Our ambition
We want every child to enjoy a life of choice and opportunity.
We know exactly what every baby, child and young person needs to thrive:
The good news is that
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Every child needs to be free from harm and enjoy secure, nurturing, positive experiences—especially in their first 1,001 days.
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Every child needs to develop positive well-being—physically, mentally and emotionally.
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Every child needs to be challenged and supported by great teaching and a rigorous curriculum.
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Every child needs to have strong peer and familial relationships and engage positively with their local community.
We are not securing these conditions for every child in England right now.
The bad news is that
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We know that, in England and Wales, half of all teenagers have witnessed or been victims of violence (YEF, 2023).
We know that UK teenagers have the highest perception of safety risks in the OECD (PISA, 2022).
And we know that this violence, and the fear that surrounds it, profoundly affects young people’s daily lives—manifesting itself in trouble sleeping, loss of appetite and difficulty concentrating at school. -
We know that the number of young people being referred for emergency mental health services has reached a record high (NHS, 2022). That’s five children every hour—a three-fold increase in four years.
We know that when it comes to health and well-being, there’s a widening gap between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’ (RCPCH, 2020). Children from the poorest 20% of households are 4x more likely to develop a serious mental health problem by age 11 (CfMH, 2020)
This means that too many children start their journeys towards good mental health from a position of disadvantage—and too many adults are hindered by circumstances beyond their control (MHF, 2020).
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We know that—on average—‘disadvantaged pupils’ are starting school ~5 months behind their peers.
We know that this gap doubles in size by the end of primary school (to 10.3 months) and almost doubles again by the end of secondary school (18.8 months).
Falling behind is the norm—upward mobility is not.
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We know that 1 in 4 UK students are not satisfied with their lives. UK teenagers are at the bottom of the international league tables when it comes to the indices of empathy, stress resistance, emotional control and cooperation (PISA, 2022).
We know that 45% of children feel lonely ‘often’ or ‘some of the time’ (MHF, 2019).
And we know that people who are more socially connected to family, friends or their community are happier, physically healthier and live longer—with fewer mental health problems along the way.
