GROWING UP IN THE 2020s - FABIAN POLICY REPORT - Fabian Society
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FABIAN POLICY REPORT
GROWING
UP IN THE
2020s
Preparing children for the changes and challenges ahead
With a foreword by Angela Rayner MP and contributions
from Tracy Brabin MP, Liam Byrne MP, Chris Keates and more
NASUWT, The Teachers' Union, represents teachers and headteachers in all sectors from early years to further education. The NASUWT has approximately 285,000 members from across the UK. By ‘putting teachers first’, the NASUWT works to enhance the status of the teaching profession to deliver real improvements to teachers’ working lives, seeking to ensure they are recognised and rewarded as highly skilled professionals with working conditions that enable them to focus on their core role of teaching.
CONTENTS
5 Introduction:
GROWING UP IN THE 2020s repairing the damage
Preparing children for the changes Angela Rayner MP
and challenges ahead 6 Childhoods for making futures
Keri Facer
This report asks how children’s lives are changing and how politics 8 Early start
should respond to make sure that young people in the next decade have Tracy Brabin MP
good childhoods and are ready to lead fulfilling, productive adult lives.
The contributors examine how we can prepare children for a future dif- 10 Transforming
ferent from today that we cannot and should not try to predict. They northern childhoods
consider technology, creativity, enterprise and the early years – and how Anne Longfield
to tackle inequalities of class and geography.
12 A proven investment
Wendy Ellyatt
Together the chapters show that our public and civic institutions need
fundamental change if they are to successfully support young people 14 Left to their own devices?
over the next 10 years and beyond. From cradle to the workplace, young Vicki Shotbolt
people need better services, more geared to the lives they will lead in the
16 The entrepreneurs
future. And nowhere could that be more true than in schools, where we
of tomorrow
need to radically rethink how and what we teach.
Liam Byrne MP
Growing Up in the 2020s is the end-point of a project that also included 18 Votes and voice
a series of five Westminster roundtables with politicians and experts. We Jim McMahon MP
are indebted to all those who contributed at those events as well as the
authors who feature here. Through both phases of the project we were 20 Taking centre stage
delighted to work with NASUWT, who had the imagination to want to Deborah Bestwick
look beyond classroom conditions and think deeply about the future 24 An immodest proposal
of childhood. Chloe Combi
Andrew Harrop and Vanesha Singh 26 Conclusion:
the future we want?
Chris Keates
A Fabian Society report Like all publications of the Fabian Society,
Edited by Andrew Harrop this report represents not the collective
and Vanesha Singh views of the Society, but only the views
of the individual writers. The responsibility
of the Society is limited to approving its
publications as worthy of consideration
within the labour movement.
First published in September 2018
Cover image © monkeybusinessimages/iStock
3 / Growing up in the 2020s
© Markus Spiske/Unsplash 4 / Fabian Policy Report
Introduction:
repairing the damage
Labour will create a new national institution that can break
the cycle of poverty and give all children the future
they deserve, writes Angela Rayner
Angela Rayner is the Labour MP
for Ashton‑under-Lyne and the shadow
secretary of state for education
T he political choices that shape our
childhoods are among those with the
greatest power to change our lives. I don’t
The choices made under that Labour
government helped to transform my life,
and the life of my young son. It was the
others did in generations past. So I am de-
lighted to welcome this Fabian Society re-
port, which examines the future of child-
write that just as a politician but as some- support I received from Sure Start – then hood and asks what it will take for young
one whose own life was transformed by a brand new initiative by the recently- people to grow up well in the decade ahead.
