuchmoresubtle percentofmedianincometogetherwithasyet enemythanpurelylackofmoney,andIhave anundefinedmaterialdeprivationindex;and, similarlybecomeincreasinglyconcernedabout howthepovertythatparentsendureisalltoo 4. Persistent low income:tobedefinedby2014. oftenvisitedontheirchildrentothedegreethat theycontinuetobepoorastheyenteradulthood. APersonalCommentary 13

Theclassicalapproachtodefiningpoverty, Since1999,£134billionhasbeenredistributedto whichthe2010Actenshrinesinlaw,hasits familiesthroughthetaxcreditmechanismalone1. rootsfirmlybasedintheCharlesBoothand Thistaxcreditinitiativewasaccompaniedbythe SeebohmRowntreetraditionthathasdominated governmentplacinganincreasingemphasison povertystudiesfor120years.Rowntree,who workbeingthemainrouteoutofpoverty. gaveprecisiontothisapproach,wasspecifically Thepoliticalconsensusthatemergedfollowingthe concernedwithdeterminingwhatsumofmoney ToynbeeHallspeechresulted,adecadelater,in wouldallowfamiliestoachieveaminimumstandard allofthepoliticalpartiesvotingthroughthe2010 ofliving.Familiesbelowthislevelofincomewere ChildPovertyAct.Why,therefore,wasItheonly deemedtobepoor;aboveittheywerenot.In MemberofParliamenttocautionagainsttheAct? calculatingthenumberofpoorfamilies,Rowntree madeadistinctionbetweenthosehouseholdswho b) the drawbacks simplydidnothaveenoughmoneytomeethis minimumlivingstandard,andsowardoffpoverty, WhilewelcomingtheGovernment’scontinued andthosefamilieswhoseincomecouldachievethis determinationtocounterchildpoverty,Ibelieved standardbutwhodecidedtospendpartoftheir thattheresultsofthisstrategyweremoremodest incomeinotherways. thantaxpayershopedfor,especiallyconsidering thehugesumsinvestedintheapproach.More Advantages and disadvantages of this worryingstill,thestubbornlyobstinatenumber ofchildreninpovertyshowedthatthisstrategy approach hadstalledevenbeforetherecession.Ifurther KeepingholdofRowntree’sapproachtodefining believedthattheActwasindangerofclosing povertyinmoneytermsonly,givesrisetosome downadebateonalternativemeansofreaching importantadvantages,butthesedocomewitha thegoalwhenawiderdebateonalternative numberofdistinctdrawbacks. strategieswaspreciselywhatwasmostneeded. Modest Results a) the advantages • The2010Actwastheculminationofoneofthe IdidnotexpressmyconcernsabouttheBill mostaudaciousandwelcomedinitiativesofthe becauseIhadinanywaychangedtheimportanceI lastLabourGovernment.Thepressreported placeoncombatingpoverty.Itwas,rather,thatIno thatwhenthethenPrimeMinister,TonyBlair, longerbelievedthatthestrategyofconcentrating announcedinMarch1999thattheGovernment’s onincometransferscouldachievethegoalof goalwastheabolitionofchildpovertyby2020,his abolishingchildpovertyby2020,evenonthe audienceatToynbeeHallwastakenbysurprise. crudefinancialmeasure.ThedatatheGovernment Asurpriseitmayhavebeen,butthespeechgave publishinHouseholds Below Average Income formanddirectiontotheGovernment’santi-child strengthenedmyconcerns. povertystrategy.Theannouncementinstantly TheGovernmentfacedformidabledifficulties transformedtherankingonthepoliticalagenda inmakingprogresstowardsthe2020goal.The oftheissueofpovertyinarichsociety.Howbest numberofchildreninpovertyalmostdoubled toabolishchildpovertybecameatopicofhigh duringthe1979to1996-97period,before politicalimportance–arankingthatithadnot beginningtoplateau.Therewasevenadown heldsincetheAttleeGovernment.Fewotherpost sidetothefastgrowingeconomythatthenewly warpoliticalinitiativeshavehadsuchanenduring electedLabourGovernmentinherited.Whilereal impactonthepoliticaldebateandonpolicy. incomessince1997roserapidly,sotoodidthe Thisheightenedpoliticalimportanceofcountering medianincomebywhichtheGovernmentwished childpovertywasthankfullymatchedbyaction. povertytobemeasured.TheGovernment,in

1 HMRC Child and working tax credit statistics finalised annual awards 2008/9, Table 1.1; HMRC WFTC Summary Statistics Feb 2003, Table 1 and 2. 14 TheFoundationYears

attemptingtoreducethenumberofchildrenin povertyin1998-99stoodat34percentfallingto poverty,was,asitwere,walkingupadescending 28percentin2004-05.Thepercentagethenrose escalator.Evensotherewereimportantfallsinthe inthefollowingthreeyearstopeakat31percent numberofchildreninpovertyduringtheLabour in2007-08,beforefallingbackto30percentin years,butconsideringthevastsumsexpended, the thefollowingyear3. overallreductionwasmodest:from3.4million to Inanumberofdocumentspublishedinthelead 2.8millionintenyears,anetfallofonly0.6million2. uptothe2010ActthepreviousGovernment,to •A stalled strategy itscredit,recognisedthattheanti-povertystrategy hadinfactstalled–althoughitdidnotusethisterm Theoutcomesofspendinghugesumsbecomes –butitcameasnearasitcoulddobygivingnotice thatbitmoreworryingwhenweconsiderthe ofitssearchforprogrammesitmightrunalongside progressbeingmadeeachyearsince1998in itstaxcreditstrategy.Howeverthe2010Actdoes reducingpoverty.From2004-05theeffectiveness bindgovernments’handsinunforeseenways. ofchildtaxcreditsinreducingchildpovertyhad notmerelystalled,butinsomeyearsgroundwas •Restricting the debate actuallylost. Oneresultofthe2010ChildPovertyActhas Theresultsareevenmoredisappointingifwe beentostraitjacketourunderstandingofpoverty considerthepovertydataafterthepayment tooneparticularfinancialmanifestationalong ofhousingcosts.Thepercentageofchildrenin thelinesRowntreesetoutinhis1901report. Figure 1.1 Percentage of children in households with income below 60 per cent of contemporary equivalised median income, before housing costs

Percentage of children in low income 5

19611963196519671969197119731975197719791981198319851987198919911993 Year 1995/961997/98 1999/002001/022003/042005/062007/08 Sources: 19611993, Great Britain, Analysis of Family Expenditure Survey by the Institute for Fiscal Studies; 1994/95 – 1997/98, Great Britain, Households Below Average Income; 1998/99 – 2008/09, United Kingdom, Households Below Average Income.

2 Households Below Average Income 2008/09, 3 Households Below Average Income 2008/09, Department for Work and Pensions. Department for Work and Pensions. APersonalCommentary 15

Ofcoursethepresentpovertylinehasbeen Thereisafurthermajorconsideration.Who muchrevisedtomatchrisingincomes,butitis believesthatthis£3.7billion,toconsiderjust thisincomemeasurewhichnotonlydrivesmedia thelatestexampleofbenefitincreases,isgoing interest,andtherebythebroadunderstanding toimprovesignificantlythelifechancesof votershaveofwhattheGovernmentistrying children,andparticularlythepoorest,compared toachieveontheirbehalf,but,perhapsmore tospendingthissumindevelopingthosefamily importantly,italsodrivesgovernmentpolicyina servicesdirectlyaimedatincreasinglifechancesor singledirectionwhichisindangerofbecoming poorchildren? counterproductive. Ihavemetonvisitstodifferentpartsofthe Theanti-povertyagendaisdrivenalongasingle countrylargenumbersofparentsanxiousto trackofhuntingdownfamilieswholivebelowthis knowhowtheycanbetteradvancethelong lineandthenmarkingupasuccessasafamilyis terminterestsoftheirchildren.Butasthisreport movedacrosstheline,nomatterhowmarginal argues,amoderndefinitionofpovertymusttake istheadvanceintheirincome.Itdoeslittleto intoaccountthosechildrenwhoseparentsremain concentrateonthosechildrenwhoendure disengagedfromtheirresponsibilities.Tesco’s persistentpoverty.Worsestill,thisapproachhas reported,inthesurveytheyundertookforthe preventedamuchmorecomprehensivestrategy ReviewinoneoftheireastLondonstores,on emergingonhowbest,inthelongerrun,to whattheirstaffdefinedaspovertyinmodern counterchildpovertyinawaythatpreventspoor Britain,andhowbesttheReviewcouldcutthe childrenfrombecomingpooradults. supplyroutestoadultpoverty.Tesco’semployees conclusionswereamillionmilesawayfromthe Thatsearchforanalternative,andmoreeffective classicalRowntreeapproach. meansofeliminatingchildpoverty,becomesever moreurgent.Noonecanbelievethatasimilar Thestaffreportedonthechangingpatternof increaseinexpenditurewillbeavailablefora stealing.Childrenwerenowfarlessinclinedto similarprogrammeofincometransfersoverthe stealsweets.Instead,thetargetsweresandwiches, comingdecade,whenpoliticswillinevitablybe toassuagetheirhunger,andcleanunderwear aboutcuttingthebudgetdeficit.Tomeetthe whichtheyalsolacked.Doesanyoneanylonger 2010targetbytaxcreditpaymentsalonewould believethatthismodernfaceofneglectwillbe haverequiredanadditionalinjectionof£4to£5 counteredbysimpleincreasesinchildtaxcredits? billionperannum.Tomeetatargetofcutting Askingparentsat,forexample,theFoxHollies childpovertyto5percentofallchildrenby2020 Children’sCentreinBirminghamwhether,overa afurther£37billionperannumintaxcredit fewyears,themoneytoincreasechildtaxcredits transfersisrequired.Tocutthetotalto10 percent wouldbebetterspentonextendingtheworkof ofallchildrenwouldrequire£19billiontransfer, theirChildren’sCentreproducedclearsupportfor whichalthoughitamountsonlyto1.3 percentof suchastrategy. GDP,isanunthinkablesumincurrentconditions4. Cananyoneseriouslymaintainthatsumsofthese sizeswillbeforthcomingoverthedecade,to2020? II. The Life Chances Indicators Simplytopreventchildpovertyworseningover Ihadafurtherconsiderationthatwentbeyond thenexttwoyears,theCoalitionGovernment thearbitrarinessofthedefinitionsputforward isspendinganadditional£3.7billioninincome intheBill,andthefallingimpactofthefiscal transfers5. redistributionstrategy.

4 Brewer, M., Browne, J., Joyce, R. and Sutherland, H. 5Coalition Budget (2010) and Spending Review (2010), (2009) Micro-simulating child poverty in 2010 and 2020, IFS, HM Treasury. and Brewer, M., Browne, J., Joyce, R. and Sutherland, H. (2009) Micro-simulating child poverty in 2010 and 2020 – an update, IFS 16 TheFoundationYears

Inolongerbelievethatthepovertyenduredby noteventhemainone.Evenifthemoneywere alltoomanychildrencansimplybemeasured availabletoliftallchildrenoutofincomepoverty bytheirparents’lackofincome.Something intheshortterm,itisfarfromclearthatthismove morefundamentalthanthescarcityofmoneyis wouldinitselfclosetheachievementgap. adverselydominatingthelivesofthesechildren. Thesestudiesshowthatthereismuchmore Since1969Ihavewitnessedagrowingindifference beyondjustimprovingshort-termfamilyincomes fromsomeparentstomeetingthemostbasic indeterminingthelifechancesofpoorchildren. needsofchildren,andparticularlyyoungerchildren, Ahealthypregnancy,positivebutauthoritative thosewhoareleastabletofendforthemselves.I parenting,highqualitychildcare,apositive havealsoobservedhowthehomelifeofaminority approachtolearningathomeandanimprovement but,worryingly,agrowingminorityofchildren,fails inparents’qualificationstogether,cantransform toexpressanunconditionalcommitmenttothe children’slifechances,andtrumpclassbackground successfulnurturingofchildren. andparentalincome.Achildgrowingupinafamily withtheseattributes,evenifthefamilyispoor,has Whydotheseobservationsmatter?Themost everychanceofsucceedinginlife.Otherresearch disturbingpiecesofresearchthatIhavereadfor hasshownthatthesimplefactofamotheror thisReviewisahandfulofstudies6showingthatthe fatherbeinginterestedintheirchildren’seducation successesindividualsachieveduringtheiradultlife aloneincreasesachild’schancesofmovingoutof canbepredictedbythelevelofcognitiveandnon- povertyasanadultby25percentagepoints8. cognitiveskillstheyalreadypossessontheirfirstday atschool.Thesedifferencesinskilllevelshavebeen AnalysisoftheMillenniumCohortStudy notedafteraslittleas22monthsoflife,andare commissionedbytheReviewfromBristol showntowidenwithinthetoddlerpopulationby Universityshowedthatthekeydriverswepropose theageoffive7.Theseskilllevelsarerelatedtothe toincludeinoursetofLifeChancesIndicators class,orasitisnowmorecommonlyspokenof,the –positiveandauthoritativeparenting,thehome incomeoftheirparents.Thefindingsalsoworryingly learningenvironment,andotherhomeandfamily showthatthebrightestfiveyearoldsfrompoorer relatedfactors,measuredattheageof3–are homesareovertakenbytheprogressoftheirless indeedpredictiveofchildren’sreadinessfor giftedbutricherpeersbythetimetheyareten. schoolandlaterlifeoutcomes.Mostimportantly, narrowingthegaponeachofthekeydriverswas SohowdoIsquarethesefindings–thatdirectly foundtopredictvirtuallyallofthedifferencein relatethelevelofincomeofparentstothesuccess children’soutcomesatage5. oftheirchildren–withmybeliefthatmoneydoes notproducethetransformingeffectweneedto Atthemomentpoorchildrenaremuchlesslikely counterchildpovertyatthistime? onaveragetobenefitfromtheseadvantages. Butwiththerightsupportfromgovernment, Theanswer,paradoxically,comesfromthevery thevoluntarysector,andsocietyasawhole,this studiesthatshowhowearlyonlife’sraceisnow doesn’talwayshavetobetrue.Ifwecanensure determinedformostchildren.Thesestudies thatparentsfrompoorfamiliesknowhowbest havenotusedclassorincomeasaroadblockto toextendthelifeopportunitiesoftheirchildren furtheranalysis.Theytrytoholdclassandincome (theadvantagesthatmanymiddleclassandrich constantandexaminetheotherforcesatwork familiestakeforgrantedandwhichasignificant thatgovernachild’slifechances. numberofworkingclassparentsachieve)then– Oncethisapproachisadoptedwefindthatincome evenifwecannotendincomepovertyintheshort isnottheonlyfactorthatmatters,andthatitis term–wecanbreakthisintergenerationalcycle

6 e.g. Feinstein, L. (2003) How early can we predict future 8 Blanden, J. (2006) ‘Bucking the trend’: What enables those education achievement, LSE Centre Piece Summer 2003. who are disadvantaged in childhood to succeed later in life?, DWP Working Paper No.31 7 Feinstein, L. (2003) Inequality in the Early Cognitive Development of Children in the Early 1970 Cohort. Economica, vol 70, pp73-97. APersonalCommentary 17

ofdisadvantage.Wecanensurethatpoorchildren outinpractice.ThepurposeoftheIndicatorsis don’tinevitablytaketheirpovertyintoadulthood. nottosidelinethegoalofabolishingchildpoverty; itisrathertosetoutanalternativeandbroader Somechildrenfromfamiliesonlowincomeshave strategytoachievethisgoal. consistentlydonewellbuttheseexamplesarefew andtheirexperienceisnotcommonforthewhole Thesuccessofthisapproachwillbetochange group.Thisisnot,however,universallytrueinthe overthelongertermthedistributionofincome. UK.Chinesechildrenfrompoorfamiliesasagroup Thiswillnotbeachievedthroughaprimary dobetterthanallothernon-poorchildren(except emphasisonincomeredistribution.Thisgoal non-poorChinesechildren).Growingupinan ofchangingthedistributionofincomewillbe ethnicallyChinesefamilyinEnglandisenoughto achievedbyensuringthatpoorerchildreninthe overcomeallofthedisadvantagesofbeingpoor.This futurehavetherangeofabilitiesnecessaryto surelyhasmuchtodowithparentalaspirationsand securebetterpaid,higherskilledjobs. attitudes.Itwouldbeabetrayalofallourchildrenif TheIndicatorswillworkbycapturingthelevelof weweretosaythatwhatthisgroupalreadyachieves developmentofthreeandfiveyearoldchildrenby cannotbeachievedbyallBritishchildren. reviewingtheircognitive,physicalandemotional Sotheresearchmaterialthathasdisturbedme development.Theywillthentellushowsuccessful mostalsosoundstheclearestnoteofhope.And wehavebeeninnarrowingtherangeofabilities itisthisresearchworkthathasservedasthe overthosetwoyearsoflifewhichcurrentlystarts launchpadforoursetofLifeChancesIndicators. tobepresentedbychildrenattheageofthree. Thissmallclutchofstudiesshowsthosehome HeretheFoundationYearsstrategycomesinto attributesthatneedtobeuniversalisedifweareto play.ThesimpleaimoftheFoundationYearswill preventlife’swheeloffortuneconsistentlyspinning betonarrowthisrangeinabilitiessothateachyear againsttheinterestsofpoorerchildrenasaclass. theleastadvantagedchildrenwillclosethegapon Theuniversalismoftheseattributesisthesole theirmoreablepeersratherthanallowtheirmore aimofwhatthereportcallstheFoundationYears. ablepeerstoestablishevengreateradvantages. ThesuccessoftheFoundationYearsinnarrowing To achievethisgoalwillrequireatestingofsome therangeofchildren’sabilitiesbythreeand ofthe1940swelfarestate’ssacredcows. betweenthreeandfivewillbemeasuredbythe LifeChancesIndicators.TheReviewadvocatesthat theGovernmentadopttheseIndicatorsanduse III. The Foundation Years themtodriveFoundationYearspolicy.Thesenew TheLifeChancesIndicatorswillbothmeasurethe LifeChancesIndicatorsshouldrunalongsidethe effectivenessanddrivereformofallprogrammes definitionslaidoutinthe2010ChildPovertyAct. directedunderthenewFoundationYearsstrategy TheseIndicatorsarecrucialtowideningthe inwhichtheroleofparentsiscentral.Withthe existingnarrowdebateandover-emphasison exceptionofmidwives,currentlyfewpeople incomelevels.Thisisnotasemanticpoint.The areabletoidentifyhowgovernmentsandthe existingpovertymeasurementstakeasnapshotof communityformallysupportfamilieswithchildren incometoseehowmanyfamilieshaveanincome underfive.ByestablishingtheFoundationYears– atorbelow60percentofmedianincome. whichwillencapsulateallearlyyearspolicy–the TheLifeChancesIndicators,ontheotherhand, Governmentwillbeprovidingparentswithaclear areessentiallyabouthowwellweareachieving guidebywhichtonavigatetheirwayaroundwhat whatwouldbecometheprimarygoalofcutting willbecomeaseriesofconnectedandcoordinated theentryroutethatalltoomanypoorchildren formsofsupport. inexorablytreadintoadultpoverty. TheFoundationYearswillbecometheessential TheIndicatorswillbeameansbywhichthe firstpartofanewtripartitesystemofeducation: Governmentreportsannuallytotheelectorateon theFoundationYears,leadingintotheSchool howwellitsintentionofraisingthecognitiveand Years,leadingintoFurther,HigherandContinuing non-cognitiveskillsofpoorerchildrenisworking Education. 18 TheFoundationYears

EstablishingtheFoundationYearswillfurther Rupturing a good parenting tradition helptheGovernmenttocommunicatetothe GeoffreyGorer,thesociologist,notedinthe countrythatitintendstomakeadecisivemovein early1950sthatthespreadofatoughlovestyle transformingthelifechancesofpoorerchildren. ofparentinghadbeentheagentthatchanged TheGovernmentwillbepubliclyrecognisingthe Englandfromacenturieslongtraditionofbrutality significanceofthisperiodoflifeasthebasefor intowhatwasremarkeduponbyvisitorstothese futurelifeachievementsandshouldatthenext shoresinthelatenineteenthandearlytwentieth reshuffleappointaministerwhoattendsCabinet centuriesasoneofthemostpeacefulEuropean specificallyresponsiblefordrivingthispolicyacross nations10.Thetoughlovetraditionofparenting Government. didmorethanturnEnglandintowhatwasuntil recentlyapeacefulselfgoverningkingdom. Shaping the Foundation Years Researchpublishedmuchmorerecentlyon InthereportThe impact of parental involvement9, differentkindsofparentingshowsthatthe ProfessorCharlesDesforgesandhiscolleague, stylemostbeneficialtoachild’semotionaland AlbertoAbouchaar,wroteinthefollowingterms intellectualdevelopmentisthisparticularstyle abouthowtoprovidetheverybeststartinlifefor ofnurturing11.Butthattoughlovetraditionhas all,butparticularlythepoorestchildren. recentlybeeninretreat. “Weseemtoknowasmuchinprincipleabout ThereareanumberofreasonswhyBritainis howparentalinvolvementanditsimpacton witnessingarupturinginitsoncestrongparenting pupilachievementasNewtonknewaboutthe tradition.Veryfewsetsofsecularideasarenot physicsofmotionintheseventeenthcentury. revisedorreplacedbysucceedinggenerations,and Whatweseemtolackisthe‘engineeringscience’ thegrowthofa‘toughlove’approachwasbound thathelpsusputourknowledgeintopractice. toinspiredetractorsasawidermovementtook By1650Newtonknewintheoryhowtoput holdquestioningestablishedhierarchies,whether amissileonthemoon.Ittookmorethan300 thosehierarchieswerewithinfamilies,orsociety yearstolearnhowtodothisinpractice.The morewidely. scientistswhodidthisusedNewton’sphysics withmodernengineeringknowledge.Wemust Post-warhousingpolicyhasalsoenjoyedmore notwaitthreehundredyearstopromotestellar thanawalk-onrole.Megadevelopments, advancesinpupils’achievement.Weneed sweepingupcommunities,shakingthemaround, urgentlytolearnhowtoapplytheknowledge andscatteringthemontonewestates,oftenon we alreadyhaveinthefield.” theperipheryofthetownswheretheyhadlong establishedroots,alsoplayedamajorpartinthe AcentralassumptionoftheFoundationYearsisthat break-upoftheextended,matriarchalfamily thegreatdrivingforcefordecidingthefutureof hierarchyandinsodoingdestroyedthesupport childrenistheirparents.Nopolicydesignedtobreak thatthisinformalnetworkprovidedforcouplesas throughtheglassceilingthatisfirmlyinplaceoverthe theybegantheprocessofstartingafamily. headsofalltoomanychildrencansucceedwithout parents.Theverybestgovernments,communities Otherpowerfulforceswerealsoatwork.Our andfamiliescandoistosupportparentstoenable country’sde-industrialisationdestroyedmorethan themtobeevenmoreeffectiveagentsofchangefor theworkethicinmanyfamiliesandcommunities. theirchildren.Butcommunitiesandgovernmentsdo Themajormeansbywhichmanymaleswere haveotherrolestheymustplayifweareradicallyto socialisedintothewidersocietywaslostaswas improvethelifechancesofpoorerchildren. theirroleasbreadwinners.BobRowthornand

9 � Desforges, C. with Aboucher, A. (2003) The impact of 10 Gorer, G. (1955) Exploring English Character, Criterion parental involvement, parental support and family education Books, New York. on pupil achievement and adjustment. A literature review, 11 O’Connor, T. and Scott, S. (2007) Parenting and DfES Research Report 433. Outcomes for Children, JRF. APersonalCommentary 19

DavidWebsterreportedtotheReviewtheir parents–theyphrasedtheirrequestaswishingto workestablishingalinkfromthe1980sbetween knowhowtobegoodparents.Someofthegroup adeclineinmaleemploymentandthegrowthof werescruffy,theirclotheswashedlessoftenthan singleparentfamilies.Theirthesissupportsmy thoseofotherchildren,andapartfromschool contentionthatgovernmentsshouldhaveput dinnerstheyhadnocertaintywhentheywould muchmoreoftheirenergyingettingyoungmales nextbefed.Wheretheywouldsleepthatnight intowork,ratherthanover-zealouslypressurising wassimilarlyequallyproblematicforsomeofthat singlemotherstoenterthelabourmarket. group.Wouldtheygainentrancewhentheywent home,orwouldtonightagainbespentonthe Thestorydoesnotendhere.NormanDennis floorofafriend’shome?Theseyoung,vulnerable remindedtheReviewthatcommunitieshave buteagerconstituents,battleagainsthome insistedfromtimeimmemorialthatmenwho circumstancesthatwouldprobablyhavebroken begetchildrenshouldbemadetosupportthose me,andyettheyprioritisedtheneedtoknowhow childrenandthechildren’smother,usuallyby tobegoodparents,notsimplybetterparentsthan marriage.Inafitofwhatatbestcanbecharitably theonestheyhadinherited. describedasabsentmindedness,orofnotwishing tocauseafuss,awholenumberofgovernments SometimelaterIwenttovisitthenewManchester forgotthatoneofitsprimarydutiesinsafeguarding Academy.Iagainmetagroupof15yearoldpupils thewellbeingofchildrenistoenforcethefather’s towhomIsetthesametask.Allofthepupils financialresponsibility.Childrenhavebeenthe similarlywantedtoknowhowtobecomegood clearlosersandithasnotgoneunnoticedbythem. parentsasoneofthesixresponsibilitiesthey wishedtheirschooltofulfil.Hereisthebasisfor The wish to be good parents ourkeyrecommendationthatweshouldseek waysofteachingparentingandlifeskillsthrough Sometimeago,Iaskedtomeetagroupof15year theexistingnationalcurriculumwithappropriate oldpupilsinoneofBirkenhead’smostchallenged modulesbeingavailableforstudythrougharange schools–sothatIcouldtalktothemabouttheir ofexistingsubjects.TheManchesterAcademyis schoolcontracts12.Iaskedeachofthemtolistfor preparingapilotalongtheselines. mewhichsixoutcomestheymostwantedtogain forthemselvesfromattendingschool. Comparethecurrentbeliefthatparentingis taughtbyaprocessofosmosiswiththecare Theirrepliesbothshockedanddelightedme. theStatetakesineducatingparentswhowish Withoutexception,alloftheseyoungcitizens toadopt.Sixmajorareasofstudyhavetobe statedthattheywantedtheirschooltobeasafe undertakenandthisisthetrainingofadultswho place,tohelpteachthemwhatwasinvolvedin wanttocareforchildren13! buildinglong-termfriendshipsandtoequipthem withthenecessaryskillstogainagoodjob.Most Raisingknowledgeaboutparentingskillswithinthe surprisingly,allofthepupilslistedasoneastheir schoolcurriculumisthefirstcriticalmovetochange remainingrequeststhewishtobetaughthowto thedirectionofthetidefromwhathasbeenthe begoodparents. longretreatfromthetoughlovestyleofparenting. Aftertalkingwiththisgroupofyoungpeoplethe RichardLayardandJohnColemanstressedto headteacherremarkedthatperhaps10outofthe theReviewthatthoseskillsinparentingandlife groupof25hadrarely,ifever,knowntheirparent skillsneedtobedevelopedandnotdismissed orfortheirparentstoputtheirneedsbeforetheir asbeingsoft;theyhaveimportanthardedged own.Yetnoneoftheseyoungpeoplejudgedtheir outcomes.Ifwearetrulytobringaboutaonce inagenerationculturalshiftwewillneedtothink

12 Field, F. (2003) Neighbours from Hell, Politicos. 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. 20 TheFoundationYears

ateverylevelofsocietyhowallofuscansupport intheCabinetOffice.ThisReviewrecommends individuals,familiesandcommunitiesgivinggreater thatitreportsonspreadingaswidelyaspossible valueto,andthenactivesupportemphasisingthe ateverylevelofsocietythebestpracticeson importanceofparenting. nurturingandparenting.Iwouldparticularlyliketo seethis‘NudgeGroup’reportonhowMumsnet, Asecondplaceinlife’snaturaljourneywhere anextraordinary,butlargelymiddleclassinitiative, societycanemphasisetheimportancethewhole canbespreadtoallparents. societyattachestoparentingcouldbeinantenatal andpostnatalclasses.Thesecoursesshouldbe Givenafairwindwemaybeatoneofthose expandedfromthealltoocommonconcentration raremomentswhenadecisivechangecould onthebirthprocesstoarevisionoftheGCSE occurinboththenation’sattitudetothegreat materialcoveringchilddevelopmentandthe responsibilitiesofparentingandintheresolve practicebywhichparentscanwidenthelife ofindividualparents.Knowingthateachsetof chancesoftheirchildren. activitiesbehindbeingafivestarparentcomes fromthedistillationofthecommunity’scollective PeterBottomley’s5*parentinginitiative,which wisdomwillemboldenmanyparentstopractice hesubmittedtotheReview,andwhichhasbeen thegoodparentingguideandsohelpcreatea developedbytheTranmereCommunityProject, snowballeffectthatchangesthewholeclimate anentrepreneurialcommunitybasedbodyfor of opinion. youngpeopleinBirkenhead,issomethingthe Governmentshouldlookattoenact.Achieving onestarinvolvesgettingchildrenup,washed, The Big Society dressed,fedandtoschoolontime,andsoon. Whilethisreportcallsforanextensionofthe FollowingthisworkIhaveaskedtheTranmere littlesociety–theyoungersisteroftheBig CommunityProjecttoproducetwofurther Society–therearedefiniterolesforthelatter. shortguidesonbeingafivestarparentduring Herearetwowhichareaimedatcounteringthe thefirstmonthofababy’slifeandthenduringthe particularpressuresparentsfacefromthemedia remainingfirstyear. –bothfromtelevisionandfromadvertising,and particularlywheretheyoverlap. Inadditiontobuildingtheirchildren’sself confidence,theguidecitesreading,however TheBBCplaysanoutstandingroleinproducing, complexthematerial,tochildrenasoneofthe commissioningandrelayingchildren’sprogrammes. mostimportantactivitiesparentscanundertake Theworkitbuysinfromsomecompaniesareof inincreasingtheirskillstoadvancetheirchildren’s thefirstorder.ButtheBBCcouldgofurtherand lifechances.Andwhilereadingisonlyonepart adopttheproposalProfessorSeatonmadetothe ofthehomeenvironment’sinfluence,Ibelieve Review,andwhichIendorse,bykite-markingthose thatavirtuouscirclecanbebuilt–andnotonly children’sprogrammeswhicharemostbeneficial byimprovingthebondingwithchildrenthattakes toparentsinthedevelopmentoflanguageintheir placewhenreadingwiththem,andtheconfidence children.Suchamovewouldcostverylittle,would parentsthemselvesgain–fromthisfirstmovein beanenormoushelptoparents,andmightwell, buildingupamorefavourablehomeenvironment hopefully,spreadtoothermedia.Itmightalsohelp forallchildren(seeChapter4). changetheviewsofcommissioningagentsonthe valueofextendingfirstclasschildren’stelevision The5*parentinginitiativerestsontheassumption whichhasshrunkmarkedlyinrecentyears. whichisbackedupbytheevidencesubmittedto thisReview.ParentshavetoldtheReviewhow Marketingplaysanimportantroleinfamilylifefor theywouldwelcomeandoftenneedaclearguide goodorill.Themarketingindustryisregulatedby tothebestpracticethatisrootedinthecollective theAdvertisingStandardsAuthorityandmarketers wisdomofthecommunity. mustprepareadvertisementswithduesenseof responsibility,ensuringthatconsumersdonotfeel Theseinitiativesforthewidersocietyshouldbe underinappropriatepressuretobuyproducts. takenupbytheBehaviouralInsightTeambased APersonalCommentary 21

TheReviewbyProfessorDavidBuckinghamfor ThelastGovernmentprovidedsomefreepre- thepreviousgovernmentstressedtheimpactof schooleducationforallthreeandfouryearold thecommercialworldonchildren’swellbeing14. children.Theydidsoonthebasisofevidence Parentsfeelunderpressure,believingthat showingthatahighqualitypre-schooleducation advertisingdoesplayapartinadverselyaffecting forchildrenatagethreeandfourhasapositive theirchildren’stasteandchoices.Thisisnotan effectonachild’sskills,butalsothatthisprovision issueonwhichwedeliberatelysoughtviewsbut hasmosteffectonenhancingtheabilitiesofthe IwouldhopethattheMinisterialTaskforceon poorestchildren.Wealsoknowthatthehigher ChilhoodandFamilieswillconsiderthisfurther. thequalityofthisprovision,thelongeritsimpact canbeseenonapoorchild’seducationtrajectory. IV. Delivering the Foundation Years ProfessorEdwardMelhuish’sresearchstarkly illustratestheimpactofnurseryeducationonthe ProfessorMarmot,inevidencetotheReview, skilllevelsofyoungchildren.Thisisillustratedin stressedtheurgencyofclosingthegap–indicating Figure1.2.Theabilitiesofallchildrenrisebutthere thattheFoundationYearswasthebestperiodto isnonarrowingofthegapintheskillspossessed makesignificantimprovementsinlifechancesfor betweenrichandpoorchildren,whichhasalready manychildren.SotoodidtheOxfordUniversity beenestablishedbythetimetheyreachpre-school. researchgroupwhoproduceEPPE.

