As a researcher, I spend my life surrounded by statistics about children and young people. Some of them are so familiar to me that I can rattle them off by heart. 68% of five-year-olds have a good level of development. 67% of pupils in mainstream state schools pass both their English and maths GCSEs. 30% of children are living in relative poverty, and a third have some contact with the social care system before they turn 18.
But take a minute and really think about some of those numbers. 68% of five-year-olds have a good level of development – that means that one in three kids is missing key benchmarks in language, emotional development, physical development, reading or maths by the end of their Reception year.
A third of 16-year-olds in mainstream state schools don’t have the grades in English and maths that unlock everything from studying at top universities to starting a qualification to become a plumber.
4.3 million children are living in families earning less than 60% of the UK average – or about £24,000 a year for a couple with two young children. That’s almost 750,000 more children than in 2010. When you put it like that, you start to wonder: are the kids really alright?
New podcast mini-series: ‘Are the kids ok?’
This August, I’m recording a special series of the IFS Zooms In podcast looking at just that question. Along with Helen Miller, the Institute for Fiscal Studies’ (IFS) new Director, and some of the country’s leading experts, we’re taking a properly close look at these numbers.
We want to understand what’s happening in the early years, and whether new funded childcare entitlements are really going to help children – or indeed their parents.
We look at what’s happening in schools, where, on average, England’s children have been moving up the international league tables for attainment but where crises bubbles away in Special Educational Needs, absences, and mental health.
We investigate whether the post-16 skills system is really fit for purpose. How do children and young people decide what, where, when and how to study for further qualifications? What’s the point of these qualifications anyway – is it just about getting a good job, or are there other important factors? And will we ever be able to develop a further education system that’s genuinely on par with England’s universities?
And – because children and young people’s lives are so much richer and more complex than “just” the formal education system – we look at the wider background to children and young people’s lives. We explore the impacts of child poverty and look at how children and young people are being supported – or not – by services like social care and the youth justice system.
There are big issues here, and they pose big questions for government, parents, schools, nurseries, and everyone who works with children and young people. Throughout the podcast, we’re on the hunt for solutions.
And – perhaps unexpectedly – we’ll bring you evidence of some good news too, whether it’s the big improvements in children’s attainment at school or the
programmes like Sure Start that seem to bring big, long-lasting benefits to children and their families.
Calling for your questions
Statistics are important – they’re the best tool we have to draw together many
people’s experiences and point to where there’s a need to find out more.
But numbers aren’t, and can’t be, the full story.
So I’m also asking you to share your questions and your stories about how children, young people and their parents are doing. What do you wish you knew more about? What have you always wanted to ask? Or what do you wish the government knew about you? What would you like to see the government doing?
We’ll be releasing episodes from the podcast throughout August, with our first episode on the early years available from Thursday 14th August. You can listen here or in your favourite podcast app — just search IFS Zooms In.
Got a question about childhood, education, or growing up in the UK? Send us a voice note or email at [email protected], or leave a comment below. We’ll be answering them in a special Q&A to close the series.