those very choices. elected Labour government – which broke Our greatest achievement in govern-
I’ve been open about my life: child pov- that cycle. I learnt things about parent- ment, the National Health Service, has
erty is more than just an abstract problem ing that might have seemed obvious but thrived for over 60 years. Free at the point
to me. On the council estate where I was weren’t – even as simple as telling, and of delivery, funded by progressive taxa-
raised I was one of the poorest and my showing, your children how much you tion, and serving everyone from cradle to
mum struggled to look after us. I’d pester love them. grave, it stands as a symbol of our values
my friends to let me round for tea on a Sun- Those early interventions meant that of fairness and justice, as well as an in-
day. School was first and foremost a place my children – and now my grandchil- stitution that continues to change – and
where I could get a free meal and out of my dren – will have a very different childhood save – lives, far beyond those of the La-
parents’ hair. to mine, and that will change their lives bour politicians who created it. I want the
Then, aged 16, I fell pregnant with my as well. But if I hadn’t been able to ac- next Labour government to create some-
own first child. It would have been easy to cess that Sure Start centre, we would nev- thing similar in education: the National
think that the direction of my life, and that er have had the help we needed during my Education Service.
of my young son, was already set. After son’s childhood. Reading the essays in this report, I know
all, my mum had a difficult life, and so did The tragedy is that another genera- that we won’t be alone in that endeavour.
I, and it would have been easy to assume tion of children are growing up now at The contributors are outraged by the injus-
that my son would simply face the same. a time when governments have made dif- tices our young people face; but they are all
And that could easily have happened. ferent choices about how they are support- even more passionate about creating a so-
I remember feeling like a failure going ed through their own childhoods. When we ciety where every child is loved and valued.
to friends and family for help with rais- heard earlier this year about school children In the last eight years, the achievements
ing my child, worried that I wouldn’t be filling their pockets with food to take home, of past Labour governments have faced re-
a good mother. or that a thousand of those Sure Start cen- lentless attack but services like the Nation-
But while I was born at a time when so- tres have now been lost thanks to austerity, al Health Service still support the British
cial progress was thrown into reverse by the we see the consequences of those choices. people, as the British people still support
Thatcher government, by the time I was It will be the priority of the next Labour them. The next Labour government has the
a young mother there were Labour poli- government to repair that damage – to build chance to create, nurture and grow an insti-
cies like Sure Start, which broke the cycle of a future where the next generation of chil- tution which, like the NHS, stands the test
poverty I was in. dren do not experience what I and too many of time and supports generations to come. F
5 / Growing up in the 2020s
Childhoods for making futures
We cannot determine how future generations will live, but it is our job
to ensure they thrive in worlds different from our own, writes Keri Facer
Keri Facer is professor of educational and
social futures at the University of Bristol
T he children of the 2020s will grow up
to face a very different world from the
one we live in now. They may face questions
unpredictability of the moment any attempt
to envisage a particular future for which ed-
ucation should prepare is likely to be wrong.
come and what they are able to make and
contribute even in changing conditions.
Secondly, young people will need to be
such as: how do you live and work in a soci- By choosing one vision we assume will come supported to develop friendships and com-
ety where over half the population are aged about, we risk over-engineering a popula- munities. There is no point in developing
over 65? What capabilities can you bring tion in a particular direction and eradicating a personal project in isolation – we are fun-
to work alongside intelligent algorithms? the knowledge, skills and talents that may be damentally dependent on others, enmeshed
How can we adapt the way we work and needed in different conditions. Diversity is in networks and relationships that we can-
live to enable a shift to radically low carbon strength in unpredictable times. not enumerate. Thinking of ourselves as au-
societies? The 2020s will be the foundation Instead, then, it is our job as educators, tonomous individuals, deracinated from
and platform for adulthood in the 2040s, policymakers and parents to ensure young people and planet, is no longer viable (if it
50s, 60s in which these, and other ques- people experience the sorts of childhoods ever was). A childhood that is founded on
tions that we cannot foresee, will become that will enable them to both imagine bet- the experience of living in communities,
live and challenging. ter futures for themselves and to develop embedded in an awareness of their founda-
Under these circumstances, there is the confidence and knowledge that will al- tion on a living planet, is essential.
a tendency to revert to HG Wells’ aphorism low them to create a good collective life un- Third, young people need to be sup-
that “civilisation is a race between educa- der unpredictable conditions. ported to imagine and invent their own
tion and catastrophe” and to begin to en- What sorts of childhoods in the 2020s futures through:
visage how we can defend our current way would build this sort of foundation? First-
of life against perceived threats; or alterna- ly, for an unknown future, childhood needs • Attention to the present – being sup-
tively, to imagine how education can ush- to enable young people to develop a strong ported to notice and engage with what is
er in a shiny new future of robots, basic in- personal project: a sense of who they are and happening now, what its potential might
come and infinite leisure. of what they can offer to society; what they be and make connections.