Figure 1.2 The effect of pre-school on the reading age of 7 year olds

2.8

2.6

Preschool 2.4

2.2 No preschool Mean year 2 reading level 2.0 Expected minimum

1.8 Professional Skilled Un/semiskilled Social class by occupation

Source: Melhuish, E. (2010) Policy Exchange presentation.

14 Buckingham, D. (2009) The Impact of the Commercial World on Children’s Wellbeing, DCMS and DCSF. 22 TheFoundationYears

Hereisoneofanumberofissuesthatneed Vision debatingfollowingthisReview’spublication.What Decreasingclass-baseddifferenceswithwhich istherightmixofuniversalandselectiveservices childrencurrentlyarriveatschoolshouldbeputat intheFoundationYears,ifthegoalistonarrow thecentreofeverySureStartChildren’sCentre therangeofabilitieschildrenhaveastheystep contractandthecontractshouldclearlylink intoschool?Shouldnurseryeducationforallthree paymentstooutcomesagainstthisbenchmark. tofouryearoldsremainuniversal?Orshould itbecomemoreselectivealongthelinesofthe IaskedtheheadmasterofBidstonAvenuePrimary CoalitionGovernment’sofferofnurseryeducation SchoolinBirkenheadifheandhisstaffwouldlist forthepooresttwoyearolds?Wouldamore theskillstheybelieveallchildrenshouldpossess selectiveapproachensurethatpoorerchildren astheystartschool.ThelistshowedhowSure becomemoreequaltootherchildrenbythetime Starthastoconcentrateontheoutcomesofits theyarefive,insteadofseeing,asatpresent,the work.Theskillstheheadlistedasthosewhicha skillsofallchildrenrisebutinequalproportion, significantnumberofchildrenlackwhentheystart sothattheclassdifferenceremainalongtheold schoolare:tositstillandlisten;tobeawareof contourlines? otherchildren;tounderstandthewordno,and thebordersitsetsforbehaviour,andequallyto OneofourrecommendationsisthattheFairness understandthewordstop,andthatsuchaphrase Premiumshouldbeginforthemostvulnerable mightbeusedtopreventdanger;tobepotty motherswhentheyfirstregisterwiththeNHS trainedandabletogototheloo;torecognisetheir aspregnant.Inoneofourinterimreportstothe ownname;tospeaktoanadulttoaskforneeds; PrimeMinister,theReviewrequestedthatthe tobeabletotakeofftheircoatandtieuplaces;to FairnessPremiumbeginearlierthantheoriginal talkinsentences;and,toopenandenjoyabook. proposalofstartingatage5andwearepleased thatthisideahasbeenadopted.Aslifeinequalities Itwillbeimpossibletonarrowclass-based havealreadyclearlydivergedbyage22months, differencesinabilitiesbytheageoffiveifSureStart thePremium,whichshouldbedeliveredinterms doesnotreachandworkconsistentlywiththemost ofservices,needstobeginearlierifweareto vulnerablechildreninitscatchmentarea.Contracts changetheinequalitiesinlifetobesteffect. shouldbebasedonmakingcontactwithagrowing numberofchildrenintheirareaandparticularly AnnCoffeyMPinhersubmissionnotedthelower thosemostvulnerablechildren,andtoundertake takeupofpre-schoolamongstfamiliesnotinwork. sustainedworkwiththesefamilies.Overallbudgets Shealsodrewattentiontotheimportanceofparents shouldofcoursedependonthevulnerablechild beinginvolvedwiththeirchildinthenurserysothat populationintheareascentresserve. theteachingmethodspresenttherecanbereflected athome.Tacklingboththeseissuesshouldbepartof Idonotbelievethesetwingoals,ofgreater thenewFoundationYearsstrategy. coverageandsustainedworkwiththepoorest families,whichareofcourselinked,willbe Sure Start Children’s Centres advancedwithoutthegovernanceofSureStart beingfundamentallychanged. IdonotbelievethatwecanmaketheFoundation YearsthesuccesstheymustbecomewithoutSure Start.ButtheconceptoftheSureStartChildren’s Governance Centreneedsradicalreform.TofocusSureStart’s WithLocalAuthoritiesbecomingstrategysetting resourcesonnarrowingthosedifferencesin bodies,thecontractsforSureStartcentresshould children’sabilitiesnecessitatesturningwhathas beopenedtocompetition.Iwouldhopethe becometoday’sSureStartmodelupsidedown, largechildren’scharitiessuchasBarnardos,Save revertingtotheoriginalvisionthatDavidBlunkett theChildrenand4Children,whichalreadyhave gaveitofprovidinggreatesthelptothemost abigstakeinSureStart,arejoinedbyschools, disadvantaged.Howeverreformmustavoidthe GPpractices,housingassociationsandlocal riskofSureStartbecomingsimplyaservicefor voluntarybodiesinthebiddingprocessforSure poorerfamilies. APersonalCommentary 23

Startcontracts.IwouldalsohopesomeSure attheFoxHolliesChildren’sCentreinBirmingham Startstaffwilllikewisebideitherassmallmutuals, ofHealthVisitors,othertrainedworkersplusa co-operativesorasnewsocialenterprises.We coreofvolunteerscouldbeusefullyfollowed. recommendthattheCabinetOfficeUnitwhich Similarly,midwivesshouldbeencouragedtobuild issupportingthegrowthoftheBigSocietyhasan upasmallvolunteerteamtosupportmothers objectivetoencouragetheseneworganisations. wishingtobreastfeed,whowillbeattheendof Contractsshouldalsoallowforthebuyinginof thetelephonetohelpbreastfeedingmothersat services–suchasthoseavailablefromHome anytimeduringthedayornight.Wesawhowwell Start.Buyinginservicesfromsuchorganisations FamilyLinks’nurturingprogrammewasalready withatrackrecordofworkingwithandalongside beingtaughtatthePegasusPrimarySchoolin themostdisadvantagedfamilieswillhelpSureStart Oxfordandthisisamodeltofollow. fulfilitsprimaryobjectiveoffocusingontheleast Thequalityofpre-schoolfacilitiesvarieswidelybut, advantagedfamilies. ingeneral,theservicesareworseinthepoorest OneveryvisittheReviewhascarriedoutIhave areas.OneofthenewresponsibilitiesSureStart askedparentshowtheywouldchangetheirSure needstoembraceisthetrainingofFoundation Start.AllparentswithoutexceptionpraisedSure Yearstaffinco-operationwithlocalcollegesand Start.Allparents,however,andequallywithout universities.Thelackofmalestaffisanequally exception,saidthatiftheywererunning‘their’ pressingissueneedingtobeaddressed. centrestherewouldbeactivitiesafter15.30,at weekendsandespeciallyduringtheschoolholidays. A targeted universal service Someparentsnoticedhowtheirchildrenlostskills ThedangerasSureStartreturnstoitsoriginal duringschoolholidays,andparticularlythelong purposeisthatitceasestobeseenasanon- summerbreak.Theywereallinfavourofsensibly stigmatisinguniversalservice.Itiscrucialtherefore stagingholidaysthroughouttheschoolyears.Here thatSureStartMarkIIhasanumberofservicesthat areanumberofissueswhichwillneedtobe allfamilieswillwanttouse,whichbuildcommunities, addressedifmoreprogressistobemadeduring costlittle,butalsoofferapotentiallygoodyieldin theschoolyearsinimprovingthelifechancesof volunteersforthewiderSureStartgoals. poorchildren. Forexample,atrelativelylowornocost,four Thebestwayofachievingthesechangesisfor commonuniversalservicescouldfromnow parentswithchildrenintheFoundationYearsto onwardsberunfromSureStart: becomeinvolvedinthenewgovernanceofSure StartMarkII,andbytakingseatsontheBoard. SureStartcouldstartregisteringbirths. ThepathfindingworkoftheRoseHillSureStart TransferringbirthregistrationstoSureStartwould Children’sCentreinOxfordcouldbeadoptedasa againensurethatallparentsinalocalcommunity modelforfuturegovernance. camethroughtheSureStartdoors.Likewise, applicationsforchildbenefitcouldberunthrough Working practices SureStart. SureStartshouldaimtobecomecentresof SometimeagoIproposedaBillwhichwould worldrenown,breakingdowntherigiddivision establishinitiationservices–thewelcomingof betweenpaidprofessionalhelpandvolunteers. thechildintothewidercommunity–toberun HealthVisitorsmustbecomethekeyworkers, bychurchesalongsidebaptisms,ortoberunby undertakingthecomplexworkneededtoengage localcommunitiesthemselves.Thisideahasbeen andsupportthemostvulnerablefamilies.They takenupbutsofaronaverylimitedscale.Sure alsoneedtobuildupteamsofotherprofessional Startcouldnowseektooffertheseceremonies workerstooverseeanewcadreofvolunteers runbyvolunteers,likethosewhoactasSureStart togainaccesstothehomeswherechildrenare ambassadors,asoneoftheircommunity-based currentlynotbeingreached.Themodeldeveloped activities. 24 TheFoundationYears

Afourthcommonservicecouldrevolvearound V. The revolution waiting to happen thestagingprenatalandpostnatalclassesforthe NHS.Oneofthereasonswefoundwhypoorer Theimpactofhowwellparentsnurturetheir parentsreporttheirnon-attendanceatantenatal childrengoesfarbeyondtherangeofabilitiestheir classesisthedifficultyinreachingthoseclassesby childrenpossessandhowwellthesetalentsmaybe publictransport.Placingsuchclassesattheheart developed.Theimpactgoesevenbeyondforming ofthecommunitywillmakelifeeasierforparents thebasisofamorepeacefulandselfgoverning wishingtolearn. society.Thesuccessofparentsinnurturingtheir childrenhelpstodeterminetheoverallprosperity ofthecountry. The best way to beat child poverty Reformsinimprovingtheeducationaloutcomes IbelievethattheGovernmentshouldadopta ofchildrenhavenotkeptpacewiththedemands differentperspectivewhendecidingwhether oureconomynowputsonitslabourforce.Britain’s toincreasechildbenefit,makeadditionstothe destiny,nowmorethanever,isdependentonour childelementofthetaxcreditsystem,oradding successasatradingnationandtoprosperour tothebudgetsofschools,orfurther,higherand countryneedstobealeaderinthevalueadded continuingeducation.Ibelievethatbeforeany stakes.Thatthiscontinualimprovementintaking furtherannouncementsaremadeonincreasing ourskillsupmarkethasnothappened,oratleast benefitratesforchildren,oradditionalfundsthat notatafastenoughrate,hasleftlargenumbers mightbeallocatedtotheothertwopartsofwhat ofyoungadultsunqualifiedforjobspayinggood willbecomeatripartiteeducationsystem,the wages. Governmentshoulddebatecarefullywhetherit wouldnotbebetter,inthatyear,todivertthese ThisReviewlocatesthisfailuretoensure fundstobuildingtheFoundationYears.Byfarthe thecountryhasanadequateskillsbasenot, biggestgainstotaxpayersintermsofeducational paradoxically,intheschoolsystem,butduring advanceoverthenextfewyearswillcomefrom thoseyearsbeforechildrengotoschool.To suchaswitchinthefocusoffunding. ensurethattheothertwopillarsofeducation– schoolsandfurther,higherandcontinualeducation Transferringmoniesfrombenefitincreasesinto –cancarryouttheirtaskwell,itiscrucialfora theFoundationYearscouldopentheGovernment governmenttoactasdidduringthelastCoalition tocriticism,withacrudecampaignchargingthe administration,whenitputtheButlerActontothe Governmentwithturningitsbackonachieving statutebook,therebykickstartinganotherwave the2020targetofabolishingchildpoverty.The ofupwardsocialmobility.Asimilardecisivemove reverse,ofcourse,wouldbethetruthinthat isnowcalledforinestablishingtheFoundation theGovernmentwouldinrealitybeseizingan Yearsasthefirstofthreepillarsofoureducation opportunitytodevelopadifferentstrategyto system. achievethisverygoal,particularlyasthetraditional approachhassoclearlystalled.Iproposetherefore Thereareconsiderablegroundsforoptimism. thattheGovernmentpublishesannuallythe Trendsinthewidersocietyaremovingina sumsnecessarytopreventcurrentchildpoverty directionthatsupportsthethrustofthisReview’s deteriorating–itraisedChildTaxCreditsineach proposals. TheworkthatGeoffDenchsubmitted ofitsfirsttwofinancialstatementssoastoachieve totheReviewlooksatwhatmothersthemselves thisobjective–showingthatthesesumshave thinkordo,ratherthanhavingtheirviewdistorted beentransferredtofundthedevelopmentofthe byinterestgroups. Thecircumstancesthatmade FoundationYearstherebygrowinganalternative themmosthappyandcontentedarehavinga strategytoabolishingchildpoverty. husbandorpartnerinworksothattheycan combinetheirworkandtheirfamilyresponsibilities APersonalCommentary 25

inapatternthatgivesprimacytotheirfamilies. Theinstitutionalreformsweproposeshould Thismodelthatfavoursthebestnurturingof themselvesbeginaculturalrevolutionthatwill childrenisquietlyadvancing. Dench’sresearch, bringinitstrainsignificantsocialchange.Asociety likethatofRowthornandWebster,pointstothe thatreactsgenerouslytothecollectiveendeavour importanceofmaleemploymentratestofamily toimprovethelifechancesofchildrenwillreap formationandstability.Mostfamiliesdonotescape thebenefitssimilartothoseobservedbyGeoffrey povertyfromworkingunlessonememberofthe Gorerasprovenchildrearingpracticestakehold householdworksfull-time. ofthenation’simagination. TheReview’srecommendationsonimproving Alast,butbynomeansleast,reasonforoptimism. lifechancesofpoorerchildrensignalanother Ibelievetherewillbeanalmostunlimitednumber revolutionwaitingtohappen.Ihavebeenstruck ofmothersandfatherswhoseizetheopportunity intalkingtoparentshowtheaspirationstheyhad offeredbythisReviewforthemtobecomelife- asteenagersforthechildrenofthefamiliesthey enablersfortheirchildrenandtodosowitha hopedonedaytobringuparealltooquickly degreeofenthusiasmthatmatchesthatnoticeable groundedoncetheybecomeparents.Asthe loveablequalitypossessedbyveryyoungchildren researchsubmittedbyInsiteshows,expectations themselves. alltoquicklyfallbelowaspirations.Allofour recommendationsareaimedatenhancingthe powerparentswillhaveinensuringthatthose expectationsareclearlytiedtoaparent’soriginal aspirations. Thebeginningsofaseachangeinthedebateto whichthisreportonPovertyandLifeChances contributesisafurthergroundforoptimism.The electorateisnowsomewhatjaundicedaboutthe prospectofbeingaskedtofundfurtherhuge fiscalredistribution,especiallyasthegainssofar havebeensomodestbothintermsofcombating povertyand,moreimportantly,ofseeingthese sumstranslatedintosocialprogress.I,similarly, senseawishtomovefromastrategythat alleviatesfinancialpoverty,howeveradmirable,to onewhichisseentotackleitsrootcauses.Hence voters,Ibelieve,willquicklyregistertheirsupport forthelifechancesapproachthatisthebackbone ofthisreport. 26 27

Chapter 2 Poverty and Life Chances

This chapter illustrates the poor that a greater emphasis needs to be outcomes experienced by children placed on life chances in order to from low income families and ensure that today’s poor children do presents the social and economic not grow up to be poor themselves, case for tackling child poverty and having to raise their own children improving life chances. It argues in poverty.

Summary: • Povertyblightsthelifechancesofchildrenfromlowincomefamilies,puttingthemathigher riskofarangeofpooroutcomeswhencomparedtotheirmoreaffluentpeers. • Theconsequencesofpovertysuchasincreasedillhealth,unemploymentandcriminalactivity areexpensiveforthestate.Thepublicservicecostofchildpovertyhasbeenestimatedtobe somewherebetween£10and£20billionayear. • Thecurrentapproachtomonitoringprogresstowardstacklingchildpovertyhasincentiviseda strategythatisheavilyfocusedonreducingchildpovertyratesintheshorttermthroughincome transfers. • However,theevidenceshowsthatincreasedincomedoesnotautomaticallyprotectpoor childrenagainstthehighriskthattheywillendupinpovertythemselvesasadults.Todothis,itis necessarytoshiftthefocusofthechildpovertystrategysothatitalsoaddressesthefactorsthat affectlifechances,withtheultimateaimofachievingaprogrammeofchildhoodinterventions whichcanovercometheinfluenceofincomeandsocialclass. • Thisreportwillsetoutabroaderapproachtotacklingchildpovertywhichfocuseson improvingthelifechancesofpoorchildren. 28 TheFoundationYears

Figure 2.1 Three year average infant mortality rates per 1,000 live births by profession of father

6 births 5

3 All Routine and Manual 2 Mortality rate per 1,000 live 1

1994–19961995–19971996–19981997–19991998–20001999–20012000–20022001–20032002–20042003–20052004–20062005–20072006–2008

Source: ONS Health Statistics Quarterly.

The adverse effects of poverty 2.2and2.3showthatthepoorest20%ofchildren aremorelikelytodisplayconductproblemsatage 2.1 ChildrenfromlowincomefamiliesintheUK five,andthatthosefromfamiliesinthelowest oftengrowuptobepooradults.Howeverpoverty socio-economicquintilearemorelikelytoengage ismeasured,whetherbyfamilyincome,socio- inriskybehaviourssuchassmoking,anti-social economicstatus,oreducationalattainment,poverty behaviourandplayingtruant(althoughthereisno blightsthelifechancesofchildren.Comparedto socio-economicgradientfordrinking).Finally,the otherchildren,thosefromhouseholdswithlow datapresentedinFigures2.4and2.5showthat incomeorlowersocio-economicstatusare:more childrenfromthepooresthouseholdshavelower likelytosufferinfantmortality;morelikelytohave GCSEattainmentratesandarelesslikelytostay preschoolconductandbehaviouralproblems; oninschoolafter16thanotherchildren(although morelikelytoexperiencebullyingandtakepartin therelationshipbetweenfamilyincomeandstaying riskybehavioursasteenagers;lesslikelytodowell onafter16isweakernowthaninpreviousyears). atschool;lesslikelytostayonatschoolafter16; andmorelikelytogrowuptobepoorthemselves. 2.3 AsillustratedbyFigures2.1to2.6,gaps This isillustratedbythedatapresentedinthis inoutcomesandachievementbetweenpoorer chapter. childrenandtheirpeersareobservablefroman earlyageandremainthroughoutchildhood.In 2.2 Figure2.1showsthatchildrenwhose generalthen,familyincomeandsocialclass,over fathershaveroutineormanualprofessionshavea whichachildhasnocontrol,arehighlypredictive higherthanaverageriskofinfantmortality.Figures PovertyandLifeChances 29

Figure 2.2 Mean child outcome scores by income (ages three and five)

20 Average percentile score

0 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. ofchildhooddevelopmentand,ultimately,adult The economic case outcomes.Thisneedstochange.Caninterventions 2.5 Childpovertyisnotjustaquestionof trumpclassandincomeindeterminingthelife fairness.Manyoftheconsequencesofpoverty chancesofpoorerchildren?Webelievetheycan. suchasunemployment,illhealth,andcriminal 2.4 TheReviewhasbeenaskedtoexamine activityareexpensiveforthestate.A2008JRF thebestwaystoreducepovertyandincreaselife reportestimatedthattheadditionalcosttopublic chancesforthemostdisadvantaged,takinginto servicesoftheseconsequenceswasbetween accountthecurrentfiscalcircumstances.Wewill £11.6and£20.7billionin2006/07.Thismeans arguethatthebestwaytoimprovelifechancesis thereisastrongeconomiccaseforreducing toshifttheemphasisofthechildpovertystrategy thecausesofpovertybyrevolutionisingthelife towardsinvestmentinearlyyearsprovision.This chancesofpoorchildren1. approachismorefinanciallysustainablethanthe currentone,butitisalsomoreeffective,andwe Tackling child poverty wouldbemakingthisrecommendationevenifthe 2.6 In1999,thepreviousGovernmentpledged Governmentdidnothavetograpplewitharecord toeradicatechildpovertyby2020,asmeasured budgetdeficit. byrelativeincome.The20yeartimeframeset forthisgoalreflectsthefactthatiftheeradication ofchildpovertyistobesustainable,itrequires

1 Bramley, G. and Watkins, D. (2008) The Public Service Cost of Child Poverty, JRF. 30 TheFoundationYears

Figure 2.3 Young person attitudes and behaviours by socio-economic status (age 14)

Percent 20

0 Frequent Frequent Ever involved Ever played truant smoker drinker in antisocial behaviour

Poorest 20% Middle 20% Richest 20%

governmentstointerveneintheintergenerational povertyratestomeasureprogresstowardsthe transferofdisadvantageandreducethenumber longtermgoaloferadicationhasundermined ofchildrengrowinguptobepoor,notsimply theabilityofpolicymakerstotakealongterm, toincreasebenefitstothelevelsofthepoverty sustainableapproach.Itexertedpressuretohave threshold.Indeed,crucialtotheinitialvisionwere animpactonincomeintheshortterm,sothat improvedemploymentopportunitiesforlow thefigurescouldbeseentobemovinginthe incomeparents,theexpansionofearlyyears rightdirection.Foranygivenpoundavailablefor serviceprovisionforpoorerchildrenandthe tacklingchildpoverty,theincentiveprovidedby utilisationoftheeducationsystemasameansof themonitoringframeworkwastoinvestinpolicies improvingsocialmobility2. withthelargestshorttermeffectsonincome, whicharegenerallyincreasesinbenefitsandtax 2.7 Tomonitorprogresstowardstheirlong creditsforfamilieswithchildren. termgoal,thepreviousgovernmentchoseto measureincomepovertyratesyearonyear.The 2.8 Thispolicyapproachwasinitiallyeffectivein Reviewhasconcludedthatusingcurrentchild increasingtheincomesoflowincomefamiliesin

2 Tony Blair’s Beveridge Lecture at Toynbee Hall, London (18/03/1999). PovertyandLifeChances 31

Figure 2.4 Children’s GCSE threshold attainment by parental income

40 Percent 30

0 Poorest 20% Middle 20% Richest 20%

5 or more GCSEs Grades A*–C 5 or more GCSEs Grades A*–C including English and Maths

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 DCSFRR102. theshortterm3,ascanbeseeninFigure2.7.Child 2.9 Moreover,thedatawepresentinChapter PovertyratesintheUKhadincreasedsubstantially 3providescompellingevidencethatafocus overtheprevious20years.Whenrecordsbegan onincomealoneisinsufficienttotacklethe intheearly1960schildpovertystoodat13%. adverseeffectsofchildhoodpovertyonfuture Ratesremainedfairlystablethroughoutthe1970s, lifechances.Amongthefactorsthatdrivethe beforerisingsteeplybetween1979andtheearly differenceinoutcomesbetweenpoorerchildren 1990s.Theythenlevelledoffuntilaroundthe andtheirmoreaffluentpeers,incomeisarguably turnofthecentury,when,subsequenttothe lesssignificantthansomeotherfactors,such announcementofthenewtarget,childpoverty asparentingandthelearningenvironmentin begantofall.However,thisdeclinesince2000 thehome.Thismeansthattheincometransfer stalledinaround2005,aslessmoneywasinvested approachincentivisedbythecurrentmonitoring inincometransfersrelativetopreviousyears,so frameworkisnotatthepresenttimethemost thattheproportionofchildrenintheUKliving effectivewaytotacklechildpoverty. inpoorhouseholdsremainshighbyEuropean standards,asshowninFigure2.8.

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 10/23. 32 TheFoundationYears

Figure 2.5 Relationship between family income and staying on in education post 16 across cohorts

0.16

0.14

0.12

0.10

0.08

0.06

0.04 for a doubling of family income 0.02 Additional likelihood of staying on post 16

0 NCDS 1958 BCS 1970 BHPS1 BHPS 2 BHPS 3 LSYPE 19751980 19811986 19871990 1989/1990

Source: Gregg, P. and Macmillan, L. (2010) “Family income, education and cognitive ability in the next generation: exploring income gradients in education and test scores for current cohorts of youth” in Longitudinal and Life Course Studies, 2010 Volume 1 Issue 3 pp 259–280.

2.10 Theincometransferapproachisalsocostly. 2.12 Inlightofthisevidencewebelievethatthe In2009,theInstituteforFiscalStudiesanalysed childpovertymeasurementframeworkneeds thecostofmeetingthechildpovertytargets toberevised.Theexistingincentivestofocus throughtaxandbenefittransfersalone.They soheavilyonincometransfersneedtochange estimatedthatitwouldcostabout£19 billionto becauseimprovingthelifechancesofpoor meettheheadline2020target,whichistoreduce childrenalsorequiresinterventioninparenting,the childpoverty,asmeasuredbythe60%ofmedian homelearningenvironment,andotherchildhood incomethreshold,tobelow10%4. factors. 2.11 Finally,itisclearthatastrategythat addressespovertybytransferringincomeinthe Future life chances and current living shorttermislesssustainablethanonewhichaims standards toreducethe‘supply’ofpoorfamiliesbyreducing 2.13 Thereis,ofcourse,aroleforadequate thechancesthatpoorchildrenwillendupin income.Childreninlowincomefamiliesoften povertyinadulthood. missoutonactivitiesandexperiencesthatarea

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 – an update, IFS. PovertyandLifeChances 33

Figure 2.6 Educational outcomes by socio-economic position, across surveys and ages

30 Percentile of the test score distribution

20 Age 3 Age 5 Age 7 Age 11 Age 14 Age 16 (MCS) (MCS) (ALSPAC) (ALSPAC/LSYPE) (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 socioeconomic position which is based on their parents’ income, social class, housing tenure, and a selfreported 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 2.6, 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) Children’s 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 andmaterialdeprivation.Webelieveoneofthe ofmostotherchildren,andsomefamiliesstill ultimateoutcomesofthechangeinemphasisthat findthemselvesunabletoaffordessentialssuch wearerecommendingwillbethatsomeone’splace asschooluniformsandadequatehousing5. intheincomedistributionasanadultwillbeless Researchhasshownthatincreasingtheincomeof influencedbytheirchildhoodfamilyincomeand thesefamiliesisaneffectivewaytotacklethese moreareflectionofthedevelopmentoftheir problems6. individualpotential. 2.14 TheReview’srecommendationsare 2.15 However,forsomechildren,itisnotjusta intendedtopreventtheintergenerationaltransfer lackofincomewhichaffectstheirlifechances,it ofpoverty,withtheaimthatfuturegenerationsof isachaoticfamilylife,lackofstability,upheavalor childrenwillnothavetoexperiencesuchfinancial thefocusonsomeoneelse’sneeds.Childrenin

5Ridge, T. (2009)Living with poverty: A review of the 6Waldfogel, J (2010)Britain’s War on Poverty, Russell Sage literature on children’s and families’ experiences of Foundation. poverty,DWP. 34 TheFoundationYears

Figure 2.7 Percentage of children in households with income below 60% contemporary equivalised median income, before housing costs, 1961–2008/09

Percentage of children in low income 5

care,youngcarers,childrenlivingwithadisabled 2.17 Itwillnotbeeasytoovercomeallthese parentandchildrenlivinginhouseholdswithdrug issuesandcreateasocietywherenochildis oralcoholmisuseordomesticviolenceallhave condemnedtoalifeinpoverty.Butthereis experiencesorresponsibilitiesthatwillblighttheir agrowingbodyofinterventionswhichhave childhoodandmakeitmoredifficultforthem beenshowntohaveanimpactonthefactorsin tofocusontheireducationandachievegood childhoodthatmosteffectlifechances.Iftheright outcomes.Thesechildrenneedadditionalsupport combinationsofsuchinterventionsaremade but,giventheshorttimescalesunderwhichthe availabletochildrenacrosstheUKgrowingupin Reviewhasbeencompleted,ithasnotbeen povertyanddisadvantage,itshouldbepossible possibletofocusindividuallyongroupsofchildren toprotectthemagainsttheadverseaffectsof withspecific,intensiveneeds.TheReviewwould povertyandultimatelyachieveasocietywhere urgetheGovernmenttocontinuetodevelop familyincomeisnottheoverridingpredictorof policiesandinvestinserviceswhichsupportthese futureoutcomes. children. 2.16 Forotherfamilies,supportisneededto improvethequalityofrelationshipsinthehome andensurethatthechildrengrowupwithamodel ofpositiveandnurturingparentingwhichtheycan passontotheirownchildren. PovertyandLifeChances 35

Figure 2.8 Percentage of children (under 18 years) below 60% of median equivalised income after social transfers in European countries, 2008

10 Percentage of children

0 y Italy eden Spain IcelandFinlandSw Austria BelgiumFranceIrelandemburg Poland Greece DenmarkNorway German Portugal Netherlands Lux United Kingdom Source: Eurosta t. Note: 2008 data for France and UK is provisional.

2.18 Therestofthereportsetsoutanapproach totacklingchildpovertywhichfocuseson improvingthelifechancesofpoorchildren: •InChapter3weidentifythefactorsthatare mostsignificantindeterminingthelifechances ofpoorchildren. •InChapter4wedescribethestructuresand interventionsatanationalandlocallevelthatwe thinkcanenablea‘lifechances’approach. •InChapter5weproposeanewmeasurement frameworkwhichwillincentivisepolicymakers toaddressthefactorsthatdrivelifechances, aswellastotacklelowincomeandpoorliving standardsinthehereandnow. 36 37

Chapter 3 The Influences on Children’s Life Chances

This chapter sets out evidence on the parents in their parenting role, to most important drivers of children’s reduce inequalities in outcomes. As life chances, starting in pregnancy children develop, Government also and the early years. The Review needs to continue to invest in the makes the case for investment in the most disadvantaged older children. early years, in particular to support

Summary: • Nobodywoulddoubtthefactthatparentsplaythemostsignificantroleininfluencingtheir children’sfuturesandtheevidencebacksupthisinstinctivebelief.Thereisaweightofevidence whichshowsthatacombinationofpositiveparenting,agoodhomelearningenvironmentand parents’qualificationscantransformchildren’slifechances,andaremoreimportanttooutcomes thanclassbackgroundandparentalincome. • Pregnancyandthefirstfiveyearsoflifeshapechildren’slifechances–theassociations betweencognitivedevelopmentatagefiveandlatereducationaloutcomesareverystrong. Duringtheearliestyears,itisprimarilyparentswhoshapetheirchildren’soutcomes–ahealthy pregnancy,goodmentalhealth,thewaythattheyparentandwhetherthehomeenvironmentis educational.“Whatparentsdoismoreimportantthatwhoparentsare”.Institutionssuchashealth services,Children’sCentresandchildcareinparticularalsohaveanimpactasdofamilybackground factors,suchastheparents’levelofeducation. • Itisintheearlyyearsthatthesocio-economicgapsinoutcomesappear.Alreadybyagethree therearelargeandsystematicdifferencesbetweenchildrenfromlowerandhigherincomefamilies andthesegapspersistthroughoutchildhood,aslaterattainmenttendstobeheavilyinfluencedby earlydevelopment. • Laterinchildhood,parentscontinuetoimpactontheirchildren’soutcomesandtheir aspirationsfortheirchildrenstarttoruboffonthechildrenthemselves.Children’sown attainment,socialandemotionaldevelopmentandaspirationsalsohaveasignificantimpacton theirfutureattainment.Highachievingchildrenreinforcetheachievementsthatareformedby theirbackground.Forlowachievingchildrentheoppositeistrueasbythisstagetheydonothave theresourcestogrowtheirachievementsinasimilarway.Schoolscanhaveanimpact,albeita smallerone,especiallywheregoodleadershipandteachingprovidesanenvironmentforpoor childrentothrive,butithasgenerallybeenfoundverydifficulttoundothedisadvantagescarved outintheearliestyears. 38 TheFoundationYears

Determinants of life chances through the studiesfindthatoutcomesintheearlyyearshave life course astrongrelationshipwithlaterlifeoutcomes. Somepoorchildrenescapetheirparents’fate, 3.1 Chapter2outlinedthisReview’s butthisisbynomeansthetypicalexperienceof recommendedapproachtoreducingchildpoverty poorchildrenasagroup.Ananalysisofthe1970 andinequalityinlifechances.Thischapterlooksat cohortstudy,forexample,showsthatonly18% thefactorswhichdetermineachild’slifechances, ofchildrenwhowereinthebottom25%inearly startingfromconception.Inordertoimprove developmentscoresatagefiveachievedanALevel poorerchildren’schancesofgoodoutcomes orhigher,comparedtonearly60%ofthosewho weneedtounderstandthefactorsthatleadto wereinthetop25%(seeFigure3.2)1. inequalitythroughoutchildhoodandanalysethe driversthatwillenableustoreducethisinequality. 3.5 AnalysisofoutcomesintheUKeducation systemshowsthataround55%ofchildrenwho 3.2 Thefactorsinfluencingchildren’soutcomes areinthebottom20%atageseven(KeyStage changeoverthelifecoursebuttheconsistent 1),remainthereatage16(KeyStage4)andless factorthroughoutistheroleofparentsand than20%ofthemmoveintothetop60%2.This families.Figure3.1showshowthesefactorschange showsthatchildrenwhoperformbadlyatthestart overthecourseofchildhoodandtheremainder ofschooltendtoperformbadlythroughoutand ofthechapterwillpickoutthekeythemesand thatagoodstartinlifeishugelyimportanttolater discusstheminturn. educationalattainment. 3.3 Oneofthekeyquestionsthatwewouldlike 3.6 Statisticsonearlychildoutcomesshowthat tobeabletoanswerinthisReviewiswhichfactors poorerchildrensystematicallydoworseonboth arecausalindrivingchildren’soutcomes.Thedata cognitiveandbehaviouraloutcomesatbothage availableonchildrenandyoungpeople’soutcomes threeandagefive3(seeFigure2.2).Byagefive, donotgenerallyallowforstrictcausalitytobe childrenfrombetterofffamilieswhohadlow determinedbutthischapterwillsetoutrobust cognitiveabilityatagetwohavealmostcaughtup associationswhichhavebeenfoundusingdetailed withhighabilitychildrenfrompoorerfamilies4. longitudinalanalysis,controllingforalargenumber Thismeansthatpoorerchildrentendtobeless offactors.Thereisnowasignificantconsensus readyforschoolandlessreadytotakeadvantage amongstacademicsandprofessionalsthatfactors oftheresourcesinvestedintheuniversal inthehomeenvironment–positiveparenting,the educationsystem. homelearningenvironmentandparents’levelof education–arethemostimportant. 3.7 Lateroninchildhood,earlierattainment hasbeenshowntoplayabigroleinaffecting The importance of the early years outcomes,makingsubstantialchangesmuchmore difficulttoachieve.Byage11,attainmentatage 3.4 Alargenumberofstudies,fromtheUKand seven(KeyStage1results)explainsover60%of elsewhere,haveshownclearlyhowimportantthe thegapinattainmentbetweenthepoorestand earlyyears(frompregnancyuntiltheageoffive) therichestandthepatternisverysimilaratages areforachild’sfuturelifechances.Longitudinal 14and165(seeFigure3.5).

1 � Feinstein, L. (2003) How early can we predict future 4 � Feinstein, L. (2003) Inequality in the Early Cognitive education achievement, LSE CentrePiece Summer 2003. Development of British Children in the 1970 Cohort, Economica, p73-97. 2 � Department for Education internal analysis of the National Pupil Database. 5 � Gregg, P. and Goodman, A. (2010) Children’s Educational Outcomes: the role of attitudes and behaviours, from early 3 � E.g. Waldfogel, J. and Washbrook E. (2008) Early Years childhood to late adolescence, Centre for Market and Policy, The Sutton Trust and Hobcraft, J. and Kiernan, K. Public Organisation (CMPO), University of Bristol and (2010) Predictive factors from age 3 and infancy for poor Institute for Fiscal Studies. childhood outcomes at age 5: evidence from the Millennium Cohort Study, University of York. TheInfluencesonChildren’sLifeChances 39

Figure 3.1 The key drivers of life chances throughout childhood

• Mother’s physical and mental health • Parents’ education Pregnancy Drivers of • Mother’s age outcomes • Birth weight in childhood • Parental warmth and attachment and young • Breastfeeding Birth adulthood • Parental mental health • Parenting and home learning environment • Parents’ education 5 years • High quality childcare

• Child’s previous attainment • Parents’ aspirations and engagement Primary • Teachers years

• Child’s previous attainment • Child’s and parents’ aspirations Secondary • Teachers years • Risky behaviours

• Educational achievement • Qualiﬁcations Transition • Social and emotional skills to adulthood • Employment

Desired • In work outcomes • Decent home 2535 years at family • Living wage • Good health formation • Good wellbeing

Source: Review team synthesis of research ﬁndings.

3.8 Lifechancesbegintobedeterminedin theirbabiesandthiscanhaveadverselongterm pregnancy.Ahealthypregnancyandastrong consequences.Breastfeedingprotectsthebaby emotionalbond(knownasattachment)between byboostingitsimmunesystemandprovidinga parentsandthebabyinthefirstfewmonthscan goodopportunityforbondingbetweenmother placeachildontheroadtosuccess.Ahealthy andbaby.Statisticsshowthatlowerincome pregnancy–withoutsmoking,withahealthy mothersarelesslikelytobreastfeed,however,one dietandwithgoodmentalhealth–ismorelikely studyfoundthatthoselowincomemotherswho toleadtoahealthybirthweightwhichinturn breastfedfor6-12monthshadthehighestscores contributestobetterhealthlaterinlife6.Inthefirst ofanygrouponqualityofparentinginteractionsat fewmonths,postnataldepressioninparticular agefive7. canmakeitverydifficultformotherstobondwith

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. 40 TheFoundationYears

Figure 3.2 Percentage of 26-year-olds attaining educational and vocational qualifications by position in early development scores at age five

70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0% None/Misc Lower/Middle Alevel or higher

Bottom 25% Top 25%

Source: Feinstein (2003).

3.9 StudiesintheUnitedStates,whichhave improve.Theyconcludedthatthisispartlydue beenputinplacetolookattheimpactofchildcare tothesocialskillsthesechildrenlearnedinthe ondisadvantagedchildren’soutcomeslaterinlife, kindergartenyears8. havealsorevealedsomeveryencouragingresults. 3.10 Investinginchildrenandfamiliesbefore TheSTARproject(arandomisedcontroltrial) schoolwouldalsoenabletheGovernmenttoput revisitedchildrenwhoarenowadultsandlooked taxpayers’investmentinprimaryandsecondary attheirlabourmarketoutcomes.Theresearch educationtomuchbettereffect.Mostskills foundthatchildrenwhoattendedhighquality developedinearlylifestaywithchildrenintolater childcarewereearningmore,onaverage,than lifeandareself-reinforcing.Greaterequalityof thosewhodidnot.Thisappliedevenforchildren schoolreadinesswouldmaketeaching,particularly whoseperformanceinrelationtoothershad inthefirstfewyearsofprimaryschool,easier deterioratedduringtheschoolyears.Apupilwho andmoreproductive.Overall,thismeansthatitis achievedatypicalimprovementforafive-yearold highlyproductivetoinvestindisadvantagedyoung withagoodteacher(movingfromtheaverageto children–thereisnotrade-offbetweentheequity the60thpercentileduringakindergartenyear), andtheefficiencyofinvestmentforthisgroupof couldexpect,forexample,tomake$1,000more children9. ayearattheageof27thanapupilwhodidnot

8 Chetty, R. (2010) How does your kindergarten classroom 9 Cunha, F. And Heckman, J. (2010) Investing in our young affect your earnings? Evidence from the STAR project, people, IZA. Harvard. TheInfluencesonChildren’sLifeChances 41

3.11 Theearlyyearshaveaprofoundimportance baby.Thedevelopmentofababy’sbrainisaffected forlateroutcomes.Achievinggreaterequalityof bytheattachmenttotheirparentsandanalysisof outcomesatagesthreeandfivewouldenable neglectedchildren’sbrainshasshownthattheir morechildrentogetofftoagoodstartinlife braingrowthissignificantlyreduced12.Where andtotakefulladvantageoftheirschooling. babiesareoftenlefttocry,theircortisollevels Increasingtheawarenessoftheimportanceofthe areincreasedandthiscanleadtoapermanent firstfiveyearsinlifeisakeyaimofthisReview. increaseinstresshormoneslaterinlife,which Governmentneedstosendstrongmessagesto canimpactonmentalhealth.Supportingparents parents,localgovernmentandtheprivateand duringthisdifficulttransitionperiodiscrucialto voluntarysectorsthatthisperiodineducation improvingoutcomesforyoungchildren.Further has tobetakenasseriously,ifnotmoreso,than detailsaresetoutinChapter4. anyother.

What are the key factors influencing Box 3.1: Bucking the trend outcomes in the early years? Researchlookingatchildrenwhodo welldespitedifficultcircumstanceshas 3.12 Whatisitthataffectshowwellachilddoes illustratedclearlytheimpactthatparents whentheystartschool?Theresearchhighlights have.Severalreportslookingatthe1958 thesekeythemes:parents,childcareandfamily and1970cohortstudieshaveshownthat backgroundandincome.Parents,aboveall,are disadvantagedchildrenwhodidwellwere themaininfluenceontheirchildren’soutcomes morelikelyhaveagoodrelationshipwith intheearlyyears.Theearlyattachmenttothe theirparentsandhaveparentswhowere baby,parentalwarmthandboundary-settingand involvedwiththeireducation13.Blanden providingahomeenvironmentwherelearningis foundthatchildrenfromdisadvantaged important,havebeenshowntobethekeyfactors backgroundswhohadbeenreadtoona influencingachild’slifechancesandtheycanbe dailybasisatagefive,andwhoseparents moreimportantthanincomeorclassbackground hadbeenveryinterestedintheirchild’s (seeBox3.1).AstheauthorsoftheEffective educationatageten,werelesslikelyto ProvisionofPre-SchoolEducation(EPPE)study belivinginpovertyatage30.Shefound conclude:“whatparentsdoismoreimportant thattheeffectofparents’interestwas thanwhoparentsare”10.Thisconclusionwas independentoftheeffectofparentsbeing backedupinacomprehensivereviewofthe moreeducated.Forboys,havingafather evidenceonparenting11. withlittleornointerestintheireducation reducedtheirchancesofmovingoutof Parents povertyasadultsby25percentagepoints. 3.13 Agoodstartfromconception,andasa Forgirls,theimpactofhavingamother baby,canimproveachild’slifechances.Becoming withlittleornointerestintheireducation aparentshouldbealifechangingeventbutnot reducedthechancebyasimilaramount14. allparentsrealisetheimmediateimpactthiswill haveonthemand,inturn,theyhaveontheirnew

10 Sylva, K. et al (2004) The Effective Provision of Pre-School 13 e.g. Pilling. D. (1990) Escape from disadvantage, London: Education (EPPE) Project: Findings from Pre-school to end The Falmer Press and Schoon, I., and Parsons, S. (2002) of Key Stage1, SureStart. Competence in the face of adversity: the influence of early family environment and long-term consequences, Children 11 Desforges, C. (2003) The Impact of Parental Involvement, & Society, 16: 260-272. Parental Support and Family Education on Pupil Achievement and Adjustment: A literature review, DfES 14 Blanden, J. (2006) ‘Bucking the trend’: What enables those Research Report 433. who are disadvantaged in childhood to succeed later in life?, DWP Working Paper No.31. 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: 79–100. 42 TheFoundationYears

Figure 3.3 Effect sizes for socio-economic status, mother’s education, income and home learning environment on age five outcomes

0.8

0.7

0.6

0.5

0.4

ect size Eff 0.3

0.2

0.1

0 Socioeconomic Mothers’ education Earned income Home Learning status Environment

Literacy Numeracy

Source: Melhuish et al (2008) ‘Effec ts of the Home Learning Environment and Preschool Center Experience upon Literacy and Numeracy Development in Early Primary School’, Journal of Social Issues, Vol. 64, No.1. Note: Home Learning Environment: bottom 10% compared with top 10%.

3.14 Researchhashighlightedthehomelearning ofbooksandtoysinahouseholdhassignificant environmentasthesinglemostimportant andlargeassociationswithchildIQ,KeyStage1 behaviouralfactorinfluencingchildren’soutcomes attainmentandselfesteemandcanaccountfor atagethreeandfive15.Thehomelearning between5%and12%ofthegapindevelopment environmentisatermusedtodescribeactivitiesin betweentherichestandthepoorestchildrenat thehomesuchastalkingandreadingtochildren, agefive.EPPEshowedaneffectoftheearlyhome singingsongsandnurseryrhymesandlearning learningenvironmentonagefiveoutcomesover throughsimpleactivitiesandplay.Thishasbeen andaboveparentalbackgroundfactorssuchas studiedindepthintheEPPEstudyandhasbeen socio-economicstatus,maternaleducationand showntocontributesignificantlytobothcognitive familyincome16. andnon-cognitivedevelopment.Thepresence

15 For example: Gregg, P. and Goodman, A. (2010) 16 Sylva, K. et al (2004) The Effective Provision of Pre-School Children’s Educational Outcomes: the role of attitudes Education (EPPE) Project: Findings from Pre-school to end and behaviours, from early childhood to late adolescence, of Key Stage1, SureStart. CMPO, University of Bristol and Institute for Fiscal Studies. TheInfluencesonChildren’sLifeChances 43

3.15 Thereisaverystrongcorrelationbetween Box 3.2: Home learning environment and parentaleducationlevels(inparticularthemother’s ethnicity levelofeducation)andearlychildoutcomesbut Thefactthatchildrenfromsomeethnic overallitdoesnotcontradicttheEPPEfinding minoritygroupsdoexceptionallywellhas thatitismoreimportantwhatparentsdothan ledtoquestionsaboutwhetherthereare whotheyare .Arecentstudyfoundthatparental cluesintheirhomeenvironmentthatcould educationexplained16%ofthegapincognitive developmentbetweenthepoorestandtherichest explaintheirattainment.Forexample,poor 18 Chinesechildren(asmeasuredbyFree childrenatagethree .Onestudyconcludes SchoolMealseligibility)dobetteratGCSEs thatthedifferencesbetweentheoutcomesof thananyothergroupexceptChinesepupils childrenoflessandmoreeducatedparentsare whoarenotpoor.Thismeansthatbeing thesinglebiggestdriveroftheobserveddeficits aChinesechildinEnglandappearstobe ofpoorchildreningeneral,butthatitisnotclear enoughtoovercomeallthedisadvantages exactlywhatthetransmissionmechanismis.The associatedwithbeingpoor.Itisunlikely differencescouldreflectthreeprocesses:genetic thatthisreflectsapuregeneticeffect(see traits;innatetraitswhichareassociatedwith paragraph3.15)andthereissomeevidence educationalsuccessmaybepositivelycorrelated thatdifferencesinparentalaspirationsand withotherinnateskillssuchasparentingability; ormoreeducatedparentsmayhavegreater thehomelearningenvironmentcouldbe 19 thekeytothesuccessofChinesechildren. knowledgeandabilityasparents .Morerecent GiventhesmallnumbersofChinese worklookingattheintergenerationaltransmission childrenwholiveinEngland,statistically ofcognitivedevelopmentshowedthatparental robustfindingsonthereasonsbehindtheir cognitive abilityexplained16%ofthegapin successarenotavailable. cognitivedevelopmentbetweentherichestand thepoorestchildrenaftercontrollingforavery EvidencefromEPPEsuggeststhatchildren largenumberofenvironmentalfactors.Thereport fromdisadvantagedIndianandBangladeshi didnotfindasignificantassociationbetween familieshavebetterhomelearning parentalcognitiveabilityandparentingbehaviours, environmentsthancomparableWhite however,suggestingsomegeneticlinkbetween familiesandanalysishasshownthatparents’ thecognitiveabilitiesofparentsandchildren20. aspirationsfortheirchildrentocontinue Inaddition,evaluationsoffamilyliteracyprojects infull-timeeducationissignificantlyhigher intheUKhavefoundthatchildrenmakegreater amongallminoritygroupsthanamong progresswhentheirparentsparticipateinlearning WhiteBritishparents17. activities21. Furtherresearchinthisareawould 3.16 Positiveparentinghasbeenshowntohave beinstructivetodiscovermoreabout apositiveimpactonchildren.Positiveparenting thediversityofparentingandhome involvesparentssettingclearboundariesand learningenvironmentsthatpromotehigh routinesforchildrenaswellasbeingresponsive attainment. andwarmtowardsthechild.Waldfogeland

17 Johnson, P. et al (2008) Early years, life chances and 20 Crawford, C. Goodman, A. and Joyce, R. (2010) equality: a literature review, Equality and Human Rights Explaining the socio-economic gradient in child outcomes: Commission. the intergenerational transmission of cognitive skills. Institute for Fiscal Studies, London. 18 Gregg, P. and Goodman, A. (2010) Children’s Educational Outcomes: the role of attitudes and behaviours, from 21 Sabates, R. (2008) The Impact of Lifelong Learning on early childhood to late adolescence, CMPO, University of Poverty Reduction: IFLL Public Value Paper. National Bristol and Institute for Fiscal Studies. Institute of Continuing Adult Education. 19 Gregg et al. (2008) Understanding the relationship between parental income and multiple child outcomes: a decomposition analysis, CMPO working paper 08/193. 44 TheFoundationYears

Washbrookconcludethatparentingbehaviours ornotthisleadstoarelationshipbreakdown)can playasignificantroleevenaftercontrollingfor haveanegativeimpactonchildoutcomes.This avariedsetofdemographiccharacteristics canbethroughthedirecteffectsofconflictand andotherpolicy-relevantmechanismsandthis indirectlythroughareductioninparentingcapacity. conclusionisconsistentbetweentheUnitedStates Childrenreactinmanydifferentways,becoming andtheUK22.AssetoutinChapter4,parenting aggressive,anxiousorwithdrawn,whichinturn programmessuchasTriplePhaveshownthat canhaveanimpactonbehaviour,mentalhealth positiveparentingcanleadtoreductionsinchild andeducationalachievement.However,these problembehaviour. negativeimpactsarenotevidentforallchildren ofseparatedparentsandresearchhashighlighted 3.17 Fathers’interestandinvolvementintheir thatthenatureofparentalconflict,parenting children’slearningisstatisticallyassociatedwith qualityandthenumberofchangesinfamily bettereducationaloutcomes(higherattainment structurecanplayaroleinhowchildrenareable aswellasmorepositiveattitudesandbetter tohandleconflict26. behaviour)evenwhencontrollingforawide varietyofotherinfluencingfactors.Anumber 3.20 Parentalmentalhealthcanhavealongterm ofstudiesbothfromtheUnitedStatesandthe impactonchildren’soutcomesandsurveysshow UKhaveshownthatfatherinvolvementhasan thatpoorermothersaremorelikelytosuffer independenteffectfrommotherinvolvementand from,forexample,post-nataldepression.Mental effectshavebeendemonstratedbothforyounger healthhasinparticularbeenfoundtoimpacton childrenandforlatereducationaloutcomes23. children’sbehaviouraloutcomesatagethreeand theseinturnimpactoncognitiveoutcomesatage 3.18 Thereisacomplexrelationshipbetween five,leadingtolongertermimpacts27.Another parentingandpoverty.Poorparentingexists studywhichlookedattheimpactofmentalhealth acrosstheincomedistribution,buttendstohave onparentingfoundthatithadanegativeimpacton lessofanimpactonbetteroffchildrenwhere thequalityofparentinginteractionsandthequality otherfactorsprovidegreaterprotectionagainst ofcommunicationbetweenmotherandchildat pooroutcomes.However,stressandconflictcan agefive28. disruptparenting24andalackofmoneyordebt isoneofthemajorsourcesofstressforpoorer 3.21 Thereisastrongrelationshipbetween families.Onestudyshowedthatareductionin differentaspectsofparentingandparents’health incomeandworseningmentalhealthtendtolead andwell-beingandtheirchildren’soutcomes. toareductioninparentingcapacity.Increasesin Policiestoimprovepoorerchildren’soutcomesare income,however,didnotnecessarilyimprove morelikelytobesuccessfuliftheytargetawide parentingcapacity25. rangeofissues–suchasparents’education,positive parenting,relationshipsandthehomelearning 3.19 Abreakdownintheparents’relationshipor environmentaswellasphysicalandmentalhealth. significantongoingconflictinthehome(whether

22 Waldfogel, J. and Washbrook E. (2009) Income-related 26 See for example: Coleman, L and Glenn, F (2009) When gaps in school readiness in the U.S. and U.K. APPAM Fall Couples Part: Understanding the consequences for adults Research Conference. and children. One Plus One, London 23 Asmussen, K. and Weizel, K. (2010) Evaluating the 27 Hobcraft, J. and Kiernan, K. (2010) Predictive factors from Evidence: Fathers, Families and Children, King’s College age 3 and infancy for poor childhood outcomes at age 5: London, National Academy of Parenting Research. evidence from the Millennium Cohort Study, University of York. 24 Katz et al. (2007) The relationship between parenting and poverty, JRF, York. 28 Gutman et al (2009) Nurturing Parenting Capability: The Early Years, The Institute of Education, London. 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. TheInfluencesonChildren’sLifeChances 45

Figure 3.4 The combined impact of pre-school quality and early years home learning environment on age 11 English

0.7

0.6 Reference group: Low 0.5 HLE and no preschool

0.4

ect size 0.3 Eff

0.2

0.1

0 Low Medium High Early years home learning environment (quality)

No preschool Low quality Medium quality High quality

Source: Source: Sylva et al (2008) EPPE 311: Final Report from the Primary Phase: Preschool, School and Family Inﬂuences on Children’s Development During Key Stage 2 (Age 711) DCSFRR061.