Both of these responses would be a mis- see as their obligations and responsibilities
take. Firstly, it is an ethical misjudgment to and what they in turn value from others. In • Stewardship – developing the capacity to
think that our job is to imagine a particu- times of significant change, we know that reflect upon what to value, protect, nur-
lar future towards which we need to march people are pulled from pillar to post, devel- ture and care for into the unknown future.
our young people through the education- oping what Margaret Archer calls ‘fractured
al process, merrily building up ‘human cap- reflexivity’, a lack of a core sense of identi- • Reflexivity – the ability to question and
ital’ as they go. We do not have the right to ty and purpose to hold you in place. What is challenge ideas of the future that oth-
determine how future generations will live needed, then, will be a childhood that helps ers are presenting to them as well as the
in worlds different from our own. Second- children to explore and understand who ability to challenge their own inbuilt bi-
ly, it is a practical mistake. Given the radical they, uniquely in the world, are able to be- ases and assumptions.
6 / Fabian Policy Report
• World-making – the capacity to imag- portunities to pay attention, to imagine society. This is not a question of identifying
ine and explore various possible futures, and to make. a likely future and ensuring each child max-
to generate novel ideas and to examine It also means creating the opportunity for imises his or her resources to their advan-
how different developments might play young people to act in and on the world, to try tage in this environment. Instead, it means
out to create different conditions. things out. This means building confidence creating conditions in which the young per-
in teachers and giving them the freedom to son can come to know themselves, oth-
• Experimentation – the capacity to try support young people to take risks. It means ers and the world and explore the ways in
things out, adapt and learn from mis- seeing subjects as living bodies of knowledge which new and better ways of living togeth-
takes, to build alliances and coalitions, to that can be shaped and developed through er might be created.
harness materials and resources, to in- learning. It means seeing young people as This means getting rid of the banal tyr-
vent new realities and reflect upon them members of a public who can work together anny of predictions that ignorantly presume
as they emerge. to address the problems of living in common a desired linear trajectory for each child or an
in changing conditions. inevitable future for each society. Instead, the
What does this mean for education policy quality of education needs to be judged by its
in the 2020s? capacity to create as rich and diverse a set of
It means that schools need to focus on encounters with different forms of knowl-
the development of the whole person and
What is needed, then, will edge and different people as possible for all
their capacity to build relationships with be a childhood that helps children, and to attentively monitor and nur-
others. Centrally and urgently, we need ture the new possibilities and realities that are
schools that do no harm to mental health children to explore and opening up for each child as a result.