Childcare and early education continuestoimpactonKeyStage2attainmentand behaviouraloutcomes30.Overall,combiningagood 3.22 Attendanceatearlyeducationhasalsobeen earlyyearshomelearningenvironmentwithhigh showntohaveabigeffectoncognitiveoutcomes qualityearlyeducationhasthemostpositiveeffect inchildhood.Thedurationofearlyeducation(in onchildrenatage11. termsofthetotalnumberofyears,ratherthanthe numberofhoursperday)alsohasanindependent 3.23 Thequalityofearlyeducationmatters. impactandchildrenwhohaveattendedfor Childrenwhobenefitedfromgoodqualityearly longerdobetter29.Theseeffectspersistfarinto educationexperienceswereonaveragefourtosix childhood.Byage11,childrenwhoattendedearly monthsaheadintermsofcognitivedevelopment educationperformsignificantlybetterinKeyStage atschoolentrythanthosewhodidnot.Those 2MathsandEnglish,aswellasonbehavioural childrenwhoexperiencedalongduration(more outcomes.Thequalityofearlyeducationalso thantwoyearsfromtheageoftwoonwards)

29 Sammons, P. et al (2004) EPPE: tech paper 8a/b, 30 Sylva et al (2008) EPPE 3-11: Final Report from the Measuring the impact of pre-school on children’s cognitive Primary Phase: Pre-school, School and Family Influences progress over the pre-school period. Institute of Education. on Children’s Development During Key Stage 2 (Age 7-11) DCSF-RR061. 46 TheFoundationYears

aswellashighqualityearlyeducationwere richestandthepoorestchildren.For example,one aroundthreemonthsfurtheraheadintermsof studyshowsthatthesebackgroundfactorsexplain cognitivedevelopment.Staffqualificationsand about25%ofthegapinattainmentbetweenthe trainingarethekeydriverofquality,withwarm richestandthepoorestthree-year-olds34. interactiverelationships,graduateorteacherled 3.27 Thecausalimpactofincomeonoutcomes earlyeducationandahighproportionofqualified ishotlydebated.Theevidenceislimited,with teachersasstaff,showingthebestresults31. strongerdirectevidencefromtheUnitedStates 3.24 Anotheradvantageofattendingchildcare whichmaynotbetransferabletotheUK.The isthatqualifiedandexperiencedstaffmaybeable effectofincomeitselfonchildoutcomesis topickupsignsofbehaviouralproblemsorslower relativelysmall,andsmallerthanfactorssuch languageorcognitivedevelopmentearlieron,and asethnicity,genderandcharacteristicsofthe eitherprovideadditionalsupporttothechildand parents.Onereviewoftheevidenceconcludes:“It theirparentstomakeadifferencetooutcomes wouldtakelargefinancialtransferstoovercome beforetheystartschoolorhelptobrokeraccess thedisadvantagesassociatedwithcertain towidersupportservices.Thiscouldchangethe characteristics”35.However,theimpactofchanges child’strajectorybetweentheagesofthreeand inincomeisgreaterforthoseonlowincomes fiveandsodeterminehowwelltheydoatschool. andmaybegreaterintheearlyyears.Thereare Thisrolewillbeconsideredfurtherthroughthe severalstudies–mostlyAmerican–showinga TickellreviewoftheEarlyYearsFoundationStage. modestimpactonreadingandmathsskillsfrom incometransfers36. 3.25 TheEPPEstudy,inaddition,hasshown thatdisadvantagedchildrendobetterinsettings 3.28 Onestudynotesthat,althoughafairly withchildrenfromdifferentsocialbackgrounds largechangeinincomeisneededtomakeasmall (measuredintermsofmothers’educationlevels)32. differencetoeducationaloutcomes–morethan Otherstudieshavealsofoundapositiveimpact isrealisticthroughincometransfers–whenthere onbehaviourofmixingchildrenfromhouseholds iswideincomeinequalityalready,incomealone whereoneormoreparentisinworkwithchildren maystillexplainlargedifferencesineducational fromworklesshouseholds33. outcomesacrosstheincomedistribution37. 3.29 Generallyparentalemploymentisseen Family background and income asthebestrouteoutofincomepoverty.The 3.26 Researchconsistentlyfindsthatsomebasic mainreasonisthatitprovidesincometoliftthe familybackgroundfactors–particularlythenumber familyoutofpoverty,butemploymentcanalso ofsiblings,theageofthemotheratthebirthof improvementalhealth,selfesteemandaccess thefirstchildandfathers’employment–havesome tosocialnetworks.Butusually,escapingpoverty roleinexplainingthegapinattainmentbetweenthe requireshavingaparentinfulltimeworkandthat

31 Sylva, K. et al (2004)The Effective Provision of Pre-School 35 Blow et al (2002) How Important is Income in Determining Education (EPPE) Project: Findings from Pre-school to end Children’s Outcomes? A Methodology Review of of Key Stage1, SureStart. Econometric Approaches? IFS www.ifs.org.uk/docs/ methodology.pdf. 32 Sylva et al (2008) EPPE 3-11: Final Report from the Primary Phase: Pre-school, School and Family Influences 36 A $1000 increase in family income raised Maths and on Children’s Development During Key Stage 2 (Age 7-11) Reading scores by 6% of a standard deviation. Dahl, G. DCSF-RR061. and Lochner, L. (2008) The Impact of Family Income on Child Achievement. Institute for Research on Poverty, 33 Mathers, S. and Sylva, K. (2007) National evaluation of Discussion Paper no. 1361-09. the Neighbourhood Nurseries Initiative: The relationship between quality and children’s behavioural development, 37 Blanden, J. and Gregg, P. (2004) Family Income and Research Report SSU/2007/FR/022. Educational Attainment: A Review of Approaches and Evidence for Britain. CMPO Working Paper Series No 34 Gregg, P. and Goodman, A. (2010) Children’s Educational 04/101. Outcomes: the role of attitudes and behaviours, from early childhood to late adolescence, CMPO, University of Bristol and Institute for Fiscal Studies. TheInfluencesonChildren’sLifeChances 47

goaliseasiertoachieveiftherearetwoparents betweenparents’hopesthattheirchildrenwillgo inthehousehold.Assetoutinparagraph3.26, touniversityandeducationalattainment.Research whetherthefatherisemployedhasbeenshown foundthatparentalattitudesandbehaviours toimpactonthegapincognitivedevelopment explained20%ofthegapinattainmentbetween betweenricherandpoorerchildrenatagethree thepoorestandtherichestchildrenatage11(not (itaccountsforaboutonethirdofthefamily controllingforpriorability)andthatthemothers’ backgroundeffects).Theevidenceontheeffect hopesforuniversityhadthesinglebiggestimpact 39. ofmaternalemploymentonchildoutcomesin 3.32 Aliteraturereview40foundthatmost theearlyyearsismorecomplexandhasbeen parentshavehighaspirationsforyoungchildren widelyresearched.Researchhasgenerallyfound butthesechangeaschildrengrowolderbecause smalleffectsofearlymaternalemploymentand ofeconomicconstraints,children’sabilitiesandthe negativeeffectsareinsignificantifthemother availabilityofopportunities.Theyalsofoundthat goesbacktoworkafterthechildis18months aspirationsarestrongerpredictorsofattainment old38,workspart-timeorflexiblyandwherethe foryoungpeoplefrommoredisadvantaged childisinhighqualitychildcareduringherworking backgroundsthanforbetteroffchildrenandthat hours.Therearealsosignificantbenefitsof higherparentalaspirationscanlessentheeffectsof maternalemploymentlaterinchildhoodwhichcan socioeconomicdisadvantage. counterbalancetheeffectsintheveryearlyyears. 3.33 Parentalmentalhealthandpsychological What are the key factors affecting well-beingalsocontinuestohaveanimpacton outcomes later in childhood? children.Researchhasshownthatthemother’s perceptionofwhethershehascontroloverher 3.30 ThisReviewfocusesonthecrucial ownlifeoractionsissignificantlyassociatedwith importanceoftheearlyyearsbutthisisnottosay cognitive,non-cognitiveandhealthoutcomes thattherearenoimportanteffectsonoutcomes atageeighttoten.Forexample,itexplains lateroninchildhood.Thefollowingsection around20%oftheincomegradientinbehaviour providesaveryshortsummaryofliteratureon outcomesandover7%oftheincomegradientin outcomesforschool-agechildren.Chapter5 KeyStage1results41.Thegreaterlevelofanxiety presentsanewsetofLifeChancesIndicatorsfor anddepression,andgreatertendencytowards preschoolchildren.Wehopethattheevidence harshdisciplineinlowerincomefamiliesare presentedbelowwillultimatelyformthebasisof associatedparticularlywithpoorerchildself- similarindicatorsforchildrenofschool age. esteemandgreaterbehaviouralissues.

Parents Child level factors 3.31 Parents’impactontheirchildren’s 3.34 Attainmentearlierinchildhoodhasa outcomescontinuesaschildrengrowolder.Their significantimpactonlaterchildhoodattainment. involvementinchildren’slearningiscrucialand Onestudyfoundthatpriorattainment(measured severalstudieshavefoundastrongrelationship atageseven)explainedover60%ofthegapin

38 Recent research from the USA has concluded that 39 Gregg, P. and Goodman, A. (2010) Children’s Educational the overall effect of 1st year maternal employment is Outcomes: the role of attitudes and behaviours, from neutral. It finds that full time employment does have early childhood to late adolescence, CMPO, University of significant and negative direct effects on later child Bristol and Institute for Fiscal Studies. cognitive outcomes (compared with not working in the 40 Gutman, L.M. and Akerman, R. (2008) Determinants of first year) but that those effects are counterbalanced by Aspirations. Centre for Research on the Wider Benefits positive indirect effects (use of centre-based childcare of Learning Research Report 27. London. Institute of and increased maternal sensitivity). Brooks-Gunn, J. et Education. al (2010) ‘Discussion and Conclusions’ Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development 75(2): 41 Gregg et al. (2008) Understanding the relationship 96-113. between parental income and multiple child outcomes: a decomposition analysis, CMPO working paper 08/193. 48 TheFoundationYears

Figure 3.5 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% Prior ability 59% Schools 1%

Source: Gregg and Goodman (2010).

attainmentbetweenthepoorestandtherichestat Institutions age11,emphasisingtheimportanceofclosinggaps 3.36 Moststudiesalsofindthatschools,andin inattainmentatanearlierstage.Thesameapplies particularteachers,haveanimpactonthegapin atage16asshowninFigure3.5.Thisextremely attainmentbetweentherichestandthepoorest. strongrelationshipbetweenattainmentatdifferent Onestudyshowedthataround10%ofthe agesisconfirmedinanumberofstudies42. variationinKeyStage2pupilattainmentinEnglish 3.35 Aschildrengrowolder,theirownattitudes (and7%forMaths)wasattributabletodifferences 44 andbehavioursalsostarttohaveanimpacton betweenschools andanotherfoundthatschools theirattainment(seeFigure3.5).Thisincludes explainedaround6%ofthegapinattainment factorsrelatingtoaspirationsforfurthereducation atKeyStage2betweentherichestandthe 45 andenjoymentofschool.Selfesteemalsohasan poorestwhencontrollingforpriorattainment .A impactonattainment–forexamplebeliefintheir similarpatternhasbeenfoundfornon-cognitive ownabilityatage14hasasignificantimpacton outcomes,illustratingthattheimpactschoolsare 46 attainmentatage16andlosingbeliefintheirown havingisconsistentacrossallschools . abilitybetweentheagesof14and16leadstoa smallincreaseinriskybehaviour43.

42 Gregg and Goodman (2010) Children’s Educational 44 Gutman, L. and Feinstein, L. (2008) Children’s Well-Being Outcomes: the role of attitudes and behaviours, from early in Primary School: Pupil and School Effects.WBL Research childhood to late adolescence, CMPO and Vignoles A. and Report No. 25, Institute of Education. Meschi E. (2010) The determinants of non-cognitive and 45 Gregg and Goodman (2010) Children’s Educational cognitive schooling outcomes: A report to the Department Outcomes: the role of attitudes and behaviours, from early for Children Schools and Families. CEE Special Report childhood to late adolescence, CMPO. 004. 46 Variations in changes in non-attainment outcomes 43 A one standard deviation increase in a young person’s between the ages of 14 and 16 (e.g. enjoyment of belief in their own ability at age 14 is associated with school, bullying and depression) were found to be a 0.244 standard deviation increase in Key Stage 4 almost entirely due to differences within schools rather test scores (equivalent to around 38 GCSE points). than between schools. Vignoles A. and Meschi E. (2010) Chowdry et al. (2009), Drivers and Barriers to Educational The determinants of non-cognitive and cognitive schooling Success – Evidence from the Longitudinal Study of Young outcomes. CEE Special Report 004. People in England. DCSF-RR102. TheInfluencesonChildren’sLifeChances 49

3.37 Akeyfindingontheimpactofschools postgraduatequalificationswherevocational isthatteachingqualityinparticularmatters. qualificationssuchasaccountancyearnhigher TheevidencefromtheSTARprojectsetout returnsthanPhDs).Forexample:FiveA*-Cs inparagraph3.9demonstratestheimportance at GCSEcarryawagereturnofaround10% ofbeingtaughtbyagoodteacherintheearly and a firstdegreecarriesareturnofbetween years.Teachingqualitywasasignificantpredictor 25 and30%49. ofprogressinbothreadingandmathematics 3.41 Thetypeofskillsdemandedinthelabour overKeyStage2.Analysisoftheattainmentof marketisandhasbeenchangingfrommanualskills olderchildrenshowedthatbeingtaughtbyahigh toabilitiesincommunicationandself-management. quality(top25%)ratherthanlowquality(bottom Thisindicatesthatsocialandemotionalskills 25%)teacheradded0.425ofaGCSEgradeper arebecomingmoreimportant.Researchhas subject47. confirmedthatsomenon-cognitiveskills–in 3.38 AnalysisofoutcomesinUKschoolsshows particularattentivenessandthebeliefthatyour thatthevastmajority–over80%–ofsecondary ownactioncanmakeadifference–arealmostas schoolswhoseintakeatage11areinthebottom importantascognitiveskillsforachievingminimal 20%ofperformancearestillinthebottom20% educationalqualificationsbyage2650. ofGCSEresults,illustratingthatonlyasmall 3.42 Thiscombinationofahighdegreeof minorityofsecondaryschoolsmanagetoshift correlationbetweenparentsandchildren’s theperformanceoftheirstudentsduringthese educationaloutcomes(asoutlinedinparagraph years.Thepictureamongprimaryschoolsismore 3.15),thelargegapsinattainmentbetweenricher mixed,althoughnearlyhalfofprimaryschoolswith andpoorerchildren(asshowninChapter2) aschoolaverageFoundationStageProfilescorein andthebigwagereturnstohigherqualifications, thebottom20%remainthereatKeyStage248. reinforceinequalityofoutcomesacross generations.Thesearethedrivingforcesbehind What matters during the transition to the,byinternationalstandards,lowlevelsofsocial adulthood? mobilityintheUKintermsofeducation,income 3.39 Cognitivedevelopmentintheearlyyears andsocialclass. hasastrongpredictivepowerforlaterlife outcomesandthisrelationshipgetsstronger Recommendations duringchildhood.Cognitivedevelopmentatage 3.43 Giventheevidencesetoutinthischapter, 11mattersforbothemploymentandwagelevels thisReviewrecommendsthattheGovernment inadultlifeaswellashavinganimpactonhealth shouldgivegreaterprominencetotheearliest outcomes. yearsinlife,adoptingtheterm‘FoundationYears’ 3.40 Onceyoureachthelabourmarket,there toincrease:theprofileofthiscruciallifestage; arecleareconomicadvantagestoqualifications improvethepublic’sunderstandingofwhatis –higherqualificationscarryhigherreturnsand importantforbabiesandyoungchildren;and academicqualificationsearnmorethantheir todescribethepackageofsupportforchild vocationalcounterparts(exceptinthecaseof developmentinthatperiod.TheFoundation Yearsshouldbeasimportantinthepublic

47 Burgess et al (2009) Do teachers matter? Measuring 50 Feinstein, L. (2000), The relative importance of academic, the variation in teacher effectiveness in England, Bristol, psychological and behavioural attributes developed in CMPO. childhood. London School of Economics. 48 Department for Education internal analysis of the National Pupil Database. 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 TheFoundationYears

mindastheprimaryandsecondaryschool 3.47 Theserecommendationswillbechallenging yearsanddevelopmentduringthoseyearsas intheshortterm,buttheGovernmentshould wellunderstood.Areductionintheinequality havealongtermambitiontonarrowthegapsin ofoutcomesduringtheearlyyearsshouldbe outcomesbetweenpoorerandricherchildrenby anabsolutepriority.Chapter4outlinessome agefive,becausethatisthemostcost-effective practicalstepsthattheGovernmentcouldtake wayofaddressinginequalitiesinlifechances.There towardsachievingbetteroutcomesforthemost isnotimetowasteinbeginningthisnewoffensive disadvantagedchildrenandChapter5setsout infightingpoverty. howwecouldmeasureoutcomesintheseyears. 3.48 TheReviewbelievesthat,inthelongrun, 3.44 TheReviewrecommendsthatthe alldisadvantagedchildrenmusthaveaccessto Governmentgraduallymovesfundingtotheearly affordablefulltime,graduateledearlyeducation yearsandthatthisfundingisweightedtowards fromagetwo.Thisisessentialtosupportparents themostdisadvantagedchildren.Thereshould returningtoworkaswellaschilddevelopment.If beacontinuedandincreasedFairnessPremium highqualityearlyeducationisonlyavailablepart fortheFoundationYears(buildingontheFairness time,parentsmayhavetosupplementitwith PremiumandEarlyInterventionGrantintroduced lowerquality,cheaperchildcareorchoosenotto inthe2010SpendingReview57),whichshouldstart returntowork. inpregnancy.TheReviewwouldseethispremium 3.49 WhilethisReviewhasfocusedonthe asenablingSureStartChildren’sCentrestopayfor earlyyears,itrecognisesthatimportantchanges specificadditionalservicesforlowincomefamilies. cananddotakeplacelaterinchildren’slivesand 3.45 TheReviewsupportsasustainable thatinvestmentintheearlyyearswillnotbefully approachtoreducingchildpoverty.Tothis effectiveunlessitisfollowedupwithhighquality end,werecommendthatforeveryBudget,the servicesforthosewhoneedthemmostlaterin Governmentcalculateswhatitwouldcost,in childhood.TheReviewthereforerecommends termsofincometransfers,toensurethatthechild thattheGovernmentextendsthelifechances povertyratedoesnotincrease,andthereshould approachtolaterstagesinchildhood. beapublicdebateaboutthebestwaytoinvest thisamountofmoneyinimprovinglifechances.If theevidenceshowsthatthismoneywouldhavea largerimpactonchildpovertyifitwereinvested inFoundationYearsservicesratherthanincome transfers,thenGovernmentshouldconsiderthisas anoption. 3.46 Thisincreasedfundingshouldbetargeted atthosefactorsthatweknowmatterinthe earlyyears–highqualityandconsistentsupport duringpregnancyandintheearlyyears,support forparentsregardingparentingandthehome learningenvironmentandearlyeducation.Chapter 4explainstheReview’svisionfortheFoundation Yearsinmoredetailandsetsoutwhatthe increasedfundingshouldbeusedon.

57 www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/spendingreview. 51 � 52 53

Chapter 4 Building Foundation Years Services

This chapter looks at what A. Briefly where we are now Government (both central and local) – including both the current voluntary sector and community system and evidence around bodies can do to ensure that effectiveness. disadvantaged children get the best start in life, and to minimise B. Where we want to be, a vision the chances of them being poor in for the future, with practical adulthood. It goes through: steps that central and local Government and providers can take over the coming years.

Summary: • Chapter3setouttheimportanceoftheearlyyearsinachild’sdevelopment,including parentingandthehomelearningenvironment.Giventheimportanceoftheearlyyears Government,bothlocalandnational,shouldseetheseFoundationYearsbecomingasimportantas primaryandsecondaryeducation,andtreattheirprovisionaccordingly. • Evidencesuggeststhatthereareserviceswhichcanmakearealdifference–changingthe trajectoryofwherechildrenareheading: – ChildreninSureStartareasshowbetterbehaviourandgreaterindependence,partly becauseofimprovedparentingandhomelearningenvironments. – Programmes–suchasFamilyInterventionServices–cansavemoneybypreventingtheneed formoreintensivehelp. – TheEPPEstudyfoundthatpre-schoolhelpstoreducethedisadvantagechildrenfromsome socialgroupsexperience. • Butcurrentlyservicesonthegroundareveryvariableandsoaretheresults.Toooftenthere’s littleunderstandingoftheoutcomesachievedorwhethertheyreachthefamiliesthatneedthem most.Theevidencebaseshowsinterventionscanimproveparentingandlifechances,butdoesnot alwaysgiveusaclearideaofthebestwayofdoingthis. 54 TheFoundationYears

4.1 Thereisarangeofevidenceonwhathas Summary (continued): afavourableimpactonparentingstylesandearly • Poorfamilies,whohavemosttogain, yearsdevelopmentforchildren.Itshowsthatthere gettheworstdealfrompublicservices: areinterventionswhichcanmakeadifferenceto Ofstedreportsshowschoolsandchildcare children’slifechances.Thisisconsistentwiththe indeprivedareasareofalowerstandard picturethatpractitionersandacademicshavegiven thaninaffluentareas.Thisneedstochangeif usindiscussion. wearetoreducepovertyinthelongterm. 4.2 Inaddition,evidencefromothercountries • Whatparentsdoisthemost suggeststhatthereisscopeformakingsignificant importantfactorinchildren’sdevelopment. improvementsinbothparentingandchildren’s Servicesneedtobebetteratengaging outcomes: parentsandbuildingontheirstrengths. •TheHarlemChildren’sZone–whereone Moreopportunitiestolearnparentingskills evaluationfound“theeffectsarebigenough shouldbeprovided,includingthroughthe toclosetheblack-whiteachievementgapin schoolcurriculum. mathematics”1. • TheReviewrecommendsformalising •ThetwocountriesatthetopoftheUNICEF thepackageofsupportfromconception LeagueTablesforChildWellbeing–Swedenand toagefiveastheFoundationYears– theNetherlands–giveprioritytoinvestment withaCabinetMinistersitedjointly intheearlyyearsandimprovingparenting:in intheDepartmentforEducation Sweden98%ofmaternityclinicsofferparenting andDepartmentofHealthtotake education;intheNetherlandsparentingsupport responsibilityforthisapproach.The isofferedtoallfamilies2. FoundationYearsshouldbe: 4.3 Runningthroughalltherecommendations – Universal:withSureStartChildren’s aretwoprinciples: Centresprovidingsupportforallparents andagatewayforthosethatneedmore •Parentshavetobepartnersintheeducation help. systemfromtheirchild’sconceptionthroughto eighteen.Whatparentsdointhehomeismore – Providinghelpforthosethatneedit importantthanwhatschoolsdo,soitisvitalthat most:withincreasedfundingforfamilies earlyyearsservices,nurseries,schoolsandother whowouldbenefitmost,atargetedhome professionalsinvolveparentsandbuildontheir visitingserviceandservicesindeprived strengths. areasbroughtuptothestandardofthose inmoreaffluentareas. •Societyneedstotakeserviceprovisionfrom – Involvingthecommunity:improving conceptiontoagefiveasseriouslyasitdoes thecapacityoflocalparentstohelp compulsoryeducation.Chapter3showedthat eachother,andensuringlocalvoluntary lessthanoneinfivechildrenwhowereinthe groupshavethechancetorunservices. bottomquartileinearlydevelopmentscoresat agefiveachievedanALevelorhigher,andthat – Evidencebased:withserviceswhich parentalinvolvementinachild’seducationiskey makeadifferenceandagoodunderstanding andstartsduringtheearlyyears. ofwhetherservicesaregettingtothe childrenthatneedthemmost.

1 Dobbie and Fryer, (2009),Are High Quality Schools 2 Hosking, Walsh and Pillai, (2010), International Enough to Close the Acheivment Gap? Evidence From experiences of early intervention for children, young people A Social Experiment in Harlem,NBER Working Paper and their families, Wave Trust commissioned by C4EO. 15473 www.nber.org/papers/w15473 (pg 1). BuildingFoundationYearsServices 55

What the Review has not covered A – The current situation and evidence on 4.4 GiventheevidencesetoutinChapters effectiveness 2and3,thatinprincipleinterventionsinthe earlyyearscanbemostcosteffective,andtheir Key Points: influenceisfeltthroughoutthelifecourse,the • Thereisevidencethatinterventions Reviewhasconcentratedonwaysofimproving canmakeadifferenceinimproving children’sattainmentintheearlyyears. parenting,thehomelearningenvironment, 4.5 Thereareanumberofareasofoverlap andimprovingchildren’sattainment,for withotherworkandongoingreviewsthathave example: beencommissionedbytheGovernment.Inthese – TriplePhasbeenshowntolead casesthisreporthasnotgoneintodetail. topositivechangesinparentingand •Thosechildrenwhoneedthemostintensive reductionsinchildproblembehaviour. supportorcare.ProfessorEileenMunrois – ChildreninSureStartareashave conductingareviewofthechildprotection beenshowntohaveimprovedbehaviour system,withafocusonstrengtheningthesocial andgreaterindependencepartly workprofessiontoputthemintoabetter becauseofbetterparentingandhome positiontomakewell-informedjudgements3. learningenvironment. – Thereisstrongevidencetosuggest, TheEarlyYearsFoundationStageFramework • assetoutinchapter3,thathighquality –whichisthesubjectofareviewledbyDame childcareleadstobetteroutcomes, ClareTickell.Thisreviewislookingathowbest especiallyfordisadvantagedchildren. earlyyearssettingscansupportyoungchildren’s learning,developmentandwelfaretohelpgive • Thereisastrongcaseforuniversal allchildrenthebeststartinlife4. serviceswhicharenotstigmatising andwhichimproveawarenessof Evidenceofwhatworkswithspecific • earlydevelopmentthroughthewhole interventions,howwedisseminatethis,and population.IncountriessuchasSweden fundingmechanismswhichhelplocalbodiesto andtheNetherlandsparentingsupportis commissionpreventativeinterventions–which offeredtoalmostallparents. theGrahamAllenledEarlyInterventionreview iscovering. • Buttherearemanytimeswhenmore specifichelpisneeded.Theevidencepoints Widerissuesofsocialmobility–whereAlan • tothemosteffectiveinterventionsbeing Milburnisprovidinganannualindependent intensive,focusedonspecificpopulations reviewofGovernmenteffectiveness. andincludebothparentsandchildren. Detailsmatter:programmeswhichlook similaroftenhaveverydifferentlevelsof success.Althoughservicestargetedat specificgroupscanbemoreeffectivethey riskstigmatisingsomegroupsandreducing takeup.

3 More background on the Munro Review of Child 4 Terms of reference of the Review of the Early Years Protection is at Foundation Stage Framework are on the web: www.education.gov.uk/munroreview/background. http://www.education.gov.uk/consultations/ shtml. downloadableDocs/Sarah%20Tether%20Letter.pdf. 56 TheFoundationYears

•MuchoftheevidenceistakenfromtheUnited • Theevidenceisnotasstrongaswe States.Althoughthisprovidespointerstogood wouldlike:muchisbasedonstudiesfrom practice,evidencedoesnotnecessarilyread theUnitedStates;alotofBritishevidence acrosstotheUK. isbasedon‘softer’indicatorssuchas •Programmeswhichlooksimilartoanon-expert whetherparticipantshavesaidtheyfound canbeverydifferentinhowsuccessfultheyare. acourseuseful,ratherthanchangesin Thereareprogrammesofalltypeswhicheither behaviouroroutcomes.Servicesare donotwork,orhaverelativelymodestresults5. veryvariable,andtoooftenthereislittle Socommissionersofserviceshavetobecareful understandingofhowwellthesystem tounderstandwhetherevidenceisreallyrobust, deliversforthepoorestchildren. oralternativelytoevaluateprogrammeswhen • Thosethatneedmosthelpgetthe theyareinplace. worstdealfromthesystem.Wehavealready •Judgementscanbebasedondifferentcriteria, notedthatgoodqualityearlyyearssettings orimpactsondifferentoutcomes.Forexample, canhavethemostbenefitforthepoorest thePromisingPracticewebsiteranksone children,buttheyareleastlikelytogoto programmeas‘proven’asthereisrobust themandformanyreasonsthepoorest evidenceitmakesadifference;however,the childrengettheworstexperienceinschool. WashingtonStateInstituteanalysisshowsthatit isnotcosteffective,asitdoesnotmakeenough differencetospecificoutcomestojustifythe Overview of the evidence base expenditure. 4.6 Thereisarangeofevidenceonwhatis 4.8 TheGrahamAllenreviewofEarly effective,withseveralbodiescollatingevidence Interventionislookinginmoredetailat: onwhatworks,includingtheWashingtonState InstituteandtheWhatWorksClearingHousein •modelsofgoodpractice,whatworksaround theUnitedStates;andintheUKtheDartington earlyinterventionandhowthesecouldbestbe SocialResearchUnit,theInstituteofEffective supportedanddisseminated;and EducationinYork,andC4EO(TheCentrefor •newandinnovativefundingmechanisms, ExcellenceandOutcomesinChildren’sandYoung includingnon-governmentmoney,whichwould People’sServices).Severaloverarchingmessages ensurelongtermstabilityandfundingofEarly comethroughincludingthatthemosteffective Interventionprogrammesandpolicies. programmesare: •Targetedatspecificpopulations Services disadvantaged children receive •Intensive 4.9 Disadvantagedchildrenoftengetworse servicesthanchildrenofbetteroffparents,or •Voluntary childreninmoreaffluentareas. •Maintainfidelitytotheoriginalmodel 4.10 Thechildrenwhowouldbenefitmostfrom •Workwithbothparentsandchildren goodqualityearlyeducationandchildcareareleast likelytoreceiveit.Thisreflectsanumberofissues: 4.7 However,itisdifficulttogiveagoodoverall pictureoftheevidenceandgiveaclearanswer •AsOfstednoteintheir2009-10annualreport tothequestion“whatworksbest?”Therearea “Thequalityofprovisionislowerinareasofhigh numberofreasonsforthis: deprivation;themoredeprivedthearea,the

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. BuildingFoundationYearsServices 57

lowertheproportionofgoodandoutstanding parentalengagementasschoolswiththeleast providers.Justoverhalf(52%)ofchildminders deprivedpupils.TheOfstedsubmissiontothe inthemostdeprivedareasaregoodor reviewsaid“moreremainstobedonetoconvince outstanding,comparedwith71%intheleast someschoolsthatparentalengagementiscentral deprivedareas”6.Inparticular,childmindersand totheircorepurposeofraisingattainment”. childcareprovidersworkbetterinpartnership withparentsinadvantagedareasthanin Recent developments disadvantagedones. 4.13 Therehasbeenarecentincreaseinthe •Take-upislowerfordisadvantagedchildren.This levelofactivityandinterestinservicesaround partlyreflectscost,buteventakeupofthefree earlyyears,includingwithSureStartChildren’s entitlementislower:forthe15hoursoffree Centresoriginallyannouncedin1998–sitedinthe earlyeducationplacesforthreeorfouryear mostdeprivedcommunities.TheNationalRollout olds,79%ofchildreninfamilieswithanannual ofSureStartoccurredbetween2006and2010, incomeunder£10,000receivesomefree bringingthetotalnumberofcentresfrom800to entitlement,comparedwith87%forallchildren around3,500.TheChildren,SchoolsandFamilies atthisageand97%ofchildreninfamilieswith SelectCommitteesaid: annualincomeover£45,0007. “Theunambiguousbeliefofthosewhoworkin 4.11 Schoolsthenoftenprovideworseteaching thesectoristhatChildren’sCentresarebearing todisadvantagedpupils.Thereareanumber fruitinawaythatisdemonstratedbythe ofreasonsforthis:itishardertorecruitgood experiencesofindividualfamilieswhousethem. teacherstochallengingschoolsindeprivedareas However,thereisalsoaproperandnecessary andlowincomeparentsoftenfinditharderto awarenessthatevidenceaboutoutcomesmust engagewiththeirchildren’slearningorwiththe becollectedmoresystematicallyandrigorously school.Therecanbeadownwardspiralwithlow –aprocesshamperedinmanyareasbylackof abilitygroupsreceivingpoorerteachingresulting data.Inparticular,informationthatwouldallow inlowattainment,lowexpectationandpoor Children’sCentrestobeassessedforvalue motivation8.Manyteachersfinditeasiertoteach formoneyisstillmoredifficulttocomeby well-behavedchildrenandsoengagemorewith thanitshouldbe,althoughworkinthisareais them. progressing.”9 4.12 Whatparentsdointhehomeisatleast 4.14 EarlyassessmentsofSureStart asimportantasearlyyearsandschooleducation. programmesshowedmixedresults,butthemore Schoolsandearlyyearssettingscanencourage recentevaluationsoffullyestablishedprogrammes parentstoprovideabetterhomelearning showmorepositiveeffects,withsimilarpositive environment,butagainschoolsservingthemost effectsforallchildrenfromarangeofbackgrounds deprivedpupilsarearoundhalfaslikelytobe (forexampleworklesshouseholdsandteenage judgedgoodoroutstandingforthequalityoftheir mothers)10.

6 Ofsted Annual report for 2009-10, November 2010. 9 House of Commons, Children, Schools and Families Committee (March 2010) Sure Start Children’s Centres, 7 Smith et al, (2010). Childcare and Early Years Survey of Fifth Report of Session 2009-10 Parents, Natcen, DfE Research Report DFE_054. www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200910/ 8 Department for Children, Schools and Families (2009), cmselect/cmchilsch/130/130i.pdf. Deprivation and Education, the evidence on pupils in 10 Melhuish et al (2008) Effects of fully-established Sure Start England, Foundation State to Key Stage 4. Local Programmes on 3-year-old children and their families living in England: a quasi experimental observational study. The Lancet Vol 372. 58 TheFoundationYears

4.15 Thereisanincreasingrangeofspecific practitioners–tohelpreachandprovidesupport programmesaimedatdisadvantagedfamilies forallchildren.Thesocialworkprofessionalso withyoungchildrenwhichdemonstratethat facessimilarcapacitychallenges,whichtheMunro improvementscanbemadetothehomelearning reviewislookingatinmoredetail. environment,parenting,andchildoutcomesmore widely.Someofthese,suchasFamilyNurse B – Where do we want to be – a vision Partnerships11andtheTriplePandIncredibleYears for the future parentingprogrammeshaverigorousevidence bases.Othersareshowingpromisingresults, althoughdonotyethavethesortofrigorous Key Points: evidencebasethatispreferable. Thissectionsetsoutprinciplesforthe FoundationYears,includingspecificactions: Challenges in delivery A single service–theFoundationYearsshould 4.16 Mostoftheservicesthatsupportparents providecoherentsupport.Specifically: andearlyyearsdevelopmentarecommissionedby ACabinetMinisterfortheFoundation localbodies,whetherLocalAuthorities,Primary • Years. CareTrusts(andsoonGPs)orschools. Children’sCentresshouldexpandthe 4.17 Despiteanalysissuggestingthatearly • rangeofservicestheyprovidetoinclude, yearsprogrammescansavemoney,anumber forexample,birthregistrationandbenefit ofpracticalproblemsareoftenidentifiedwhich advice. preventtheseservicesbeingprovided.Arecent reportbyDEMOS12identified: • Localareasshouldconsidersetting uplocalchildpovertyandlifechances alackofclearevidence,andpoorunderstanding • commissionstoinvestigate,co-ordinateand oftheevidencebycommissioners; tacklelocalissues. thelongtimescalesinvolvedinseeingreturns, • A universal servicefromwhichallparents whichisapoorincentivetocommission canbecomfortableaskingforsupport. preventativework;and SureStartChildren’sCentresand silobasedlocalbudgeting,withbenefitsfrom • • associatednetworksshouldprovideafirst investmentoftengoingtoadifferentlocal portofcallforFoundationYearsservices budgetfromtheonewhichwouldcommission forallparents. thepreventativeservice. Providing most help for those that need 4.18 Itisimportanttoalsonotelimitationsin it most–withalongtermaimthatschools thecapacityofmanyservices.Inseveralareas,for andchildcareindeprivedareasareatleastas example,thecaseloadshealthvisitorscarrymean goodasthoseinaffluentareas. theyareentirelyfocusedonsafeguardingand manyparentscannotexpectmorethanabrief • TheprincipleoftheFairnessPremium visit.TheReviewhasalsoheardthatthetwoyear shouldbeextendedtotheFoundationYears. healthreviewdoesnothappenformanychildren duetolimitsoncapacity.Giventhesechallenges wewelcomethecommitmenttoanadditional 4,200healthvisitorsfromtheGovernmentand wouldencouragejoinupbetweenhealthvisitors andotherprofessionals–suchasearlyyears

11 Nurse Family Partnerships were developed in the 12 Sodha and Margo (2010) Ex curricula Demos. United States, and are being piloted in the UK as Family Nurse Partnerships. BuildingFoundationYearsServices 59

4.19 ThissectionsetsouttheReview’sambitions Builds on parental success–aswhatparents fortheFoundationYears,andsomemore doisthebiggestinfluenceonchildren. shortandmediumtermstepscentralandlocal Specifically: governmentcantaketomakeprogress. • Childcareandschoolsshouldengageall 4.20 Bothcentralandlocalgovernmentare parentswiththeirchildren’slearning. lookinghardattheirexistingspendinlightofthe fiscalsituation.Evenwithoutthefiscalconstraints • DepartmentforEducationshould itwillinevitablytakeseveralyearstobuildup ensurethatparentingandlifeskillsare capacity.Nevertheless,itisusefultosetoutwhat taughtinschoolsthroughthecurriculum. anidealservicemightlookliketoinformthesteps Building capacity in the community– weareabletotakenow. recognisingthatinformalnetworksare importantsourcesofsupportforparents,and What Foundation Years services might stronglyinfluencethewaytheyparent. look like from parents’ point of view • LocalAuthoritiesshouldensure 4.21 WhatareourambitionsfortheFoundation thatprivate,voluntaryandindependent Yearsservices?Thissectionlooksatsomelonger providersareabletobidtorunChildren’s termambitions. Centresandserviceswithinthem. 4.22 ThereviewseesFoundationYearsservices • FoundationYearsstaffshouldactively encompassing: encouragelocalparentsgroupsandother Maternityunitsandmidwiferyservicesproviding networks,andfacilitatetheircreationand • supportandadvicetopregnantwomen. sustainability. Children’sCentresprovidingcentrebased Professionally led–asprofessionalsin, • supportincluding:parentingcourses,stayand forexample,childcare,andFamilyNurse play,relationshipsupportforparents,speech Partnershipsmakearealdifferenceto therapyandothersupportforchildren,as outcomes.Specifically: wellasprovidingwidersupportasaonestop • DepartmentforEducation,in centreforarangeofparentcentredservices conjunctionwithChildren’sCentres,should including:skillsadvice,birthregistration,advice sponsortrainanddeveloptheFoundation onbenefits,debtandotherissues. Yearsworkforce. •Ahomevisitingservice–madeupofboth Underpinned by evidence–usingmethods trainedhealthvisitorsandoutreachworkers, whichweknowmakeimprovements. providinghomebasedsupportforparents unabletogettocentresorforthosewhoneed LocalAuthoritiesshouldpooldata • moreintensivesupport. tounderstandwhetherdisadvantaged childrenarebenefitingfromkeyservices. •Widervoluntarysupportnetworks–whichare promotedbyChildren’sCentresandothers. Accountable–sothepublichavethe informationtoholdspecificservices,Local AuthoritiesandCentralGovernmentto account. • Informationonprogressofthreeand fiveyearoldsshouldbecollectedtoshow theimpactofChildren’sCentresandLocal Authorityservices. 60 TheFoundationYears

Box 4.1: The Foundation Years Service Someante-natalclassesareheldin Tostartwemightthinkaboutwhatthe otherpremises,butsomeonefrom FoundationYearswouldideallylooklike theChildren’sCentrecomesalongto fromthepointofviewofafamily–letus introducethemselves.EllaandJohnarealso callthemEllaandJohn–goingthroughthe introducedtotheirhealthvisitoratthis challengeofraisingayoungchildonalow session.(Forpeoplewhomisstheante- income.EllaisnotinworkandJohnisin natalclassthereareotheropportunities alowpaidjob,thisistheirfirstchild,and tomeetupwiththehealthvisitorandkey theydonothavealargefamilysupport Children’sCentrestaff.) networknearby(Ella’sparentsliveacouple Theprospectiveparentsaretalkedthrough ofhoursaway,andJohnhasfallenoutwith themainroutesofsupport: hisparents). • TheChildren’sCentre,whichprovides Onfindingoutshe’spregnantEllagoesto ahubwhichmostservicescaneitherbe herGPsurgerywhereshe’sreferredto accessedfrom,orsignpostedto.Many themidwife.Sheseesthemidwifeeight appointmentsareeitherattheChildren’s orninetimesthroughherpregnancy,with CentreorthelocalGPssurgery. Johnalsoinvitedalongtothevisitswhere Ellaiscomfortable.ThemidwifetellsElla • Ahealthvisitor,withthemidwife,who andJohnabouttheearlyyearsFairness provideexpertguidanceoncaringfor Premium,whichallowsfamiliesonalow anewbabyandhelpingthemmakethe incometoaccessapackageofadditional transitiontoparenthoodalongwithateam services,includingearlyeducationand ofprofessionalworkersandvolunteers. childcarewhichgivesEllaandJohntime Theteamisfocusedonpeoplewhohave awayfromcaring,freebooks,etc.The problemsattendingtheChildren’sCentre, midwifealsoexplainsthattheywouldlike orfamilieswhomayneedextrasupport. tosharesomeselectedinformationwith Theteamhasgoodlinkswiththelocal theChildren’sCentresothatservicescan GPs’surgeriesandtheChildren’sCentre. runmoresmoothly,whichEllaagreesto Eachfamilygetsthechancetobuildupa (shethoughtthishappenedanyway). relationshipwiththehealthvisitorandtheir team. ThemidwifebooksEllaandJohnontoa local‘PreparationforParenthood’ante- • Voluntarysupportwhichsupplements natalgroup,whichincludestheopportunity theformalsupportandprovideseitherless tomeetotherparentsandlearnabout formalhelp,or,withsupervision,support theimportanceofearlyattachmentand forparentsstatutoryservicescannotget caringforanewbaby.Thegroupisheldat to.Thiswilltakedifferentformsindifferent thelocalChildren’sCentrewheretheycan localareas,butChildren’sCentresand meettheirhealthvisitor-andtheparents healthvisitorshelptobuildupcapacityin areshownaroundtheCentreandthe thesector. facilities.Thestafftalktotheparentsabout itsrangeofservices,makesuretheyfeel welcome,andletthemknowwhatservices theyareentitledtoandwhatispaidfor. BuildingFoundationYearsServices 61

ThemostimportantpeopleforEllaand Theydiscussagaintheimportanceof Johnaretheirfriendsandfamily.The earlyattachmentandtalkingtoyoung ante-natalgroupbuildsfriendshipsso children.EllaandJohnarestrugglingwith theymeetoutsidetheformalgroupand theadditionalworkofbringingupAiden. supporteachother.Thesamegroupisalso TheHealthvisitornotesthisandmakes invitedtofollowupmeetings,includingon suretheyarevisitedeverymonthtocheck breastfeeding.Avolunteerfromalocal theyareOK:thatfeedingisgoingOK,and parents’groupcomesalongtoencourage tokeepencouragingthemtoplaywith thefutureparentstomeetregularly.There Aiden.Thehealthvisitorvisitsbecomeless isalsoavolunteercommunityparent frequentwhentheynoticethatEllaand scheme,whichprovideslowlevelsupport Johnarecopingbetterandregularlygoing tonewparents(supplementinghealth totheChildren’sCentre(soCentrebased visitors). servicescanprovidemoreofthesupport). Ellagivesbirthinalocalhospital. TheChildren’sCentrestafftalktoEllaand JohnaroundAiden’sfirstbirthday(and AhealthvisitorcomestoseeElla,John aroundsubsequentbirthdays)aboutwhat andAidensoonafterthebirthattheir thesecondyearmaybelike,andwhatnew home.Thehealthvisitorbooksthevisit challengestheyarelikelytoface.Thehealth foratimewhenJohncanmakeit.Shetalks visitingteamreviewallchildrenbeforetheir Ellathroughsometipsforcontinuingto firstbirthdayandareonhandifneededin breastfeed.Ellahasfounditdifficultbut between. wantstokeeptryingassheknowshow importantitisforherbaby.Thehealth ThefamilymovehousewhenAidenisone visitorputsherintouchwithalocalpeer andahalf,movingoutofthecatchment supportgroup,andvisitsregularlyoverthe areaofthelocalChildren’sCentre.The nextcoupleofweekstosupportthefamily. LocalAuthoritycollectsHousingBenefit ThehealthvisitorencouragesEllaand records,andChildren’sCentreattendance Johntogobacktotheir‘Preparationfor recordsarepartofitsdatasystem.Ituses Parenthood’groupwhichiscontinuinguntil thesetoidentifythatthefamilyhasmoved. allthebabiesaresixweeksold.Theythink Someonefromthehealthvisitingteam theymaythenjointhepositiveparenting goestoseethemandinvitesthemtotheir courserunbytheChildren’sCentre.(All nearestChildren’sCentreandhelpsmake parentsareaskedwhethertheywantto suresupportisasseamlessaspossible. goononeofthese,butthehealthvisitor TheChildren’sCentreregularlyconsults makesmoreeffortwithyoungparents,or theparentsonwhatitoffers,whilegiving parentsinmorechallengingcircumstances.) themasimpleoverviewontheevidence EllaandJohnregisterthebirthatthelocal behinddifferentelementsofwhatitdoes. Children’sCentre.Aftertheregistration,a familybenefitsadvisor,basedinthecentre, checkswhethertheyneedanyhelpwith childbenefitorotherforms,andchecks theyknowabouttheservicefacilitiesand parentingcourses. 62 TheFoundationYears

FromagetwoAidengetsafreeearly Atthedevelopmentcheckthehealth educationplacefor15hoursaweek. visitornotesthatAiden’sspeechisnot (Thereissomefreeearlyeducation developingasfastaswouldnormallybe forchildrenyoungerthantwowhokey expected.Thehealthvisitorusespartof workersthinkwillbenefitfromit.)Ellais theFairnessPremiumforAidentoaccess encouragedtousesomeofthattimeto onesessionaweekwithaspeechtherapist, startworkingtowardsaqualification.The and–withEllaandJohn’sagreement staffatthenurserysupportAiden’slearning –speakswithstaffatAiden’snursery throughplay.TheyinviteEllaandJohnto abouthowtheycanhelpsupportAiden’s spendacoupleofhoursinthenursery languagedevelopment. everycoupleofmonthstoseewhatthe AsEllagetsmoreconfidentshevolunteers nurserystaffaredoinganddiscusswhat asacommunityparentprovidingsupport theparentscandotohelptheirchildren. andinformationtoothernewparentsin Ellahasalwaysstruggledwithreadingand thecommunity. sohasnotreadtoAiden:thenurserystaff discussthiswithher,encouragehertosign AsAidenapproachesschoolage,the uptoanadultskillscourseandshowher familygetsinvitedtolookroundthelocal howshecantellstoriestoAidenusing primaryschoolandaretalkedthrough picturebooks. thechanges.TheChildren’sCentreknows thattheschoolwillbeconductingAiden’s ThereisacafeintheCentrewhichisrun developmentcheckwhenhestartsschool asalocalsocialenterprise.Ellavolunteers andthattheresultswillhelpdeterminethe atthisfortwomorningsaweekwhile Children’sCentre’sbudget.TheChildren’s Aidenisinchildcare.Shegetstoknow Centreandschoolhavegoodrelations morepeoplefromvolunteeringandfeels andpassoninformationsothattheschool morecomfortableaboutapplyingforwork knowshowAidenhasbeendoingupto asAidengetsolder.Someotherparents thatpoint. volunteerwiththestayandplayservices andthecrèche(althoughtheseservices remainprofessionallyled).Asmallnumber 4.23 Giventhesortofserviceswewant ofparentsgainqualificationsthroughthe parentstoreceive,whataretheprinciplesofthe worktheydovolunteering. FoundationYearsservice: AttwoandahalfAidenhasadevelopment •Asingleservice–differentbranchesof checkwithahealthvisitor.Thislooksathis Governmentworkingtogetherinacoherent health,cognitiveandsocialandemotional way. development.Itisusedtoprovidepointers wheredevelopmentisnotasstrong •Universal–aserviceallparentscanlooktofor asitshouldbe.Theinformationisalso somesupport. aggregatedupandusedtounderstand •Providesmosthelpforthosethatneeditmost howchildrenintheareaasawhole –toclosegapsinattainment. areprogressing,feedingintotheoverall assessmentoftheChildren’sCentre(and •Buildsonparentingsuccesses–aswhatparents thepartoftheirpaymentthatisrelatedto doisthebiggestsingleinfluenceonchildren. results). •Buildscapacityinthecommunity–recognising thatinformalnetworksareimportantsourcesof supportforparentsandstronglyinfluencethe waytheyparent. BuildingFoundationYearsServices 63

•Professionallyled–professionalsin,forexample, work,forexampleearlyyearspractitionersand childcare,makearealdifferencetooutcomes. schoolstaff. •Underpinnedbyevidence–usingmethods •LocalAuthoritiesshouldlookathowtheycould whichweknowmakerealimprovements. sitebirthregistrationinlocalChildren’sCentres. Children’sCentresshouldlooktoprovide Accountable–sothepublichavethe • namingorwelcomingceremonies,orsignposting informationtoholdspecificservices,Local tocommunitygroupssuchasfaithgroupswho Authoritiesandcentralgovernmenttoaccount. providetheseservices. 4.24 Althoughtheworkofthereviewhasbeen Children’sCentresshouldprovidechildbenefit centredaroundFoundationYearsservices,many • formsandotherbenefitadvice13. oftheseprinciples–forexample:providingmost helptothosewhoneeditmost,engagingwith 4.27 Universal–providinghelptoallparents, parents,andbuildingcapacityinthecommunity– buildingawidelybasedcultureofunderstandingof areimportantthroughallages. goodparenting.FoundationYearsservicesshould beseenascoregovernmentprovisioninthesame 4.25 A single service: The Foundation Years– wayhospitalsandschoolsare.Withoutauniversal parents’firstengagementwithpublicservicesin approachitishardtochangetheoverallculture pregnancyisoftenthroughdoctorsandmidwives. ofparenting.Parentingcourseswouldbeoffered Thehealthserviceisoftenseenassomething asroutinetonewparents14,andshouldbeseen separatefromeducationandearlyyearsseparate assomethingnormaltodo,ratherthanremedial, fromprimaryschool.IntheFoundationYearsthis orsomethingonlyforlowincomefamilies.There cannotbethecase:parentsshouldbeabletobuild shouldalsobeclearfirstpointsofcontactfor uprelationshipswithkeyworkerswhoworkacross parentswithinservices,forexampleinChildren’s transitions,withfundingalsoreflectingcoherent Centres,thehealthvisitorledhomevisitingservice needs.Totheparentthisshouldappeartobeone andchildcaresettings.Theseindividualsshould singlepublicservice.Thisalsomeansincreasingly linkinwithotherservicesandwidercommunity co-locatingservicessothatparentscaneasilyfind networks. thesupporttheyneed.Forexample,parentscould registerabirth,automaticallyapplyforchildbenefit, 4.28 Actions on a universal service include: anddiscusswidersupportinthesameplace. •Despitecurrentfinancialpressurescentraland 4.26 Actions on providing a single universal localgovernmentshouldtoaimtoprovide service include: universalsupport,potentiallybymakingsavings throughparttimeCentres,clustersofCentres CabinetMinisterforFoundationYearssited • makingefficienciesonadministrationand jointlyintheDepartmentforEducationandthe management,andmakingbestuseofdifferent DepartmentofHealth. buildings. Localareasshouldconsidersettinguplocal • 4.29 Provide additional support for those who childpovertyandlifechancescommissionsto need it most –universalservicesalonewillnot investigatereformanddrivetheissuelocally. closethegapbetweendisadvantagedandless •DepartmentofHealthshouldworkwithhealth disadvantagedchildren.Tonarrowthegapitisvital visitorstoensureaconsistencyofserviceand thatfundingandwiderresourcesareaimedatthe ‘handover’betweenmoremedicalpre-birth areasandindividualsmostinneed.TheFairness servicesandincreasinglyeducationalpostbirth Premiumandlocalauthorityfundingareastart,

13 Sunderland Council is piloting a project to share 14 Only 2% of parents in the UK had completed a registration data and make child benefit more parenting course, in Sweden 98% of maternity clinics automatic. 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. 64 TheFoundationYears

but,assetoutinChapter3,thereviewwould indeprivedareas,includingthroughschemes wanttoseetheprincipleoftheFairnessPremium suchasTeachFirstandNewLeadersinEarly extendedthroughouttheFoundationYears Years–anewprogrammestartinginanumber (buildingontheEarlyInterventionGrant)with ofdisadvantagedareas. moremoneygoingtothoseprovidersthatteach 4.31 Builds on parental success–whatparents childrenfromthemostdeprivedbackgrounds, doisthesinglebiggestinfluenceonchildren’s anddeprivedparentsabletoaccessawider attainment;thereforeservicesshouldaimto rangeofservices.Onelongtermaimshouldbe engageandsupportparents,buildingparents’own thatschools,childcare,andChildren’sCentres strengthsindealingwithproblems,notaddtotheir indeprivedareasacheive,onaverage,atleastas worries.Servicesneedtowelcomeallparents goodOfstedratingsasfacilitiesinmoreaffluent andcarers,includingfathers,andgrandparents. areas. Wehavebeentoldthatservicesoftenassume 4.30 Actions on providing additional support thatthemotheristhemainoronlycarer.There for those who need it most include: areexamplesofchangingthewayinvitations arephrasedleadingtoasignificantincrease DepartmentforEducationandLocalAuthorities • intheproportionoffatherscomingto,say,a toensurethatSureStartChildren’sCentres healthvisitorappointment.Children’sCentres identify,reachandprovidemosthelpto andhomevisitorsshouldencourageparentsto mostdisadvantagedfamilies.NewSureStart cometoparentingcoursesasamatterofcourse contractsshouldincludeconditionsthatreward throughoutthefirstthreeyearsoflife. Centresforreachingouteffectivelytothemost disadvantaged. 4.32 Thereviewrecommendsthatparentingand familyrelationshipsaregivengreaterprominence Ofstedratingsforchildcareandschools • ontheschoolcurriculum,withpupilsableto indisadvantagedareascomparedtomore obtainacross-curricularqualificationatGCSE affluentareasshouldbeincludedasoneofthe levelinparentingfromrelevantmodulesinother DepartmentforEducation’sindicatorsinits subjects.Thisshouldstartfromprimaryschool BusinessPlanandGovernmentpolicyshouldaim age,exploringfriendships,familiesandwhat’s toclosethegap. importantforbabies.Later,theemphasisshould •DepartmentforEducationtoensurethat shifttowardsthecomplexitiesofrelationships, schoolsareheldtoaccountforreducingthe pressures,andmentalhealth,howtobuildand attainmentgapinthesamewaytheyare maintainstablerelationshipsandconsideringhow forimprovingattainment15.Whereaschool parentscanbestsupportchildren’sdevelopment. hasapersistentorincreasingattainment Insecondaryschool,thereshouldalsobea gap,thisshouldhaveasignificantbearingon focusonotherlifeskills,suchasbudgetingand theinspectionoutcomefortheschool,and InformationandCommunicationTechnology ultimatelythisshouldbeamajorfactorin (ICT).Thecontentshouldbeevidence-based adecisiononwhethertheschoolisjudged andshouldintroducechildrentothebasisforthe inadequate. lifechancesindicators(seeChapter5)andhow parentsarebestplacedtosupporttheirchildren. •DepartmentforEducationshouldcontinueto lookforwaystoencouragegoodteachersto teachinschoolsandworkinChildren’sCentres