(not something that we can currently say Rather than a childhood governed by
with any confidence). understand who they are metrics and predictions and by charting of
It means that schools must teach the advancement against a narrow idea of line-
full range of subjects – not just Maths, ar progression, this means a childhood that
English and Science, but also the arts, his- It means starting from the assumption is characterised by a deep commitment of
tory, geography and languages. Develop- that the future is unknown, not just for so- all those around the child to enable them
ing the capacity to steward, reflect, invent ciety but for each child, and that the job of to build communities of encounter that al-
and experiment requires a broad curric- education is to enable new possibilities to low them to grow in, through and with
ulum. Each of these subjects offers op- emerge in interaction between the child and the world. F
© Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock
7 / Growing up in the 2020s
Early start
Recent steps to support children in their early years have been
too slow and too small. A Labour government will not shy away
from the mighty task in front of us, says Tracy Brabin
Tracy Brabin is the Labour MP for Batley and
Spen and shadow minister for early years
I t is so encouraging to see the Fabians
looking seriously at the future and fac-
ing up to the possibilities, as well as the
to make sure they are ready for it. Digital
expertise will be the great divide between
youngsters who have the skills they need
achievements is the progress that a child
has made by the age of five. So, there is
a mighty task in front of us. It is a problem
challenges that the 2020s could bring. and those who don’t. that no single government has managed
The world is changing and fast. Think As you would expect, I would hope that to resolve. Despite some worthy attempts,
of how often you see young children play- children who are born or are growing up in policy initiatives thus far have either been
ing games or watching videos on tablets or the 2020s do so under a Labour government. too slow or too small. But this isn’t some-
smartphones, and it’s easy to forget how A Labour government would end the aus- thing we’re going to shy away from.
comparatively recently we had to leave the terity agenda that has dominated the 2010s, Instead, we’re going to invest heavily in
house to make a phone call or visit a neigh- giving us the chance to improve health and providing 30 free hours of childcare for chil-
bour to watch TV. education, while ensuring poverty falls. dren aged between two and four years old.
The children of the 2010s are the first And in early education, we have You may be thinking that this is some-
to have grown up with smart technology big plans. We will implement an ambi- thing the Conservative government has al-
in their hands. This proliferation of touch- tious early years policy overhaul that aims ready introduced. Well, although ministers
screen technology is all the more remarkable to improve life chances for children of try to boast of a success, there are funda-
when we consider that the first iPad didn’t future generations. mental differences between what the Tories
even roll off the production line until 2010. The brain of a child develops rapidly in are offering and what we will deliver.
Therefore, predicting what big developments the first few years of life. At birth, a child’s The first is that under the Conserva-
could emerge this year, never mind in the brain is roughly 25 per cent formed, by tives, 30 hours of free childcare are re-
next decade is an impossible task. the age of three that has progressed to stricted to three and four-years-olds. And
What we do know is that there’s no turn- 80 per cent. We know that if children arrive even then, it is only available to the chil-
ing back the clock. Every generation is go- at their first day of school significantly less dren of parents who work at least 16 hours
ing to be more at one with technology than developed than their peers, they may never per week and earn up to a maximum
its predecessor. catch up. Research has shown that this at- of £100,000 per year. This creates all sorts
There are children who get to grips with tainment gap, and its impact on social mo- of problems. What about the increasing
basic programming by the age of 10 in bility, is one that the country cannot afford number of parents who are employed on
a way that their grandparents never will. In to ignore. zero-hours contracts or those who work in
fact, when accessing digital content, I feel Save the Children has warned that the the gig-economy?
too often how my gran must have felt trying gap between disadvantaged children and That’s why it’s our belief that, through
to operate the video player. their peers can be as large as 15 months by a National Education Service, education
This is to highlight that in many ways the time the children start school. Mean- should be free at the point of use. So, we’re
we don’t know what the future will hold while, a report from Teach First showed going to make universally available early
but I believe that we have a duty to children that the biggest indicator in a child’s GCSE education a fundamental part of our offer,
8 / Fabian Policy Report
and extend it to two-year-olds. Every child opportunities and getting the best out to be enabled to be self-determining, emo-
will be able to access properly funded, high- of apprenticeships. tionally empathetic and resilient. Teach-
quality hours in a childcare or early educa- But the truth is that at the heart of our ers tell me of their concerns about mental
tion setting for free. decision making is what is best for children health and signs of stress in very young
There are lots of good reasons to do – and we know it’s a long-term game. The children. We have to nip this in the bud,
this. For one, childcare is expensive, as we full benefits of this investment may not be supporting teachers and early years educa-
all know. Earlier this year campaigner Joeli felt until the 2030s when children have fin- tors to deal with issues of anxiety and en-
Brearley claimed that the UK has the high- ished school, gone on to training or univer- sure joy in childhood.