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. BuildingFoundationYearsServices 65

willbeawardedifpupilshavecompleted Box 4.2: Approaches involving family particularmodulesinanumberofGCSE learning subjects.TheManchesterAcademyiscurrently WashingtonStateInstitutefoundthat developingapilotschemewhichcouldbeused manyofthemostsuccessfulprogrammes asthebasisforthisGCSE. involvedbothparentsandchildren.There •Schoolsshouldengageparentsonanongoing areanumberofexamplesofprogrammes basis(engagementneedstobeongoing,rather intheUKwhichinvolvebothchildrenand thanonceatermatparents’evenings),with parents. increaseduseofhome-schoolagreementsto FamilyLearningnormallyreferstolearning encourageschools,parentsandpupilstodiscuss withinahousehold,wherechildrenand theirgoals. familieslearntogether.Thiscaninvolvea •DepartmentforEducationcontinuesto numberofdifferentapproaches,including: publishandpromoteclearevidenceonwhatis FamilyLearningclassesgivingparentsan successfulinencouragingparentalengagement understandingofwhatishappeningintheir intheirchildren’slearning. children’sschoolandhowtheycanhelp; andparentsworkingwithchildrenwhen •Ofstedcontinuestoreportonschoolsand theyarebothimprovingtheirliteracyand childcareengagementwithparents–thisisa numeracy.Alloftheapproacheshelpto particularlykeyarea–whichsettingsshouldbe buildconfidenceinparentsandmakethem heldtoaccountfor. betterabletoengagewiththeirchildren’s •Morewidelythere’sachallengetoimprove learning. awarenessofparentingacrossthecountry. Forexample:theFamiliesandSchools TheCabinetOfficeBehaviouralInsightteam Togetherprogrammeinvolveseightweekly shouldlead,alongwithkeyDepartments,an sessionswhichchildrenandparentstake examinationofhowparentingandnuturingskills partintogether.Therearestructured canbebestpromotedthroughoutsociety. activitiestobuildtheparentchildbond 4.34 Build capacity in the community–akey andsocialconnections.Theapproachis partofsupportforfamiliescomesfromfriends. designedtoenhancethechild’sfunctioning GroupssuchastheNationalChildbirthTrustcan inschool,inthecommunity,andathome. beverysuccessfulinbringingparentstogetherto Aftertheeightweeklysessions,theparents sharetheirexperiences.Children’sCentrescan graduateandaresupportedtosettheir signposttothesegroups,butalsohelpbuildthe ownagendaformonthlyfamilygroup capacityofparentstosetuptheirowngroups, meetings. orsharetheirexperienceswithotherparents. (ThereisthepotentialforCommunityOrganisers tohelpwiththisifitisidentifiedasalocalpriority, 4.33 Actions on building on parental success Children’sCentresshouldbereadytoworkwith include: them.)AspartofthisChildren’sCentresshould •LocalAuthoritiesshouldensureallnewparents increasinglycommissionoutspecificservicesor haveearlyaccesstoaparentingcourse,andthe provideaplatformforvoluntaryandcommunity healthvisitorofferstosignthemupasamatter groupswhichcanshowsomeevidenceoftheir ofroutine,initiallytargetingthisonthosemost impact,suchasHomeStart. likelytobenefit. •DepartmentforEducationshouldensurethat parentingandlifeskillsarereflectedinthe curriculum,fromprimaryschooltoGCSE level.Thisshouldculminateinacross-curricular qualificationinparentingatGCSElevelwhich 66 TheFoundationYears

arekeyinensuringgoodoutcomes.TheReview’s Box 4.3: Community Parents ambitionwouldbetostafftheFoundationYears CommunityParentsisahomebased asprofessionallyaswenowstaffschools,with parentsupportprogramme,where childcaresettingswhicharegraduate-led.There volunteerlocalparentsaretrainedand wouldbeclearrecruitmententrypointsforearly offerinformationandguidancetoother yearsastherearenowforschools.Children’s parentsinthearea.Differentversionsare Centrescanplayakeyroleinfacilitatinganddriving beingpilotedorruninseveralareas.They thisimprovementacrossthesector. offerinformationandsupportaround 4.37 Buildingontheannouncementsthatthe issuessuchasbehaviouralproblems,setting Governmentrecentlymadearoundtheteaching aroutineandsleepproblems;aswellas profession,theReview,welcomesthestartofa widerissuessuchasbudgetingandhousing. similarprogrammeforearlyyearsandhopesthat Theschemehelpsbuildtheconfidence theGovernmentwillbuildfurtheronthe‘New ofvolunteers,withsometrainingwhich LeadersinEarlyYears’programme.Children’s canleadtorecognisedqualifications.It Centresshouldactascentresofprofessional alsoprovidesusefullowlevelsupport development,providingformalandinformal forfamilieswhoneeditandcanhelp training(mirroringteachingschools).Thiswill tostrengtheninformallocalnetworks. helpbuildlocalnetworksandsharingofbest Volunteerprogrammescanalsohelp practice.Inordertoattracthighcalibrepeople providesupportwhichisclearlyseenas totheseprofessions,therealsoneedtobeclear independentfromthestate. professionaldevelopmentroutes,bothfornew andexistingstaff.TheEarlyYearsProfessional Whilethereareobviouslylimitsonthe Statushasgonealongwaytowardsachievingthis, problemsvolunteerscanbeexpectedto butmoreneedstobedonetoprovidearouteto dealwith,theseschemesprovideauseful managementandleadershipinthesector. wayofprovidinglowlevelsupportwhile alsobuildingcommunitylinks. 4.38 Inthelongerterm,ifanimproved professionaldevelopmentframeworkand increasedimportancegiventotheearlyyearsdoes 4.35 Actions on building capacity in the notonitsowndriveanincreaseingraduatesin community include: childcaresettings,theGovernmentshouldconsider subsidisinggraduateledsettingstoensurethatthe •LocalAuthoritiesensuringthatservices Review’sambitionisachievedandthequalityand providedbyChildren’sCentresdonotreplicate statusofFoundationYearsprovisionshowsthe existingprovisionfromprivate,voluntaryand necessaryimprovement. independentgroups–insteadtheysignpostto thosegroups,ormayprovideCentrespace. 4.39 Actions on professional leadership: •LocalAuthoritiestoopenupcommissioningof •DepartmentforEducation,inconjunctionwith Children’sCentres,orserviceswithinthem,to Children’sCentres,shoulddevelopamodelfor privatevoluntaryandindependentgroups. professionaldevelopmentinearlyyearssettings whichmirrorstheoneforschools. •EnsureChildren’sCentressignposttoservices providedbyothercommunitygroupsand 4.40 Underpinned by strong evidence–both encouragethosegroupstouseChildren’s ofwhatworksandagoodunderstandingofthe Centrespace. localpopulation.Thereareexamplesbothinthe UnitedStatesandofLocalAuthoritiesintheUK 4.36 Professionally led–theevidencefrom focusingonevidencebasedpolicies.Ofcourse, severalsourcessuggeststhatprofessional therewillbetimeswhenthereisnotevidence leadership,whetherthroughearlyyears onwhichtobaseapproaches,inthesecaseshigh professionsandqualifiedteachersinearlyyears qualityevaluationsmustassesswhetherwhatis setting,ornursesinFamilyNursePartnerships, BuildingFoundationYearsServices 67

beingdoneiseffective,valueformoneyandworth 4.42 Actions for pooling data include: repeating. •LocalAuthorities,togetherwiththenewlocal 4.41 Aswellasusingevidencebasedpolicies childpovertyandlifechancescommissions LocalAuthoritiesalsoneedabetterunderstanding shouldpooldataandtrackthechildrenmostin ofwhichchildrenusetheirservices,andwhich needintheirarea.ALocalAuthorityshouldbe familiesarenotbenefitingfromearlyyears abletounderstandwherethechildrenwhoare services.Legislationcanmakesharingdata mostinneedare,andhowtheirservicesare betweenservicesdifficult–butitisnotimpossible impacting. –severalLocalAuthoritieshavebeenableto TheGovernmentshouldreviewlegislation overcomethischallenge. • whichpreventsLocalAuthoritiesusingexisting datatoidentifyandsupportfamilieswhoare Box 4.4: Islington and data pooling mostinneedwiththeintentionofmakinguse Islingtonhascreatedasingledatasetfrom ofdatabyLocalAuthoritieseasier;andpromote administrativesystemsincludingbirth atemplateforsuccessfuldatapoolingwhilst recordsfromthePrimaryCareTrust, respectingdataprivacyissues.Inparticular: childrenregisteredatChildren’sCentres, CentralGovernmentshouldensurethatnew schoolpupildata,andCouncilTaxand • legislationontheUniversalCreditallowsLocal HousingBenefitrecords.Thisresource Authoritiestousedatatoidentifyfamiliesmost allowsmuchbetterunderstandingofwhich inneed. familiesaremostdeprived,andwhether theyareusinglocalservices. •DepartmentofHealthshouldlookatwhatdata fromhospitalsanddoctorscanbesharedso Thisresourcehas: astoguaranteebettertargetingofchildrenin • enabledtargetedoutreachinspecific need. housingestates; 4.43 Actions on building a strong evidence base • identifiedblackandminorityethnic include: groupswhoarenotusingChildren’s TheGovernmentshouldmakealongterm Centres,leadingtohomelanguage • commitmenttoenablingandsupportingthe speakersbeingusedtoencouragefamilies bringingtogetherofevidence,learningfrom tocometoCentres; examplessuchastheNationalInstitutefor • enabledtargetingofspecificsupport ClinicalExcellenceandtheWashingtonState forworklessfamilies,whichhasthenled Institute–thiswillbecoveredinmoredetailas toanincreaseinChildren’sCentreuseby partoftheGrahamAllenledreviewonearly worklessfamilies;and intervention. • promotedmoreintegratedservices •LocalAuthoritiesshouldeithercommission throughsharedintelligence. serviceswhichhavestrongevidencebases,or ensurenewinterventionsareevaluatedrobustly. DataProtectionActrequirementsin relationtotheuseofpooleddatawere 4.44 Accountable–weshouldexpectto metthroughuseofserviceuserconsents buildinformationtounderstandoutcomesthat andacommonFairProcessingNotice Children’sCentresandlocalservicestogether acrossallservices.Thiswasadequatefor achieveandtoholdtheseservicesaccountable. themajorityofdatasourcesused. Thereviewrecognisestheimportanceoflocal decisionmaking,butwantstoensurethatparents canseewhetherlocalservicesareimprovingand howservicescomparewithservicesinsimilarlocal authorities.Itisalsoimportanttohavethisdatato facilitateincreasedpaymentbyresults.Thiscallsfor 68 TheFoundationYears

somecommoninformationbeingavailableacross 4.48 Inspectionofearlyyears’settingsshouldbe differentareas.Specificallywethinkparentsshould asrigorousasinspectionofprimaryandsecondary expecttobeableto: schools.DespitefinancialpressuresOfstedneeds tocontinuetoinspectearlyyears‘settings,pull compareserviceswithinaLocalAuthorityover • togetherlessonsfromthebettersettings,and time; challengethosethatneedtoimprove.Thisiskeyto •compareLocalAuthoritieswithsimilar understandingwhetherdisadvantagedchildrenare authoritieselsewhere;and receivinggoodprovision.IfOfstedisapproaching inspectioninamoreriskbasedwaytheReview comparesettingswherethisisfeasible(given • recommendsthatittargetsschoolsandchildcare somechildcaresettingswilllookafterverysmall settingsservingdeprivedcommunities,orwhere numbersofchildrenthiswillnotalwaysbe FreeSchoolMealspupilsarefallingbehind. possible). 4.45 Othercountrieshavemeasuredschool readiness,forexamplethroughtheEarly DevelopmentInstrument(EDI)16developedin Canada–OntariousestheEDIasoneofitskey indicatorsofprogresstowardsreducingpoverty. TheDepartmentforEducationwillbepublishing dataonschoolreadinessatagefivebrokendown bylocalauthority17. 4.46 Thereviewbelievesthattheobjectivein makingtheFoundationYearsaninstrumentfor equalisinglifechancesofyoungchildrencannot beachievedwithoutdevelopmentdatacheckat agefivebeingcomparedwithchilddevelopment dataaroundagetwoandahalf(underthebroad headingsofthelifechancesmeasureinChapter 5). Thiscouldbecollectedatthetwoandahalf yearhealthchecks,oratthestartoffreeearly educationforthreeandfouryearolds.Chapter 5 setsoutsomemoredetailonaligninglocaldata collectionwiththenationalmeasure. 4.47 TheTickellreviewoftheEarlyYears FoundationStageislookinginmoredetailatthe practicalityofwhatanearlyyearspractitioner-led developmentcheckatages24-36monthsand/ oragefivewouldinvolve,andDameClareTickell willbemakingrecommendationsonthis.Butthis reviewrecommendsmakinganydevelopment checksat24-36monthsandahalfandfive mandatory–withtheaimofunderstandinghow wellservicesareimprovingchildren’soutcomes.

16 A brief description of the Early Development 17 Set out in the DfE Business Plan. Instrument is at: http://www.councilecd.ca/ internationaledi/09.%20The%20EDI%20-%20A%20 Brief%20Description.pdf 69 � 70 71

Chapter 5 A New Framework for Measuring Poverty and Life Chances

This chapter sets out a new new measures of public service framework for measuring poverty quality and severe child poverty. and life chances, including our These measures are intended to headline recommendation for a complement the Government’s set of Life Chances Indicators and existing indicators.

Summary: • Amajorlimitationoftheexistingchildpovertymeasuresisthattheyhaveincentiviseda policyresponsefocusedlargelyonincometransfers.Thisapproachhasstalledinrecentyears andisfinanciallyunsustainable.Amoreeffectiveapproachistouseasetofmeasuresthatwill incentiviseafocusonimprovingchildren’slifechances,andultimatelybreakthetransmissionof intergenerationaldisadvantage. • BasedontheevidencereviewedinChapter3,wehaveidentifiedasmallsetofkeyfactorsin theearlyyearswhicharepredictiveofchildren’sfutureoutcomes.Theseincludechild,parentand environmentalfactors.Weproposeanumberofvalidandreliableindicatorswithwhichtomeasure thesefactors,whichwilltogetherformthenewLifeChancesIndicators. • TheGovernment’sexistingchildpovertymeasureshavebeendesignedtocaptureincomeand livingstandards.WebelievethattheyneedsupplementingtoensurethatGovernmentpoverty measuresrecognisetherolethathighqualitypublicservicescanplayinalleviatingpoverty. • WealsobelievethatGovernmentshouldmonitortheimpactofpolicyontheverypoorest childrenwhoexperienceprolongedfinancialandmaterialdeprivation. 72 TheFoundationYears

Focusing on life chances ofchildren,particularlythosefromlowincome households; 5.1 TheReview‘sprimarymeasurement recommendationisthattheGovernmentadopts •enableregular,nationallevelmonitoringof anewsetofLifeChancesIndicators.These thegapinlifechancesbetweenchildrenfrom indicatorsareintendedtomeasureannual lowincomehouseholdsandtheaverageofall progress1atanationallevelonarangeoffactors children;and thatarepredictiveofchildren’sfutureoutcomes provideaclearmessagetoserviceprovidersand andwhicharebasedontheevidencesetoutin • parentsaboutthethingsthatmattermostfor Chapter3.Iftheseindicatorsshowimprovements improvingchildren’sschoolreadinessandfuture foreachnewcohortofchildrenfromlowincome lifechances. families,thenwecanexpecttheirfutureoutcomes inadulthoodwillalsobebetter.Shortterm 5.5 Chapter3ofthisReviewidentifiesfactors progressontheLifeChancesIndicatorswillbe thatoccurintheearlyyearsthatarestrongly alignedwithlongtermprogressontacklingthe predictiveofchildren’sschoolreadinessandtheir effectsofchildpoverty,andthiswillimprovethe outcomesinlaterlife.Inparticular,thisevidence incentivesforpolicymakerstoinvestinlongterm showsthatwhileincomehasadirecteffecton solutions. children’soutcomes,thiseffectissmallwhenother driversaretakenintoaccountandindeedmuchof 5.2 Therearecurrentlyfourmeasuresused theeffectofincomeistransmitted(ormediated) byGovernmenttomonitorchildpovertywhich throughotherfactors.Theseinclude:child areincludedintheChildPovertyAct.Allfourare factors,suchascognitive(includinglanguageand designedtocapturedifferentaspectsofinsufficient communication)development;parentfactors,such financialresources,identifiedeitherthroughlow aspositiveparenting;andenvironmentalfactors, incomeorpoormateriallivingstandards.We suchasqualityofnurserycare. agreethatoverthecourseofagenerationwe shouldaimtoreducethenumberofchildrenliving inpovertyaccordingtothesemeasures. Selecting the Life Chances Indicators 5.6 Wewanttomeasurehowthesefactors 5.3 However,asdiscussedinChapter2,these changeovertimeinawaythatcanbeeasily measureshaveincentivisedapolicyresponse presentedandunderstood.Onewaytodo focusedlargelyonincometransferwhichis thiswouldbetocreateasingleindexoflife financiallyunsustainable.Amoreeffectiveapproach chances.However,wedonotthinkitwouldbe istouseasetofmeasuresthatwillincentivise methodologicallyappropriatetocombineallthese investmentinpolicythatwillimprovelifechances factorsintoasingleindex.Itwouldalsoresultin andpayahigherdividendfortaxpayers.Suchan acomplexmeasurewhichwouldruncontrary approach,whichultimatelyaimstoreducethe totheCoalitionGovernment’scommitmentto transmissionofintergenerationaldisadvantage,is transparencyofinformation.Instead,wehave moresustainablethanonewhichaddressespoverty identifiedasmallsetofkeypredictivefactorsfor usingyear-by-yearincometransfer. inclusioninasetofLifeChancesIndicators.Each indicatorwillbepresentedseparately,andtogether i A new set of Life Chances Indicators theywillprovideatoolformonitoringtheimpactof 5.4 TheaimsoftheLifeChancesIndicators policyonthekeyfactorsthatinfluencelifechances. areto: 5.7 Thecriteriabelowwereusedtoassessthe •incentivisepolicy-makerstofocuspolicyand evidenceanddeterminewhichfactorswouldbe investmentonimprovingthefuturelifechances measuredandincludedinthesetofindicators:

1 � We envisage that the annual progress review required this is subject to factors such as when in the year the under the Child Poverty Act would be a sensible indicators become available. place for these annual results to be published, but ANewFrameworkforMeasuringPovertyandLifeChances 73

•strengthofpredictionbetweenthefactorin predictsvirtuallyallofthedifferenceinchildren’s questionandreadinessforschoolatagefiveas outcomesatagefive. wellasoutcomesinlaterlifeforchildrenfrom 5.10 Table5.1setsoutthefactorsthatthe poorhouseholds(whilecontrollingforallother Reviewrecommendsbeincludedinthenewset factors); ofLifeChancesIndicators,takingintoaccountthe •magnitudeofimpactonreadinessforschooland criteriasetoutaboveandtheexternalanalysis laterlifeoutcomesamongchildrenfrompoor carriedoutbytheUniversityofBristol. householdsthatresultsfromvaryingthefactor Table 5.1 Factors to be covered by the new set inquestion(holdingallotherfactorsconstant); of Life Chances Indicators •extenttowhichthefactorinquestionactsasa headlineindicatorand‘pulls’or‘corals’arange Child factors Parent Environmental ofotherfactors;and factors factors •potentialforthefactortobeinfluencedby Cognitive Home Qualityof policy,inboththeshortandlongerterm. (including learning nurserycare languageand environment 5.8 Wealsoreviewedmeasuresand communication) Positive frameworksonchildren’slifechancesusedby development parenting academicandthinktankorganisations,aswellas ataroundage thegovernmentsofotherdevelopedcountries.2 three Maternal OfparticularinteresttotheReviewwerethe mentalhealth CanadianEarlyDevelopmentInstrument(CEDI) Behavioural andtheAustralianEarlyDevelopmentIndex andsocialand Mother’sage (basedontheCEDI),whichbothassessand emotional atbirthof publiclyreportonfivedomainsofchildren’s development firstchild ataroundage developmentforallchildrenagedfourorfive. Mother’s three Othercountriesalsoprovidechecksonchildren’s educational earlyhealth,developmentandreadinessfor Physical qualifications school,suchasthroughNewZealand’sWell development Childprogramme,Finland’sWellChildClinics ataroundage andGermany’spaediatricassessments,although three theresultsofthesearenotreportedtoapublic audience.Thesehavebroadlyinformedour 5.11 Thesefactorshaveallbeenmeasuredand approachtomeasurement. analysedbefore,andweproposethatexisting 5.9 Followingourassessmentoftheevidence methodologiesareemployedtocreatethe andinitialshortlistingofkeydrivers,theReview indicators.Belowisanexampleofamethodthat commissionedexternalanalysisoftheMillennium canbeusedtomeasureoneofthefactorsin CohortStudytoassesswhethertheselected Table 5.1,thehomelearningenvironment. driversweresuitableformeasuringlifechances. ThefindingsfromthisanalysisbytheUniversityof Example: Measuring home learning BristolaresummarisedinBox5.1andshowthat environment allofthekeydrivershavesomepredictivepower 5.12 TheMillenniumCohortStudyincludesa inexplainingthegapinchildren’sschoolreadiness validmeasureofthehomelearningenvironment betweenthosefromlowincomehouseholds forchildrenagedaroundthreeyearsold.This andtheaverage.Furthermore,modelingshows measureincludesasetofquestionsthatasksabout thatnarrowingthegaponeachofthekeydrivers

2 � Canada, Netherlands, France, Germany, United States of America, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Australia, New Zealand 74 TheFoundationYears

Figure 5.1 Graphical presentation of the home learning environment Life Chances Indicator for children in low income households and the average for all other children

0.4

0.3

0.2

0.1

0.0

–0.1

–0.2 Average standardised HLE score –0.3

–0.4 Children in bottom Average of all ‘Gap’ 20% of household income other children

Data source: Millenium Cohort Study

thefrequencywithwhichrespondentsandtheir thenre-standardizedtoproduceasingleoverall child(ren)engageinthefollowingsixactivitiesthat scorewithmean0andstandarddeviation1. areimportantforcreatingagoodhomelearning environment: Presenting the Life Chances Indicators •readingtotheirchild; 5.14 Figure5.1showshowtheresultsofthe homelearningenvironmentindicatordiscussed takingtheirchildtothelibrary; • abovecouldbepresented.Itshowstheaverage •helpingtheirchildlearnthealphabet; standardisedhomelearningenvironmentscore forchildreninlowincomehouseholdsandthe teachingtheirchildnumbersorcounting; • averageforallotherchildren,aswellasthe‘gap’ •teachingtheirchildsongs,poemsornursery betweenthesegroups.Theindicatorwouldbe rhymes;and monitoredovertime,withsuccessdemonstrated byanarrowingofthegapbetweenchildrenfrom paintingordrawingathome. • lowincomehouseholdsandallotherchildren. 5.13 Respondentsarefirstaskedifthey 5.15 AllthefactorsinTable5.1canbequantified undertakeeachactivitywiththeirchild(ren)and, usingindicatorswhichcanbepresentedinasimilar ifso,arethenaskedhowfrequentlytheyengage way.Themajorityoftheseindicatorsaresimilarin ineachactivity.Thisisrecordedonthefollowing naturetothehomelearningenvironmentindicator, scales:readingfrom‘notatall(0)toeveryday inthattheyarebasedonsurveyquestionsand/or (5)’;libraryfrom‘notatall(0)’to‘onceaweek observations.Recommendedindicatorsforeach (4)’;otherfouritemsfrom‘notatall(0)’to‘7 factor,whichhavebeenshowntobevalidand timesaweek/constantly(7)’.Thescoresforeach reliablemeasuresinaUKcontext,arepresentedin questionarestandardizedtohaveameanof0and AnnexA. astandarddeviationof1,summedtogetherand ANewFrameworkforMeasuringPovertyandLifeChances 75

Box 5.1 Analysis by the University of Bristol on the predictive factors of children’s outcomes TohelpinformourselectionoffactorsforinclusionintheLifeChancesIndicators,we commissionedtheUniversityofBristoltoconductquantitativeanalysisusingtheMillenniumCohort Study–anationallyrepresentativesurveyofaround19,000childrenbornintheUKin2000/01. Thisstudytrackschildrenthroughtheirearlychildhoodyearsandcoversarangeoftopics,including: children’scognitiveandbehaviouraldevelopmentandhealth;parenting;parents’socio-demographic characteristics;incomeandpoverty;aswellasotherfactors. Theaimoftheanalysiswasto: • testtheextenttowhichthekeydriversweidentifiedfromtheliteratureexplainthegapin children’scognitive,behavioural,socialandemotional,andhealthoutcomesbetweenthosefrom lowincomehouseholdsandtheaverageatagefive;and • modeltheextenttowhichvaryingthekeydriversresultsinnarrowingofthegapinchildren’s outcomesatagefive,betweenthosefromlowincomehouseholdsandtheaverage. Findings Overall,theanalysisfoundthatthekeydrivers–suchashomelearningenvironment,mother’s educationalqualifications,positiveparenting,maternalmentalhealthandmother’sageatbirthof firstchild–aswellasdemographicandfamilycharacteristics,explainasignificantproportionof thevarianceinchildren’scognitive,behavioural,socialandemotional,andgeneralhealthoutcomes atagefive(between34%and43%).Whilethemajorityofvarianceremainsunexplained,these proportionsarecomparablewithsimilartypesofanalysesconductedinthisarea. Allofthekeydriverswerefoundtohavesomepredictivepower,althoughnosinglegroup couldexplainthegapinanyoftheoutcomesatagefiveonitsown.Therewere,however,some differencesintherelativeimportanceofdriversacrossdifferentoutcomes.Forexample,parental educationandhomelearningenvironmentemergedasrelativelystrongpredictorsofchildren’s cognitiveoutcomes,whileparentalsensitivity(anaspectofpositiveparenting)andmaternalmental healthwerestrongpredictorsofchildren’sbehavioural,socialandemotionaloutcomes. Varyingthekeydriverssothatchildrenfromlowincomehouseholdshadlevelscomparablewith theaverageforallchildrenwasfoundtopredictvirtuallyallofthedifferenceinchildren’soutcomes atagefive.Nosingledriverwasfoundtopredictthesegaps,rather,itwasaresultofthecumulative effectofvaryingallthekeydrivers.Whilethesefindingsarebasedoncorrelationandtherefore shouldnotbeinterpretedascausation,thevastanddiversebodyofevidenceshowingsimilar findingstothesegivesusreasontothinkthatmanyoftheseconnectionsarecausal. Thefindingsfromtheanalysisarereportedinthefollowingpaper,whichisavailableonthe Reviewwebsite:Washbrook,E.(2010)Earlyenvironmentsandchildoutcomes.Universityof Bristol.AnalysiscommissionedbytheIndependentReviewonPovertyandLifeChances. www.independent.gov.uk/povertyreview 76 TheFoundationYears

Collecting the life chances data localauthoritieswithasetofninefactorswhich theyknowtheyneedtoaddressiftheywantto 5.16 Theeasiestwaytocollectthedataneeded improvethelifechancesofpoorchildren.Second, fortheindicatorswouldbetoaddthenecessary themeasureprovidesanincentivefornational questionstoanationallyrepresentativesurvey governmentandpolicymakerstoreinforcethis whichalreadymeasureshouseholdincomeonan messageandencouragelocalpartnerstoactto annualbasis,andwhichhasasuitablylargesample improvelifechances,becausewithoutthiskind ofpreschoolchildren.Thesurveyneedstocollect ofcooperationthenationalmeasureswillnot incomebecauseoftheneedtomeasurethe improve. ‘incomegap’foreachindicator. 5.17 However,werecognisethatspacefor The role of local information additionalquestionsinexistingsurveysisscarce, 5.20 Webelievethatrequiringalllocalauthorities andthatlargenewsetsofquestionscannotbe tocarryoutasurveyinordertocreatelocal addedtosurveyswithoutaffectingthequalityofall levelLifeChancesIndicatorswouldplacean thedatathatiscollected,unlessexistingquestions unnecessaryburdenonthem.However,wealso areremoved3.Ifremovingexistingquestions believethatlocalleveldataonlifechancescan fromanexistingincomesurveyisnotpossible, playacrucialroleindrivingprogress,becauselocal theGovernmentcouldconsidercommissioning servicesaresocrucialtomakingtheFoundation anewannualsurveyofpreschoolchildrenand Yearsareality. theirparentstocollectthisdata.Anewsurveyof childrenandfamilieswouldbeavaluableresource 5.21 Fortunately,thereisawealthoflocaldata formonitoringthesuccessofthelifechances whichisalreadycollectedforadministrativeor approachandothernewfamilypolicy. professionalpurposesandwhichcouldbeused tocreateaslimmeddownversionoftheLife ii Aligning national and local measures ChancesIndicatorsforeveryLocalAuthority, withoutplacinganyadditionaldatacollection Using a national measure to influence local burdensonlocalgovernment.Forexample,the decision making Governmentaimstohaveeveryfamilyvisitedby ahealthvisitorwhentheirchildisaroundtwoand 5.18 TheCoalitionGovernmentiscommitted ahalf(thisvisitisreferredtohereasthe“agetwo toincreasingdevolutionofpolicyandspending healthcheck”).Healthvisitorsgatherinformation decisionstothelocallevel,andtoreducingthe onthechild’shealthanddevelopmentwhich numberofcentrallydefinedmeasureswhich allowsthemtodiagnoseanyphysical,cognitiveor areimposedonlocalauthorities.Werecognise behaviouralproblemsthechildisexperiencing thatthispresentsachallengefortheReview andidentifyanyparticularsupporttheythinkthe whendevelopingchildpovertyandlifechances childortheparentsshouldbegetting.Someofthis measures:theexistingmeasuresandthechild informationissimilartothedevelopmentdatathat povertystrategyarebothdefinedinlegislationat wouldbeusedtocreatethenationalLifeChances anationallevel,butmanyoftheleversavailablefor Indicators. tacklingchildpoverty(particularlywhentakinga lifechancesapproach)areincreasinglycontrolled 5.22 Theagetwohealthchecksarenottheonly locallyandnotsubjecttocentraltargets. circumstanceinwhichlocalbodiesalreadycollect dataaboutchildren’slifechances.TheEarlyYears 5.19 Acknowledgingthischallenge,wehave FoundationStageProfilecurrentlycheckschildren’s proposedanationalmeasureoflifechanceswhich development(socialandemotionalaswellas webelievecandrivepolicyintwoways.First, cognitive)whentheystartschool.Areviewofthe thepublicationofthenineindicatorsprovides

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. ANewFrameworkforMeasuringPovertyandLifeChances 77

EarlyYearsFoundationStageiscurrentlybeing 5.24 InordertomaketheLocalLifeChances carriedoutbyDameClareTickell.Wewould Indicatorsasusefulaspossible,werecommend supportanyrecommendationfromthisreview thatwhereverappropriatewithoutcompromising forchecksofchildren’sdevelopment,particularly itsprimaryuse,informationcollectedlocallyis between24and36monthsandatagefive,andwe comparabletothedatacollectedatthenational wouldsupportthejoiningupofthefirstofthese level.So,forexample,iftheEarlyYearsFoundation withtheexistingagetwohealthcheck.Inaddition, Stagereviewweretorecommendchecksatage anychecksatagefiveshouldcomplementthese fivetoassesschildren’scognitivedevelopment, earlierchecks. therelevantteamswithinGovernmentshould worktogethertoensurethatthislocallycollected 5.23 InlinewiththeGovernment’snewapproach measureofcognitivedevelopmentiscomparable totransparencyandaccountability,werecommend tothemeasureofcognitivedevelopmentincluded thatthiskindofdata,whichisalreadygathered inthenationalsurveyfortheLifeChances locallyforotherpurposes,butwhichprovides Indicators. informationonchildren’slifechances,shouldbe madepubliclyavailablesothatslimmeddownLocal 5.25 Table5.2providesanexampleofhowdata LifeChancesIndicatorscanbecreatedforevery collectedatthelocallevel,inthiscaseaspartof localauthority.Suchdatacouldalsobeusedto theagetwohealthchecks,couldbeusedtocreate createindicatorsforothergeographies,suchascity LocalLifeChancesIndicatorswhichwouldmap regionsorlocalneighbourhoods. acrosstothenationalLifeChancesIndicators.

Table 5.2 Example of making local and national data comparable, to enable the creation of Local Life Chances Indicators Factor that will Information needed Potential concerns Potential solutions be measured for to create Local Life about using age two (these would require national Life Chances Chances Indicators health check to collect further consideration Indicators information by the Government) Cognitivedevelopment Levelofcognitive Healthvisitorsdonot Ifnecessar y,health development. haveenoughtimeto visitorscouldcollect collectfromeverychild asub-setofthesame thecomprehensive data. cognitivedevelopment datathatwillbe collectedforthe nationalsurvey. Physicaldevelopment Levelofphysical Healthvisitorsdonot Ifnecessar y,health development. haveenoughtimeto visitorscouldcollect collectfromeverychild asub-setofthesame thecomprehensive data. physicaldevelopment datathatwillbe collectedforthe nationalsurvey. 78 TheFoundationYears

Table 5.2 Example of making local and national data comparable, to enable the creation of Local Life Chances Indicators (continued) Factor that will Information needed Potential concerns Potential solutions be measured for to create Local Life about using age two (these would require national Life Chances Chances Indicators health check to collect further consideration Indicators information by the Government) Social,emotional Levelofsocial, Healthvisitorsdonot Ifnecessar y,health andbehavioural emotionaland haveenoughtimeto visitorscouldcollect development behavioural collectfromeverychild asub-setofthesame development. thecomprehensive data. datathatwillbe collectedforthe nationalsurvey. Homelearning QualityofHLE. HLEshouldnotbe GoodHLEappearsto environment(HLE) coveredintheagetwo haveadirectimpacton healthcheckbecauseit development,soitis isnotrelatedtohealth. entirelyappropriatefor ittobecovered. Healthvisitorsdonot Healthvisitorscould haveenoughtimeto askasubsetofthe assessHLEindetailfor widersetofHLE everychild. questions,suchasthose aboutlearningactivities undertakenwiththe child. Positiveparenting Levelofwarmthand Parentswillfeelthey Healthvisitorscould responsiveness.Extent arebeingtestedand usetheleastintrusive ofboundarysettingand thiscouldundermine questionsfromthe routine. theroleofthehealth survey,forexample, visitor. questionsabout bedtimes,mealtimes andTVwatching. Orhealthvisitorscould assessparentingby observation,provided asuitablyobjective approachcouldbe developed. Mother’sage Alreadycollected. Mother’squalifications Highestqualification Motherwillfeelshe Healthvisitorsmight gainedbymother. isbeingjudgedand beabletoraisethis thiscouldundermine questioninthecontext theroleofthehealth ofskillsdevelopmentor visitor. returningtowork. ANewFrameworkforMeasuringPovertyandLifeChances 79

Table 5.2 Example of making local and national data comparable, to enable the creation of Local Life Chances Indicators (continued) Factor that will Information needed Potential concerns Potential solutions be measured for to create Local Life about using age two (these would require national Life Chances Chances Indicators health check to collect further consideration Indicators information by the Government) Maternalmentalhealth Maternalmentalhealth. Motherwillfeelsheis Healthvisitorscould beingjudged/testedand usetheirjudgement thiscouldundermine todecideifquestions theroleofthehealth onmentalhealthare visitor. inappropriate. Ifthisisthecase, healthvisitorscould assessmentalhealthby observation,provided asuitablyobjective approachcouldbe developed. Qualityofnurserycare Qualityofnurserycare. Qualityofnurserycare Ideally,healthvisitors shouldnotbecovered wouldhavetimeto intheagetwohealth engagewithfamilies checkbecauseitisnot aboutthequalityof relatedtohealth. nurserycareavailable.If thisisnotfeasiblethen itmightbepossible forthemtocollect justthenameofthe provider.Information onthequalityofthe provider(forexample, fromOfsted)could thenbelinkedinlater, duringthecreationof theLocalLifeChances Indicators. Income/poverty Whetherthechildis Discussionofincome Toavoiddirect inpoverty/low-income isinappropriateduring discussionofincome, forthepurposesofthe ahealthcheck.Parents thehealthvisitorcould indicators. willfeeltheyarebeing askinsteadwhetherthe judgedandthiscould householdreceivesany underminetheroleof meanstestedbenefits, thehealthvisitor. whichwouldprovide someinformation aboutthehousehold’s financialstatusinaless intrusiveway. 80 TheFoundationYears

Figure 5.2 Household consumption of benefits in kind (measured by expenditure on public services) by net equivalised income quintile (£ per week, 2010/11)

250

200

150

100 Beneﬁts in kind

0 Poorest 20% Middle 20% Richest 20%

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.

5.26 ThecombinationofthenationalLife Indicators,thentherewillbenoneedtocontinue ChancesIndicators,withdatafromuniversal collectingnationallifechancesdatathrougha healthanddevelopmentchecks(theagetwo survey.Itwillbepossiblejusttoaggregateup healthchecksandpotentialEarlyYearsFoundation thelocalleveldata.However,anationalsurvey Stagechecksatagestwoandfive)wouldtogether measurewillbenecessaryintheshorttermat provideaninvaluablesourceofinformationwith least.Thisoriginalnationalmeasurewillprovidea whichtoevaluatethesuccessoftheFoundation benchmarkintermsofdesignandqualitywhich Years.Thesesourcesoflocaldatacouldalsobe anyfutureaggregatedmeasureshouldhaveto usedtoensurethatprovidersareaccountable meet.Itiscrucialtohavethisqualitybenchmark, fortheresourcesthatareinvestedinthem. becauselocaldatacollectedfornon-survey Chapter4discussesinmoredetailwaysinwhich purposescanbedifferentinnature,andless accountabilitymightbeimproved. objective,thansurveydata.Inthemeantime,if somebutnotallofthenineindicatorscanbe 5.27 Iflocallevelmeasuresarewidelyadopted createdrobustlyusinglocalleveldata,theReview bystakeholders,andiftheyprovetobesuitably wouldencouragethatthislocaldataislinkedin robustandcomprehensiveincomingyears,and tothesurveydata,ratherthancollectedagain abletomeaningfullycoverallnineofthefactors throughthenationalsurvey. whicharecoveredbythenationalLifeChances ANewFrameworkforMeasuringPovertyandLifeChances 81

5.28 Wehopethatintimethenationalandlocal theirparentsfrommovingintowork;lackof LifeChancesIndicatorswillbesupplemented subsidisedlocaltransportcanpreventthemfrom bydetailedqualitativeinformation,collectedby takingpartinafter-schoolclubsandsocialactivities researchersandacademicswhoareinterestedin iftheyhavenoaccesstoprivatetransport;and howalifechancesapproachworksinpractice, poorpolicingandneighbourhoodmanagement andtheeffectthatitcanhaveonindividualfamilies canleavethemwithnosafeplacetoplay4. andchildren. 5.32 TheReviewrecommendsthatthe Governmentdevelopsameasureofservice iii Other measures qualitywhichispublishedannuallyandistakeninto 5.29 Sofarthereporthasarguedthatinfuture considerationwhentheGovernmentisassessing thereshouldbeamuchgreateremphasison anddevelopingchildpovertystrategy.Thenew improvingthelongtermlifechancesofpoorer measureshouldmeetthesetwokeyrequirements: children.TheLifeChancesIndicatorswilldrive Itshouldcaptureimprovementsinpublic progresstowardsthisnewapproach.Inaddition • servicesforchildrenfromlowincomefamilies. toadoptingthenewindicators,wethinkthereare Thiswillrebalancetheincentivescreatedby twootherwaysinwhichtheGovernment’scurrent thecurrentincomemeasures,andensurethat monitoringframeworkcouldbeimproved: investmentinpublicservicesisrecognised •Itshouldcapturetheimpactofservicequality asoneappropriatepolicyresponsetochild onlivingstandards. poverty. •Itshouldprovideinformationonwhatis •Itshouldshowhowthequalityofservices happeningtothelivingstandardsofthevery availabletochildrenfromlowincomefamilies poorestchildren. compareswiththequalityoftheservices availabletotheirmoreaffluentpeers. Service quality 5.33 Measurementofthequalityandavailability 5.30 Itisobviousthatthequalityoflifeofall ofservicesisknowntobemethodologically childrenisinfluencedbythequalityofthepublic difficult,andwerecommendthattheGovernment servicesavailabletothem.Thisisespeciallytruefor consultswithinternalandexternalexpertsto poorerchildren,becausetheytendtohavegreater takethisrecommendationforward.However,to needofthesekindsofservices(forexample, providesomeguidanceonthekindofmeasure childrenfrompoorerhouseholdsaremorelikely thatisenvisagedandhowitmightbedeveloped, toexperienceillhealthandthereforeneedaccess wepresenttwopossibleoptionsforaservice tohealthservices). qualitymeasurewhichinitialconsultationhas suggestedareconceptuallyfeasible(seeAnnexB). 5.31 Figure5.2presentsconsumptionofpublic IftheGovernmentacceptsthisrecommendation servicesbyhouseholdincomequintile,andreveals itwillneedtobuildoneoftheseoptionsintoa therelativeimportanceofpublicservicesto workingmeasure,ordevelopanalterative.In thelivesofpoorerfamilies.Researchevidence doingso,itshouldconsiderthefollowing: emphasisestheimpactthatpublicserviceshave ontheexperiencesofsomechildrencurrently 5.34 First,howtoensurethatthenewmeasure growingupinlowincomefamilies.Forexample: meetsthekeyrequirementssetoutinparagraph lackofflexiblehighqualitychildcarecanprevent 5.32.

4 � Ridge, T. (2009) Living with poverty: A review of the literature on children’s and families’ experiences of poverty, DWP. 82 TheFoundationYears

5.35 Second,whichserviceareasshouldbe •Qualityassessmentdata:forexample,the capturedbythenewmeasure.Werecommend Ofstedassessmentofthelocalschool,ordata thatearlyyears,primaryandsecondaryeducation onhospitalquality. andhealthservicesareallcaptured.Otherservice Geographicaldistancetoqualityservices:for areaswhichwethinkcouldbeincludedinthe • serviceswhereitisreasonabletoassume measureare:crimeandpolicing,housing,leisure thatproximityistheprimaryaccessissue,the andplayfacilitiesandqualityoflocalenvironment. distancefromaperson’shometothenearest Therearealsoserviceswhichdonotaffect goodqualityprovisioncouldbemeasured5. childrendirectly,butwhichcanhaveanindirect effect,forexample,adulthealthservices.Itwillbe 5.37 Overthelongerterm,arobustservice necessarytodecidewhethertheseserviceareas qualitymeasurecouldbecombinedwithone shouldalsobeincluded. oftheincomemeasures,toproduceamulti- dimensionalmeasurethatcoversbothafamily’s 5.36 Third,whatdatatousetomeasurequality abilitytopurchasemarketgoodsandservices,and of,andaccessto,publicservices.Therearea thequalityofthenon-marketgoodsandservicesit numberofaspectsofservicethatcouldbe isabletoaccess;agenuinemultidimensional‘quality measured: oflife’measure. •Individualperceptionofservices:forexample,a surveycouldbeusedtoaskhouseholdstorate Severe poverty thequalityoftheservicestheyhaveaccessto 5.38 Oneoftheprimarymessagesofthisreport, onascalefrom1to10.Thiswouldallowthe supportedbytheevidencewepresent,isthat measuretocapturebothaccessandquality. increasedincome,onitsown,isinsufficientto •Take-upofprovision:themeasurecouldutilise improvethelifechancesofpoorchildren.Our informationaboutwhetherornotpeople focushasthereforebeenondevelopingmeasures actuallytake-upparticularservices,whichis whichwillincentivisepolicythatdoesnotfocusso anempiricalindicationofwhethertheyare heavilyonincome.TheLifeChancesIndicatorsand accessible.Forexample,itwouldbepossibleto servicequalitymeasurearenon-financialmeasures usedataonthetake-upofthefreechildcare whichareintendedtodothis. availableforthreeandfouryearsolds.Itwould 5.39 However,theReviewalsowantsto benecessarytotakeintoaccountthatsome recognisetheimportanceofensuringthatchildren householdsdonottakeupaservicebecause donotexperienceseverefinancialandmaterial theydonotneedit:afamilyshouldnotbe povertywhiletheyaregrowingup. classedaspooriftheydonottakeuptheirfree childcareplacebecausetheychoosetohave 5.40 Ithasnotbeenpossiblewithinthetimescale privatechildcareinstead. oftheReviewtodevelopapovertymeasurewhich wethinkcapturesthese‘severelypoor’childrenin Arealeveladministrativedata:forexample,we • arobustway,butwedowanttosuggestthatthe couldusethecrimeratesinahousehold’slocal Governmentconsiderswaysinwhichtheimpact areaasameasureofthequalityofservicethey ofchildpovertypolicyonthesepoorestchildren receiveintermsofpolicingandcommunity canbemonitored.Thisshouldensurethatpolicy support.Otherexamplesmightberoad makersarenotincentivisedtooverlookthese accidentincidencesoraccesstogreenspaces. children,andfocusinsteadonthosewhoare 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. ANewFrameworkforMeasuringPovertyandLifeChances 83

5.41 Inmakingthissuggestion,wewouldadvise 5.45 Giventheimportanceofensuringthat againstdevelopingameasurewhichdefinessevere childrendonotexperienceprolongedmaterial povertyusinga40%ofmedianincomepoverty andfinancialdeprivationtheGovernmentshould threshold.Bothgovernmentanalysisandexternal considerwaysinwhichtheimpactofchildpoverty evidencehasrevealedthathouseholdsrecorded policyontheseverypoorestchildrencanbe asbeingrightatthebottomoftheincomescale monitored. (andthusbelow40%medianincome)tendto havelivingstandardsequatingtoincomestillbelow 60%ofmedianincomebutabove40%6.This suggeststhata40%thresholdwouldresultina measurethatwasnotrobustanddidnotcapture withsufficientaccuracythosechildrenwhowere sufferingfromtheseverestmaterialpoverty.

Recommendations 5.42 TheReview‘sprimarymeasurement recommendationisthattheGovernmentadopts anewsetofLifeChancesIndicators.These indicatorswillmeasureannualprogressata nationallevelonarangeoffactorswhichweknow tobepredictiveoffutureoutcomes,andwillbe createdusingnationalsurveydata. 5.43 Existinglocaldatashouldbecollatedand madepubliclyavailabletoenablethecreation ofLocalLifeChancesIndicatorswhichcanbe comparedwiththenationalmeasure.Inorder tomakethislocaldataasusefulaspossible, informationcollectedbyhealthvisitorsduring theagetwohealthcheck,andanyinformation collectedaspartoftheEarlyYearsFoundation Stage(followingtheresultsofDameClareTickell’s review)shouldbeassimilaraspossibletothe informationusedtocreatethenationalmeasure. 5.44 TheGovernmentshoulddevelopand publishannuallyameasureof‘servicequality’ whichcaptureswhetherchildren,andinparticular childreninlowincomefamilies,havesuitableaccess tohighqualitypublicservices.

6 Brewer, M., O’Dea, 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. 84 85

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

This chapter provides an overview of the predominant themes that of the consultation process that the were put forward through formal Review undertook and a summary consultation responses.

Summary: • FrankFieldandtheReviewteammetwithawiderangeofstakeholderswhocontributed viewsandevidencethatfedintotheReview.Therewere,inaddition,210formalwritten submissionsmadetotheReview. • Keypointshighlightedbytheformalsubmissions: – Parenting(especiallyqualityofparent-childrelationshipsandparentalengagement)andthe homelearningenvironmentweretheaspectsofearlychildhoodmostoftencitedashavingthe greatestinfluencesonpositiveoutcomesandgoodlifechances. – Therewasconsensusthatthehomelearningenvironmentiscentraltosupportingallformsof achild’sdevelopment. – Increasedearlyyearssupportthathelpsparentstounderstandchilddevelopmentandoffersa broadrangeofparentingadviceiscrucial. – Thereisaneedforamoreholistic‘familyapproach’toboththedesignanddeliveryof servicesandthemeasurementofchildpoverty. – Earlyyearsservicesforchildrenandparentsmustbemoreeffectivelyintegratedand coordinated. – Schoolsmustdomoretoengagewithparentstoencouragethemtosupportlearningat home. – Measuresofchildpovertycouldbeenhancedbysupplementingincomemeasureswitha rangeofcarefullyselectedparent,childandenvironmentalindicators. – Incomeisanimportantdeterminantofoutcomesforchildren,especiallyduetoits interrelationshipswithotherkeydeterminantsofoutcomes. – Parentalemploymentisakeyrouteoutofpoverty. – Qualityandstabilityofhousingisimportant.Overcrowdingcancontributesignificantlyto negativeoutcomesforchildren. 86 TheFoundationYears

The consultation process 6.5 TheCentreforSocialJustice(CSJ)madea majorefforttoassistwiththeconsultationprocess. 6.1 ThroughoutthecourseoftheReview Theycirculatedourquestionstomembersofthe wehaveconsultedwitharangeofstakeholders, CSJAlliance(anetworkofcharitiesandsocial includingpovertyexperts,deliveryorganisations, enterprises),with31organisationssubmitting charities,thinktanks,lobbygroupsandparentsand responses.WeareverygratefultotheCSJfor childrenabouttheirviewsandexperiences.The theirdedicationincollatingsuchalargenumber aimoftheconsultationprocesswastoensurethat ofresponsesandforassistingwiththeanalysisof theReviewandtherecommendationswehave thesesubmissions.Nootherpieceofevidence deliveredwereinformedbyaswidearangeof placedsuchemphasisontheimportanceof viewsandevidenceaspossible. lookingatthecausesofpovertyaswellastryingto 6.2 Theconsultationprocessconsistedof: alleviatecurrentpoverty. •Stakeholdermeetings,seminars,workshopsand 6.6 SubmissionsfromtheCSJAlliance evidencesessions. emphasisedtheroleofthefamilyandrelationships asbeingkeydeterminantsofpositiveoutcomes. Aninvitationtosubmitformalresponsestoaset • Structureandstabilityofthefamily,emotional ofconsultationquestions,aswellasanyother stabilityoftheparents,parentingskills,quality relevantsupportingdocuments. ofadultandchildrelationships,inter-adult •Visitstochildren’scentres,schoolsandcharities. relationshipsandpositiveadultrolemodelswere allidentifiedascrucialfactors.Loveandaffection Attendanceatexternalconferencesand • inacommittedfamilysettingwasbyfarthesingle seminarsbyFrankFieldandmembersofthe aspectofearlychildhoodmostoftencitedas Reviewteam. havingthegreatestinfluence. 6.3 Theoverallconsultationprocessranfrom 6.7 179writtenresponses(including29from mid-Junerightupuntilthefinaldevelopment membersofpublic)weresubmitteddirectlyto ofrecommendationsinNovember.Wewere FrankFieldandtheReviewteam,which,combined delightedwiththelargenumberofresponses withtheCSJAlliancesubmissions,resultedina totheReviewconsultation,withatotalof463 totalof210formalreponses.Alistofrespondents responsesreceived. isprovidedinAppendixC.Wehavenotdisclosed 6.4 Formalresponsestotheconsultation namesofprivateindividuals.Asignificantnumber questionswereacceptedfrom14July2010 ofmembersofthepublicalsocontributedtheir to1October2010.Asetofnineconsultation viewsthroughlettersconcerningtheReviewthat questionswasdevelopedbytheReviewteam weresenttoFrankField(atotalof253letters whichaimedtofocusontheissuesthatwe werereceived).Weverymuchappreciatethat consideredtobeattheheartoftheReview. somanypeopletookthetimetogetintouch Respondentswerealsoinvitedtoincludeadditional withtheirviewsonsomanyimportantissues.All relevantviewsorinformationnotcoveredbythe correspondencewasreadandallconsultation questions.Inordertoensurethatthequestions submissionswereanalysedbymembersofthe werecirculatedwidely,theywere:hostedon Reviewteamandwereconsideredaspartofthe theReviewwebsite(withtextboxestoallow evidenceprocessthatfedintothefinalreport. forelectronicsubmission);senttoanextensive 6.8 FrankFieldandtheReviewteamalsoheld Governmentdatabaseofcontactsrelevanttothe over100sessions,includingmeetings,seminars Review’stermsofreference;andprovideddirectly andworkshops,withorganisationsandprominent tomembersofthepublicwhohadcontacted individualswhocontributedevidenceandviews FrankFieldabouttheReview.Submissions totheReview.FrankFieldandmembersofthe wereacceptedviathewebsite,viaemailandby teamalsoattendedarangeofrelevantexternal post.Responsesthatdidnotconformtothe conferencesandseminars,andmadevisitsto consultationquestionframeworkandadditional children’scentres,schoolsandcharitiesacrossthe relevantdocumentswerealsoaccepted. country. OverviewoftheConsultationProcessandSummaryofFormalSubmissions 87

6.9 Weareverygratefultoeveryonewhotook Severalrespondentsalsocitedtheimpactof partintheconsultationprocessinallitsforms.All nutrition,withlow-incomegroupstendingtohave theevidencethatwehavegatheredhasplayed lesshealthydiets. acrucialroleinhelpingustodevelopourfinal 6.14 Thequalityandstabilityofhousingwas recommendations.Alistoforganisationsthathave alsomentionedasanimportantfactor,with contributedtotheconsultationprocessisprovided overcrowdinginparticularviewedascontributing inAnnexC. significantlytonegativeoutcomes.

Summary of written evidence submitted What single aspect of early childhood has the to the Review greatest influence? 6.10 Wehavesummarisedbelowthe 6.15 Thehomelearningenvironmentand predominantthemesandviewsforeach parentingweretheaspectsmostoftencitedby consultationquestionthatcameoutstronglyfrom respondentsashavingthegreatestinfluence.Many analysisofallwrittenconsultationevidence. focusedinparticularonparent-childrelationships (encompassingtherangeofaspectsmentioned Which aspects of children’s early years are inparagraph6.11).Thethirdmostcitedfactor the most important determinants of positive washouseholdincome.Itwasoftennotedthat outcomes and good life chances? itisdifficulttopickoutanyonesingleaspect,but 6.11 Respondentscontributedawiderange thatthefocusshouldbeonanumberofrelated ofviewstothisquestion.Manyhighlighted factors. theimportanceofstrongparentandchild relationships.Keyfactorsputforwardwerethe How can early years support, from parents, qualityofengagementbetweenparentand children’s services and the community best child,theformingofstrongattachmentsandthe deliver positive outcomes for the most demonstrationoflove,careandaffectionfrom disadvantaged children and their families? theearliestdaysofachild’slife,whichcanbe 6.16 Severalrespondentsindicatedthatassisting crucialtothechilddevelopingemotionalstrength parentswithunderstandingchilddevelopmentand andresilience.Parentalstylewasviewedasbeing providingabreadthofparentingadvicearetwo centraltopositiveoutcomes,withprovisionoflove ofthemostcrucialaspectsofearlyyearssupport. andwarmthandthesettingofrulesandroutines Supportthatleadstoimprovementsinparent- seentobeoptimal.Parentingskills,knowledgeand childinteractionsandhelpsparentstocopewith aspirationsalsohaveasignificantimpact.Parental thepressuresofparentingwasviewedasespecially mentalhealthandemotionalstabilityofthe important.Othersalsoindicatedthatparents parentswassuggestedbymanyasakeyfactorin requireincreasedsupportinunderstandingthe determiningoutcomesforthechild. behavioursthatleadtobetteroutcomesfor children,whichcouldbedeliveredthroughSure 6.12 Householdincomewasviewedbya StartChildren’sCentresand/orFamilyNurse significantnumberofrespondentsasbeingan Partnerships.Itwashighlightedthatstrategiesthat importantdeterminantofchildren’soutcomes, developparentingandbasicskillsoffamilieswhen especiallyduetoitsinterrelationshipswithother childrenareyoungcanhavesignificantpositive keydeterminantsofpositiveoutcomes. impactsonlong-termeducationaloutcomes. 6.13 Theimportanceforthechildofgood 6.17 Alargenumberofrespondentsemphasised qualityearlyyearsservices,includingpre-school theimportanceofa‘familyapproach’toservices, education,nurserycareandhealthservices,was withashiftfromfrontlineservicescentredon emphasisedbymanyrespondents.Therewas theindividualtofamilyfocussedservicesrequired. agreementthatsocial,emotionalandcognitive Moreeffectivelyintegrated(andindeedbetter development(particularlylanguageability)isvital co-ordinated)supportserviceswerealsoseen andthatthehomelearningenvironmentiscentral tobecrucial.ManyviewedSureStartChildren’s tosupportingallformsofchilddevelopment. 88 TheFoundationYears

Centresasthemosteffectivemechanismsfor In what ways do family and the home deliveringsuch‘joined-up’support,whichshould environment affect children’s life chances? offerafullrangeofservicestobothparents 6.22 Manyrespondentsbelievedparentstobe (includingsupportingadultlearningandbasicskills themostsignificantinfluenceontheirchildren’s aswellasemploymentservices)andchildren. lives,witheffectiveparentingbeingcentralto Theseservicesmustberigorouslytargetedon nurturingresilience.Damagingparentalconflict meetingtheneedsofparentsandchildren,and wasnotedasbeingamajorcauseofchild bedevelopedinpartnershipwithfamilies,rather adjustmentdifficulties.Fractured,unstableor thanbeingimposeduponthem.Manyrespondents unlovingfamilieswereviewedtohaveaserious believedthatservicesmustdomuchmoreto negativeimpactonachild’slifechances,asthey effectivelyengageparentswhohavetraditionally candamageachild’sself-esteem,trustandability beenhardertoreach.Anumberofsubmissions toformpositiverelationshipsandtohaveclear alsoemphasisedthatchildren’sservicesneedtobe aspirations.Respondentsalsopointedoutthatbad more‘father-friendly’.Thecontinuationofuniversal parentalexamplesandpoorlifechoicesareoften serviceswaswidelycitedasbeingvital,especially passeddownfromonegenerationtothe next. topreventstigmatisationandenable‘socialmixing’. Healthvisitorswerehighlightedasawelcomingand 6.23 Asignificantnumberofrespondents non-stigmatisingservice,withsomerespondents emphasisedthatthehomelearningenvironment praisingthemasbeingparticularlyeffectiveat canbemorepowerfulthansocio-economic reachingthosethatneedthemthemost,though background,andthatastronghomelearning otherssuggestedthatmorecouldbe done. environmentcangoalongwaytowardscountering theeffectsofpoverty. 6.18 Severalrespondentsnoted“mistrustof services”asbeinganissueandthatfamiliestendto 6.24 Respondentsalsonotedthatpoorhousing trustvoluntaryservicesmorethanstatutoryones conditionsnegativelyaffecthealthandeducational (andindeedthatgovernmentshouldtakethisinto attainment.Overcrowdedlivingspacescancause accountwhencommissioningservices). childrentofeelstressedfromanearlyage;makeit difficultforthemtofindspacetodohomework; 6.19 Strategiescentredoneducationand andcanalsohavesignificantnegativeimpactsona employment,especiallyintermsofimproving child’shealth. theskillsofparents,wereviewedbyseveral respondentsasfundamentaltopovertyreduction. What role can the Government play in supporting Indeed,manysubmissionsemphasisedthat parents to ensure children grow up in a home parentalemploymentisakeyrouteoutofpoverty. environment which allows them to get the most 6.20 Respondentsalsohighlightedthe out of their schooling? importanceofearlyinterventions.Manystressed 6.25 Manyrespondentscommentedonschools thatinterventionsmusthaveastrongtheoretical engagingwithfamilies.Severalrecommended evidencebaseandtheimportanceoflookingat thatschoolsfocustheireffortsonengaging interventionsthatworkfirstonasmallerscale. parentstosupportlearningathome.However,it Thefactthatinterventionsneedtobesustained wasindicatedthatmoreremainstobedoneto tobeeffectivewasalsoemphasised.Early convincesomeschoolsthatparentalengagementis identificationofneed,especiallyfromtheparents’ centraltothecorepurposeofraisingachievement. perspective,isalsoseentobeimportant. Otherssuggestedthatextendedservicesshould beprovidedwithinschoolsthatencourageparent 6.21 Mentoringwassuggestedinseveral andchildlearningtogether.Itwaswidelynoted submissionsasaneffectivemethodtohelpprevent thatprimaryandsecondaryschoolsneedtodo familiesreachingcrisispoint. moretoensurethatrelationshipswithparentsare maintainedaschildrengetolder. OverviewoftheConsultationProcessandSummaryofFormalSubmissions 89