est childcare costs in the world. OECD fig- sity, or even entered the workplace. Also, with AI potentially taking a sub-
ures show that this is not true for all house- stantial number of jobs in the future, crea-
holds – but it is for some and many families tivity, confidence, articulacy and entrepre-
need to see the costs reduced. It’s important that neurship will be invaluable skills for an
And this is where a responsible govern- emerging workforce.
ment needs to step in. What the current
we focus now on what Teaching children through play, explora-
government does is provide an hourly fund- happens in early years, tion, risk-taking, music and role-play will
ing rate which just about everyone – nurs- all help develop that necessary resilience
eries, campaigners and think tanks – have what we’re teaching and flexibility. And staff also need support
called out as being too low. Even the Treas- to deliver freshing and exciting learning,
ury select committee has suggested raising children and whether and we will encourage settings to build
funding settlements. Instead, Labour would
see early years as an investment in children
it prepares them for on-going professional development into
their strategy.
and workers. the rest of their lives And while settings focus on children,
A combination of forces means that a Labour government will rejuvenate Sure
working in early years and childcare is one Start, encouraging and emboldening par-
of the lowest paid sectors in our economy. That’s why I believe it’s important that ents to develop an exciting and nurturing
I want to bring those wages up. The impact we focus now on what happens in early home environment to support their chil-
early years workers can have on childcare years, what we’re teaching children and dren’s education.
has the potential to be enormous. We need whether it prepares them for the rest of The world is uncertain, but our children
to attract the best and brightest to work in their lives. deserve every opportunity. A Labour
the sector, and pay those who have already Visiting settings around the country, I’ve government will ensure every child in
chosen it as a career properly. seen wonderful examples of fantastic early the 2020s can fulfil their true potential
We will do this by creating a gradu- years education. Settings that understand through quality, creative, supportive early
ate-led workforce, increasing training the future is uncertain and children need years education. F
© DGLimages/Shutterstock
9 / Growing up in the 2020s
Transforming
northern childhoods
Not everyone leaving school or university wants to move
to London or the south, but those living in most deprived parts
of the north are being left behind, as Anne Longfield explains
Anne Longfield is the children’s
commissioner for England
I am a northerner born and bred – and
proud of it too. The small market town
in West Yorkshire where I was brought up
ment options. The result is the north-south
economic divide we see today.
I want to change this so that all chil-
proud of their communities. They thought
the new buildings looked good and they
liked the events that were happening across
shaped so many aspects of my life: my re- dren, wherever they live, have the best life their city. But would the changes make
lationships, experiences, opportunities and chances. By 2030, our ambition should be a difference to their lives? Many – espe-
the way I see the world. The place I grew to close the education and funding gaps cially girls – thought not. Yet they didn’t
up made me appreciate the importance that currently exist between north and want to abandon the area for somewhere
of a strong community and it provided me south. Children growing up in the north better. Most wanted to build lives in their
with a good local school where the teach- during the 2020s, including those living in local community, even many of those who
ers encouraged me to work hard, to think the most disadvantaged areas, should be at planned to go to university first. This was
for myself and to be ambitious about what a good school and should have the same their community and most wanted to stay
I could achieve. choices when they leave as their peers in a part of it – they just wanted it to offer the
Most people in the north still feel that the south. The northern powerhouse and openings and opportunities they could see
same sense of pride in their community as the city mayors provide an opportunity to happening elsewhere.