6.26 Anumberofrespondentssuggested What constitutes child poverty in modern Britain? thatparentingshouldbetaughtaspartofthe 6.31 Themajorityofrespondentsagreedthat curriculuminschools.Itwasproposedthat whilstlowincomeisclearlyimportant,thereisa pupilsshouldbetaughtaboutrelationshipsand needtoconsiderabroaderrangeofissuesthat childdevelopmentinparticular.Othersnoted constitutechildpoverty,suchas: thatparents’ownnegativeexperiencesofthe educationsystemcanaffecttheirabilityanddesire •achildlackingthelove,attentionandsupport toworktogetherwiththeirchild’sschool,andthat neededforpositivedevelopment; thisissueshouldbeaddressed. •failuretofulfilachild’snormativephysical,social, emotionalandpsychologicaldevelopmentneeds; What role do family earnings and income play in children’s outcomes and life chances? •exclusionfromactivitiesthatareessentialfor development,suchassocialinteractionsand 6.27 Manyrespondentsbelievedfamilyearnings play; andincometobeimportantdeterminantsof children’soutcomesandlifechances.Themajority •barriersthatpreventchildrenfromreaching indicatedthatitisnotnecessarilyincomepoverty theirfullpotentialandwhichnegativelyimpact itselfthatisdamaging,butitsinterrelationships theirlifechances/experiencesasanadult; withotherdeterminantsofpositiveoutcomes. •povertyofaspiration; 6.28 Anexampleputforwardinmany materialdeprivation;and submissionswasthefactthatlowincomecan • haveanegativepsychologicalimpactonparents, •achildbeingunlikelytoachievethestandards includingthefactthattheymayfeelthatthey ofhealth,housing,accesstoservices,safetyand havefailedtoprovidetheirchildrenwithadecent educationenjoyedbythoselivinginhouseholds upbringing.Anumberofrespondentsalso above60%medianincome. emphasisedthatincome-stressedparentsanxious aboutmoney,withinsecurejobsandunsocial How can our measures of child poverty be hours,haveamuchreducedcapacitytospend reformed to better focus policy development and qualitytimewiththeirchildren.Lowincomecan investment on delivering positive outcomes and furtherundermineparentingcapacityduetoits improved life chances for children? damagingimpactonmentalandphysicalhealth. 6.32 Alargenumberofrespondentscommented 6.29 Itwasalsoemphasisedthatlowincome thatconcentratingonincomealoneistoo canhavearangeofnegativeimpactsonachild’s simplisticasmostvulnerablefamiliesexperience wellbeing.Severalresponsesnotedthatchildren complexdeprivationmadeupofarangeofneeds areveryawareofpovertyfromanearlyage, anddifficulties.Somesuggestedlookingbeyond andthatthiscannegativelyaffecttheirattitudes, incometosocialandeducationalopportunity. behavioursandfeelingofcontrolovertheirlives, Manyrespondentsemphasisedthatamoreholistic, aswellascausethemtohaveloweraspirations. ‘familyapproach’tomeasurementisrequired. Forexample,childrendolesswellintermsof 6.33 Severalrespondentsstronglyfeltthat educationalattainmentwhentheyhavelessbelief thefourmeasuressetoutintheChildPoverty intheideathattheiractionscanhaveaneffect. Actshouldremaintheheadlinemeasures,but Materialpoverty,whichcanforexamplepreventa indicatedthatthereisscopefordeveloping childfromgoingonaschooltrip,canalsoleadto additionalindicatorstositbelowthesetargetsand socialexclusion. coverabroaderrangeofissues.Somesuggested 6.30 Similarly,otherrespondentsindicatedthat supplementingincomemeasureswithwellbeing thenegativeimpactcomespredominantlyfrom measuresandindicatorsthattakeexternalfactors thefactthatearningandincomeoftendetermine intoaccount. qualityoflivingconditions,thehomelearning environment,health,dietandaccesstoactivities. 90 TheFoundationYears

6.34 Severalrespondentsthoughtthatit •Qualityofneighbourhood wouldbeusefultohavemeasuresofsevereand Accesstoplayfacilities persistentpovertyandalsoameasurethatfocuses • onavailabilityandqualityofservices.Others •Levelofcommunityinvolvement suggestedusingameasurebasedonminimum Relativeandabsolutelowincome incomestandards. • 6.35 Additionalsuggestedimprovements Additional views: included:measuresthatbothmoreeffectivelytake 6.37 Therewasbroadconsensusthattheearly accountofthelocalcontextandcanbebroken years(agezerotothreeinparticular)arecrucial downandusedlocally;an‘afterhousingcosts’ andthatinterventionsearlyinachild’slifearemost povertymeasure;andafocusonraisingawareness effectiveinimprovingoutcomesandlifechances. ofkeyissuesinthepublicmindset. However,anumberofresponsesstressedthatitis importantnottofocusentirelyontheearlyyears. What are the strong predictors of children’s Earlyinterventionsafteragefivearealsocrucial, life chances which might be included in any new especiallyatkeytransitionpoints. measure of child poverty? 6.38 Therewasalsogeneralagreementthat 6.36 Predictorssuggestedinclude: schoolsarenotcurrentlybreakingthelink •Parentaleducation betweenpovertyandpoorlifechancesanddonot narrowtheoutcomesgapaschildrengetolder. •Parentalemployment 6.39 Severalrespondentsstressedthe Mother’sageatbirthofchild • importanceofincreasedinvestmentinearlyyears •Poornutritionduringpregnancy servicesandthatthereshouldbeareversalofthe currentsystemofspendingmoremoneyonthe Maternalhealth • educationofchildrentheoldertheyget.Itwas •Parents’mentalhealth suggestedthatalong-termstrategyisrequired toredirectresourcesintoearlyintervention Parentingskills • investment. Parentingbehaviour • 6.40 Anumberofresponsesindicatedthatthere •Familystructureandstability isabeneficialimpactofachildgrowingupina familythatoperatesaspartofawidernetwork Parentalinvolvementinchildcare/education • (extendedfamily,community,churchetc). Leveloffather’sinvolvement • 6.41 Theimportanceofnotunderestimatingthe •Child’spsychologicalwell-being impactofthesignificantreductioninthenumber ofunskilledjobsincertainareasofthecountry Child’scognitivedevelopment • wasstressedbyanumberofsubmissions. Child’ssocialdevelopment • 6.42 Manyrespondentsalsopointedoutthat •Child’squalityofdiet disabilityremainsoneofthemostsignificant indicatorsofgreaterchancesoflivinginpoverty. •Aspirations(bothparentandchild) 6.43 Anumberofrespondentsbelievedalackof Accesstogoodpre-schooleducation • positiverolemodelsforchildrentobeasignificant •Accesstochildcare problem. •UseofSureStartChildren’sCentres •Qualityandsuitabilityofhousing OverviewoftheConsultationProcessandSummaryofFormalSubmissions 91 92

Annexes 93

Annex A: Life Chances Indicators – Recommended Measures

Table A.1 Factors Key elements Recommended measures Child Cognitive Languageandcommunication BritishAbilityScales(inparticular developmentatage development,problemsolvingskills thenamingvocabularyandpicture three andschoolreadiness similaritiessub-scales) BrackenSchoolReadinessAssessment Behavioural,social Emotionalhealth,behaviouraland StrengthsandDifficulties andemotional conductproblems,hyperactivity,peer Questionnaireforthreetofouryear developmentatage relationshipsandpositivebehaviour olds three Physicaldevelopment Bodymassindex(BMI)andgeneral HeightandweighttocalculateBMI atagethree healthofchild Parentalratingofchild’sgeneralhealth Parent Homelearning Activitiesthatparentsundertakewith HomeLearningIndexfromthe environment theirchild(ren)whichhaveapositive EffectiveProvisionofPre-School effectontheirdevelopment,such Education(EPPE)study asreadingwiththeirchild,teaching songsandnurseryrhymes,painting anddrawing,playingwithletters andnumbers,visitingthelibrary, teachingthealphabetandnumbers, andcreatingregularopportunities forthemtoplaywiththeirfriendsat home Maternalmental Generalmeasureofmental ShortForm12orKessler6 health healththatenablesidentification ofsignificantlevelsofdistressor impairedfunctionassociatedwith commonmentaldisorders,suchas anxietyanddepression 94 TheFoundationYears

Factors Key elements Recommended measures Positiveparenting Warmthofparent-childrelationship Piantachild-parentrelationshipscale (includingparent’saffection,praise MillenniumCohortStudyauthoritative andempathywiththeirchildaswell parentingmeasures aschild’sopenness,affectionand feelingtowardsparent)andcontrol ofparentoverchild(including parentaldisciplineandtheextent towhichthechildobeysparental requests) Mother’seducational Educational,school,vocationalor StandardUKeducational,school, qualifications otherqualifications vocationalorotherqualifications thatallowforcategorisationintothe NationalQualificationsFramework andQualificationsandCredit Frameworklevels Mother’sageatbirth Ageinyearsandmonths offirstchild Environment Qualityofnursery Qualityofnurserycarecentres EarlyChildhoodEnvironmentRating care covering:aspectsofthesetting(both Scale(ECERS) facilitiesandhumanresources);the educationalandcareprocesseswhich childrenexperienceeveryday;and theoutcomesorthelongerterm consequencesoftheeducationand carethechildreceives 95

Annex B: Options for a New Measure of Service Quality

1. Hereweproposetwopossibleframeworks •Take-upofprovision:theindexcoulduse foraservicequalitymeasure,whichcouldbetaken informationaboutwhetherornotpeople forwardbytheGovernment. actuallytake-upparticularservices,whichis anempiricalindicationofwhethertheyare Option1:Amulti-dimensionalservicequality • accessible.Forexample,itwouldbepossibleto index,whichcombinesindividuallevelsurvey usedataonthetake-upofthefreechildcare data,usagedataandarealeveladministrative availableforthreeandfouryearsolds.Itwould datatoproduceanindividuallevelindexof benecessarytotakeintoaccountthatsome servicequality. householdsdonottakeupaservicebecause •Option2:A‘servicedeprivation’measure, theydonotneedit:afamilyshouldnotbe tomirrortheexistingmaterialdeprivation classedaspooriftheydonottakeuptheirfree measure,basedonpeople’sperceptionof childcareplacebecausetheychoosetohave whethertheyhave‘sufficient’accesstoservices privatechildcareinstead. of‘sufficient’quality. •Arealeveladministrativedata:forexample,we couldusethecrimeratesinahousehold’slocal Option1: multi-dimensional service quality areaasameasureofthequalityofservicethey index receiveintermsofpolicingandcommunity 2. Thismeasurewoulduseamethodology support.Otherexamplesmightberoad similartothatusedtocreatetheIndexof accidentincidenceoraccesstogreenspaces. MultipleDeprivation,which–atanarealevel– •Qualityassessmentdata:forexample,the combinesarangeofdifferentnumericalmeasures Ofstedassessmentofthelocalschool,ordata foragivenareaintoasinglenumber.Forexample, onhospitalquality. itcombinesnumericaldataonhousingconditions, airqualityandroadtrafficaccidentstocreatea •Geographicaldistancetoqualityservices:for ‘LivingEnvironmentDeprivation’scoreforevery serviceswhereitisreasonabletoassume CensusSuperOutputAreainthecountry.Seven thatproximityistheprimaryaccessissue,the suchscoresarethenweightedandcombinedto distancefromaperson’shometothenearest createanoverallMultipleDeprivationscore.In goodqualityprovisioncouldbemeasured. thecaseofthemulti-dimensionalservicequality 3. Thechoiceofmeasureswouldbebasedon index,wewouldexpectthenumericalmeasures relevanceandavailabilityandwouldalsohaveto combinedintheindextocapture: takeintoaccountthesuitabilityofthemeasureto •Individualperceptionofservices:forexample,a becombinedwithothersinamulti-dimensional surveycouldbeusedtoaskhouseholdstorate index.Exactlyhowthedifferentmeasureschosen thequalityoftheservicestheyhaveaccessto wouldbecombinedtogetherwoulddependon onascalefrom1to10.Thiswouldallowthe conceptualchoicesaboutwhichfactorsaremost measuretocapturebothaccessandquality. important,aswellasstatisticalrequirements. 96 TheFoundationYears

Forexample,theremaybemorearealevel A household’stotalmaterialdeprivationscoreis measuresavailablethanindividuallevelmeasures, thesumofthescoreofeveryitemwhichtheylack buttheindividuallevelfactorsmightbegivena becausetheycannotaffordit.Anyonewithascore largerweightingtoreflectthefactthattheyare aboveagiventhresholdisdefinedasexperiencing consideredmoreimportant. materialdeprivation. 4. Theprimaryadvantageofthisoptionis 8. Thematerialdeprivationmethoddoesnot thatitcouldpotentiallytakeadvantageoflotsof measuresimplywhetherahouseholdownsagiven existingadministrativedata,andcombineitwith item;italsoasks,ifanitemisnotowned,whether arelativelysmallamountofhouseholdleveldata thisisduetobeingunabletoaffordit.Itshould collectedviaasurveytocreateanindividuallevel bepossibletotakeasimilarapproachtoservices, index. askingfirstwhetherthepersonhasagooddoctor/ school/childcareproviderwhichtheyuse,andif 5. Thedisadvantageisthatthemethodology not,whetherthatisbecausetheydonotwant forcreatingtheindexfromtheindividualmeasures thatparticularservice,orbecausetheyareunable wouldhavetobedevelopedfromscratch,andit toaccessit(perhapsprovidingalistofpossible mayprovethattheavailabledatasourcesarenot reasonswhytheyareunabletoaccessit,suchas wellsuitedtobeingcombinedinthiswayintoan distance,languageoropeninghours). index.Itisonlyafterthedatahasbeencollated andanalysedthatitispossibletoknowwhethera 9. Thematerialdeprivationmeasurealso coherentindexcanbecreated. providesapossiblemethodforchoosingwhich servicesshouldbeincludedinthelist;they Option 2: ‘service deprivation’ measure shouldreflectthetypesofservicesthatpeople inthegeneralpopulationthinkare‘necessary’ 6. Thismeasurewouldaddresstheissue foreveryonetohave,andtheyshouldallowfor ofcapturingqualityandaccessibilitybyusinga sufficientdistinctionbetweenthosewhohave methodologysimilartothatusedtocreatethe goodaccesstoqualityservicesandthosewho existing‘materialdeprivation’measureusedby do not. government. 10. Theissueofqualitymightbeharderto 7. Briefly,thatmeasureiscreatedbyasking address,asthismethodreliesontherespondent surveyrespondentswhethertheirhouseholdowns toassessquality.Thiscanbeproblematicbecause eachofalistof21goods/services.Thelistisinitially assessmentofqualitycanbeaffectedbyprevious developedusingfocusgroupandsurveydata.A experience.Sopeoplewhoareusedtolowquality listisderivedofthetypesofgoodsandservices servicesmightbesatisfiedwithprovisionwhich thatpeoplethinkare‘necessary’forpeopleto wouldnotbeconsideredsufficientbypeople haveinordertofullyparticipateincontemporary whoareaccustomedtohigherquality.However,a society.Analysisisthenusedtoensurethatthelist similarproblemexistsandhasbeenmanagedfor containsawideenoughrangeofitemstobeable thematerialdeprivationmeasure,whichrelieson todistinguishbetweenhouseholdswithdifferent therespondenttoassesswhetherornottheycan degreesofmaterialdeprivation.Thelististhen affordanitem,whichisobviouslysubjecttotheir includedinahouseholdsurvey,andhouseholdsare assumptionsaboutwhatotherthingsitisnecessary askedwhethertheyowneachitem.Ifahousehold tospendmoneyon.Onewaytoaddressthismight doesnotownagivenitemonthelist,theyare betodefinetheitemsonthelistasqualityservices. askedwhetherthatisbecausetheycannotafford Forexample,‘asecondaryschool’wouldnotbea it,orbecausetheydonotwantit.Everyitemon goodenoughmeasure,becausealmostallchildren thelistisallocatedascore:themorepeopleinthe willhaveaccesstosomeschool.Abetteritem populationhavethatitem,thehigherthescore. mightbe‘theschoolofyourchoice’. AnnexB:OptionsforaNewMeasureofServiceQuality 97

11. Themajorbenefitofthismeasurewould betheexistenceofasimilarmeasurethathas alreadybeendeveloped,andwhichcouldbeused asastartingpointforthedevelopmentofthe methodology,althoughclearlythiswouldhave toberefinedtocapturethisdifferentaspectof poverty. 12. Themajordisadvantageisthatitwould requirenewsurveydata,atatimewhenthe Governmentisspendinglessmoneyonsurveys. Therewouldneedtobestrongcross-government supportforsomeoftheincreasinglylimitedsurvey spaceavailabletobeallocatedtothismeasure. 98 TheFoundationYears

Annex C: Consultation Details

List of organisations who provided formal BlackburnwithDarwenBoroughCouncil submissions to the consultation: BlackpoolCouncil 58i BlueSkyDevelopment&Regeneration 4Children Booktrust A4e BradfordandWestYorkshireMethodistHousing AccordGroup(includingAshramHousing Limited Association) BristolCommunityFamilyTrust ActionforChildren BritishEmbassy,Berlin ActionforPrisoners’Families BritishEmbassy,Paris AdvertisingStandardsAuthority BritishEmbassy,Stockholm(submissioncovering AllPartyParliamentaryGrouponSureStart DenmarkandFinland) AllSoulsClubhouse BritishEmbassy,TheHague Amber BritishEmbassy,Washington AquilaWay BritishHighCommission,Canberra ARKSchools BritishHighCommission,Wellington ArtsandDramaInterventionatThornhillSchool C4EO(theCentreforExcellenceandOutcomes inChildren’sandYoungPeople’sServices) ASDAN Capacity AssessmentinCare CARE AssociationofSchoolandCollegeLeaders CentreforPublicScrutiny AssociationofTeachersandLecturers ContactaFamily BalsallHeathForum ChildPovertyActionGroup Barnardo’s Children’sFoodCampaign BarnsleyMetropolitanBoroughCouncil Children’sVoicesinFamilyLaw BBCChildreninNeed Children’sWorkforceDevelopmentCouncil Birkbeck,UniversityofLondon,Instituteforthe StudyofChildren,Families&SocialIssues ChristiansAgainstPoverty AnnexC 99

CroydonJubileeChurch InstituteofEconomicAffairs ChurchofEngland JosephRowntreeFoundation CitizensAdviceBureau KentCountyCouncil City&GuildsCentreforSkillsDevelopment KidsCompany CityLifeEducationandActionforRefugees King’sArmsProject Coram King’sCollege,InstituteofPsychiatry DaycareTrust KinshipCareAlliance DisabilityAlliance KirkleesCouncil DWPSocialInclusionAdvisoryGroup KnowsleyMetropolitanBoroughCouncil EarlyExcellence LiverpoolCityRegionPartnership EconomicandSocialResearchCouncil LocalGovernmentImprovementand Development EDENOpenshaw:TheSalvationArmy LondonBoroughofTowerHamlets e-LearningFoundation LondonBoroughofWalthamForest EndChildPoverty LondonCouncils EnergyActionScotland LondonEarlyYearsFoundation EqualityandHumanRightsCommission LondonSouthBankUniversity,WeeksCentrefor EveryChildaChanceTrust SocialandPolicyResearch EveryDisabledChildMatters LoughboroughUniversity,DepartmentofSocial FacultyofPublicHealth Sciences FamiliesNeedFathers LutonBoroughCouncil FamilyAction MakingEveryAdultMatter FamilyandParentingInstitute MAPSVolunteerCentreSutton FamilyFriends Medicash FamilyLinks MotorvationsProjectLtd FamilyMattersYork NationalChildbirthTrust FPWPHibiscus(theFemalePrisonersWelfare NationalChildren’sBureau Project) NationalFamilyInterventionStrategyBoard GreaterLondonAuthority NationalHeartForum Gingerbread NationalHousingFederation Gypsy,RomaandTravellerAchievementService NewcastleUniversity,SchoolofGeography,Politics HaringeyCouncil andSociology IndependentAcademiesAssociation NewPolicyInstitute InstituteforFiscalStudies NationalInstituteforAdultContinuingEducation (NIACE) IntoUniversity 100 TheFoundationYears

NorthStaffsYMCA SurreyCountyCouncilEarlyYearsandChildcare Service Ofsted SwedishMinistryofHealthandSocialAffairs OnePlusOne The999Club ParentandChildEmpowermentOrganisation TheAssociationofCharityOfficers ParentingUK TheAttleeFoundation ParentlinePlus TheBritishYouthCouncil PeersEarlyEducationPartnership(PEEP) TheCampaignforNationalUniversalInheritance PortsmouthCityCouncil TheChildren’sSociety PovertyAlliance TheFamilyHolidayAssociation RoyalAssociationofDisabilityRights(RADAR) TheFosteringNetwork Reflex TheFoyerFederation Relate TheLivingWellTrust RelationshipsFoundation ThePlace2Be RotherhamMetropolitanBoroughCouncil ThePovertyTruthCommission(Scotland) RoyalCollegeofPaediatricsandChildHealthand ImperialCollegeLondon ThePrince’sFoundationforChildren&theArts SafeGround ThePrince’sTrust SandwellMetropolitanBoroughCouncil ThePrisonReformTrust SavetheChildren TheSafetyZoneCommunityProject SchoolFoodTrust TheSourceYoungPeople’sCharity School-HomeSupport TraffordBoroughCouncil SheffieldHallamUniversity,CentreforRegional TranmereCommunityProject EconomicandSocialResearch TyneGateway(NorthTynesideCouncil&South Shelter TynesideCouncilChildhoodPovertyInnovation Pilot) SkillsFundingAgency UNICEFUK SocialFundCommissioner UNITE(CommunityPractitioner’s&Health SouthamptonAnti-PovertyNetwork Visitor’sAssociation) SouthamptonCityCouncil UniversityofBath,DepartmentofSocialand SouthLondon&MaudsleyNHSFoundationTrust PoliticalSciences SouthwarkCouncil UniversityofBradford StGeorge’sCrypt UniversityofCentralLancashire,Facultyof Education StGilesTrust UniversityofLeeds,SchoolofSociologyandSocial StokeSpeaksOut Policy StraightTalking AnnexC 101

UniversityofLiverpool,CentreforTheStudyof CityHall TheChild,TheFamilyandTheLaw ColumbiaUniversity,SchoolofSocialWork UniversityofManchester,TheCathieMarsh ContactaFamily CentreforCensusandSurveyResearch Coram UniversityofOxford,CentreforResearchinto ParentingandChildren CroydonLocalAuthority UniversityofOxford,DepartmentofSocialPolicy DartingtonSocialResearchUnitDaycareTrust andSocialWork Demos UniversityofYork,DepartmentofSocialPolicy EndChildPovertyCoalition andSocialWork EqualityandHumanRightsCommission U-TooCommunityBusinessLtd EveryChildaChanceTrust WestChadsmoorFamilyCentre EveryDisabledChildMatter WhatMakesYouTick FamiliesUnited TheWildernessFoundation FamilyAction WirralPartnershipHomes FamilyandParentingInstitute WomenLikeUs FamilyLinks YouthJusticeBoardforEnglandandWales FamilyRightsGroup YoungMinds FatherhoodInstitute YWCAEngland&Wales FosteringNetwork Zacchaeus2000Trust Gingerbread List of organisations that met with or GrandparentsPlus spoke to Frank Field and the Review team during the consultation process: HaltonHousingTrust(onbehalfoftheChartered InstituteofHousingNorthWestBranch) 4Children HeriotWattUniversity,SchooloftheBuilt ActionforChildren Environment ANationalVoice Ican ATDFourthWorld Impetus Barnardo’s InstituteofChildHealth BidstonAvenuePrimarySchool,Birkenhead InstituteofEducation,UniversityofLondon Birkbeck,UniversityofLondon,Instituteforthe InstituteforFiscalStudies StudyofChildren,Families&SocialIssues InstituteforSocialandEconomicResearch, BlackpoolLocalAuthority UniversityofEssex CentreforSocialJustice IslingtonLocalAuthority ChildPovertyActionGroup JosephRowntreeFoundation ChurchActiononPoverty LiverpoolCityCouncil 102 TheFoundationYears

LocalGovernmentImprovementand TheChildren’sSociety Development TheCross-PartyGrouponDrugandAlcohol LondonCouncils TreatmentandHarmReduction LondonSchoolofEconomicsandPoliticalScience, TheFamilyandParentingInstitute CentreforAnalysisofSocialExclusion TheInnovationUnit LoughboroughUniversity,CentreforResearchin TheManchesterAcademy SocialPolicy TheMarmotReview MarriageCare ThePrince’sCharities MentalHealthAlliance ThePrince’sTrust MentalHealthFoundation TogetherforChildren NationalCentreforSocialResearch ToynbeeHall NationalChildbirthTrust TurningPoint NationalChildmindingAssociation UNICEF NationalChildren’sBureau Unite/CommunityPractitionersandHealthVisitors NationalDayNurseriesAssociation AssociationNationalProfessionalCommittee NationalFamilyInterventionStrategyBoard UniversityCollegeLondon,GlobalHealthEquity NationalLiteracyTrust Group NewYorkUniversity UniversityofBirmingham,InstituteofApplied SocialStudies NSPCC UniversityofBristol,CentreforMarketandPublic Ofsted Organisation OnePlusOne UniversityofBristol,CentrefortheStudyof ParentingUK PovertyandSocialJustice ParentlinePlus UniversityofBristol,DepartmentofSocial Medicine Relate UniversityofOxford,DepartmentofEducation ReviewofEarlyYearsFoundationStage UniversityofOxford,FacultyofLinguistics, SalfordLocalAuthority PhilologyandPhonetics SavetheChildren UniversityofOxford,SocialDisadvantageResearch Serco Centre Shelter UniversityofWarwick,HealthSciencesResearch Institute SynergyResearchandConsulting UniversityofWestminster Tesco UniversityofYork,SocialPolicyResearchUnit TheBigIssue UrbanBishop’sPanel TheCentreforExcellenceandOutcomesin ChildrenandYoungPeople’sServices Voice TheChildren’sCommissionerforEngland AnnexC 103

FrankFieldandtheReviewteamalsometwith Seminars arangeofofficialsandMinistersfromrelevant CentreforSocialJusticepresentationdeliveredby Governmentdepartments. ProfessorMattSanders,founderoftheTripleP- PositiveParentingProgramme List of visits and seminars attended by Frank Field and the Review team: Demosevent:‘ProofPositive?Evidence-based practiceinchildren’sservices’ Visits FamilyandParentingInstituteconference:‘Family 4Children,Knowsley PolicyandtheNewGovernment’ Barnardo’sChildren’sCentre,Birmingham IFSconference:‘Reducingchildpoverty,and improvingchildren’slifechances’ BidstonandStJamesChildren’sCentre, Birkenhead NationalInstituteofAdultContinuingEducation event:‘Familiesknowhow:askthefamily’ Birkenhead&TranmereChildren’sCentre NewPhilanthropyCapitalseminar:‘Scalingup CherryFoldPrimarySchool,Burnley charitableapproachestoearlyintervention’ FamilyLinks–TheNurturingProgramme ParentingUKpolicyroundtable:‘Teaching FamilyNursePartnership,Birkenhead ParentinginSchools–aGCSEinParenting?’ HeasandfordPrimarySchool,Burnley PolicyExchangeseminar:‘TheChildPoverty Target:TowardsanIndexofLifeChances?’ ICEWirral,Birkenhead ThePrivateEquityFoundationConference2010: Insite,Birkenhead ‘Interveningbeforeit’stoolate’ JubileeChildren’sCentre,Ealing LiverpoolKensingtonChildren’sCentre,Liverpool OxfordParentingInfantProject(OXPIP) OxfordUniversity RockFerryChildren’sCentre,Birkenhead TheChaiCentre,Children’sCentre,Burnley ThePrince’sTrustCharities,Burnley 104 TheFoundationYears

Annex D: Frank Field’s 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 � Date Publication or lecture host 15thOctober2010 TheGuardian 15thOctober2010 TheFinancialTimes 4thOctober2010 TheGuardian 12thSeptember2010 TheIndependentonSunday 11thSeptember2010 TheTimes 8thSeptember2010 TheFinancialTimes 1stAugust2010 TheSundayTimes 20thJune2010 TheSundayExpress AnnexD:FrankField’sPublicStatements 105

Parenting and Employment Date Publication or lecture host 8thNovember2010 TheGuardian 2ndNovember2010 BBCRadio4’sTodayProgramme 18thOctober2010 PolicyExchange 12thOctober2010 LiverpoolEcho 30thSeptember2010 TheTelegraph 10thAugust2010 DailyMail 1stAugust2010 TheSundayTimes 13thJuly2010 TheTimes 23rdJune2010 AttleeFoundationLecture 11thJune2010 TheTimes

Foundation Years � Date Publication or lecture host 14thOctober2010 CanterburyUniversity 30thSeptember2010 TheTelegraph 17thSeptember2010 PressAssociation 16thSeptember2010 HaileyburySchool 8thSeptember2010 TheSun 8thSeptember2010 LiverpoolEcho 7thSeptember2010 IFSconference 28thJuly2010 1stProgressReporttothePrimeMinister 106 TheFoundationYears

Schools Date Publication or lecture host 2ndDecember2010 Prospect 8thNovember2010 TheGuardian 2ndNovember2010 BBCRadio4’sTodayProgramme 31stOctober2010 TheObserver 12thOctober2010 BBCRadio4’sWoman’sHour 11thSeptember2010 TheTimes 24thSeptember2010 TES 16thSeptember2010 HaileyburySchool 8thSeptember2010 TheTelegraph 16thAugust2010 TheIndependent 8thAugust2010 TheNewsoftheWorld 1stAugust2010 TheSundayTimes

Sure Start Children’s Centres � Date Publication or lecture host 14thOctober2010 BBCDailyPolitics 30thSeptember2010 TheTelegraph 11thSeptember2010 TheTimes 15thAugust2010 TheSundayTimes The Foundation Years: preventing poor children becoming poor adults

The report of the Independent Review on Poverty and Life Chances

Frank Field

Cabinet Office 22 Whitehall London SW1A 2WH � Publication date: December 2010 � © Crown copyright 2010 � This document/publication can also be viewed on You may re-use this information (not including logos) our website at www.frankfield.co.uk free of charge in any format or medium, under the Any enquiries regarding this document/publication terms of the Open Government Licence. � should be sent to us at: To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ [email protected] doc/open-government-licence/ or write to the Information Policy Team, The material used in this publication is constituted The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, from 75% post consumer waste and 25% virgin fibre. or e-mail: [email protected]. � Ref: 403244 /1210 December 2010