I had then, and still do now. Sometimes it is narrow this divide and meet these ambi- The report made clear the difference
tempting to assume everyone leaving school tions, and I want them to take it. But will that growing up in those disadvantaged
or university in the north secretly wants to our new northern leaders bring about the areas of the north makes to your life and
move to London or the south. In fact, if you change needed? Only if they put children at expectations. It revealed that while fewer
ask most northern children and young peo- the heart of their plans. than 5 per cent of London secondary school
ple where they see their future, it is close to In March 2018, I published the results children are in schools rated less than
where they were brought up. The value they of a year-long study called Growing Up good, in the north it is three times that. In
place on community is high and their ambi- North looking at the experiences of chil- the most deprived areas of the north, the
tions are to build happy, healthy and pros- dren growing up in and around the major most disadvantaged children are falling
perous lives close to family and friends. They urban areas of the north – Manchester, far behind their equivalents in the south,
want good family housing, good schools, Leeds, Sheffield, Hull, Newcastle and Liv- particularly those children growing up in
nurseries and amenities, parks, transport and erpool. I wanted to see whether devolution London. Northern children are less likely to
low crime rates. All of the things every parent and regeneration are improving the lives of do well in secondary school, more likely to
would want for their child. all children in the north, no matter where go to a poor school and more likely to leave
Sadly though, there are parts of the they live. education early. High numbers of children
north that do not offer these good schools I toured the north of England to speak across the north are dropping out of school,
and opportunities. The most entrenched ar- with young people about regeneration and missing vital parts of their education and
eas of disadvantage in the north have some their future hopes. Overwhelmingly, they undermining their future prospects. We
of the worst schools and the fewest employ- were optimistic about where they lived and need to ask why a child from a low-income
10 / Fabian Policy Reportfamily in London is three times more likely teaching Mandarin, the primary school support children through their childhood,
to go to university than a similar child who in Hull running fantastic creative writing including a new phase of Sure Starts and
grows up in Hartlepool. classes, the brilliant work being done at family hubs. A child-friendly approach,
The irony is that northern two to three- Everton Academy. like the one pursued in Leeds, should be
year-olds are more likely than their London Citywide, the work Leeds Council has every northern city’s ambition. The good
counterparts to attend nursery – but they are done to make Leeds a child-friendly city news for those balancing the books is that
also less likely to reach the expected standard is having a positive impact. It is thinking treating problems early is much more cost
of development when starting school. Many about how regeneration, art and sport can effective as it prevents high-cost crises de-
more children in the north than nationally improve children’s lives, alongside cross- veloping later on.
are beginning school with high levels of de- area plans that assess children’s needs in Improving the north’s secondary schools
velopment issues, but fewer children are hav- order to reduce vulnerability. Working with in the most deprived areas must, therefore,
ing special educational needs diagnosed be- families, the city has children’s centres and be a national priority. There has to be a re-
fore they start school. Some northern primary provide exciting new facilities for families newed focus on teaching recruitment and
schools are better than even the best in Lon- like pop-up beaches and park activities. leadership. Cities with big graduate popu-
don and the south-east, yet pupils fall well There are good links with business and lations should retain talent in the north –
behind their southern peers over the course great universities and colleges. Alongside encouraging graduates to stay where they
of secondary school. strong schools, these are the things that have studied and do more to attract the
The fact is that while many children in make an area a good place to grow up. best teachers to areas that most need them.
northern schools are thriving and doing as If we are to give all children the best start Every disadvantaged area should be brim-
well as any child growing up in London, in life, ten years from now we need to have ming with apprenticeships, training or edu-
those living in the most deprived parts of the disrupted and eradicated some of the grow- cation until 18 – linked into business and
north are being left behind. Too many are ing threats to childhood, like poor mental real jobs. I want to see the big successful
facing the double-whammy of entrenched health, marginalisation and gangs, and we local firms that are doing well in parts of
deprivation and poor schools. And the need to build positive communities and the north getting into schools from Year 9,
schools themselves are usually facing very positive childhoods. That needs to start with 10, 11 onwards, building closer ties and en-
similar problems: weak leadership, poor putting children’s wellbeing at the heart of couraging children to think about working
governance and difficulties recruiting staff. local decision-making – from the amenities for them. And of course more head offices,
If this all sounds hopeless, it should not. and support available to the use of public specialist research centres and national
There are many reasons to be optimistic spaces and planning. Too many children centres of art, culture and sport should be
about turning this situation around because I spoke to as part of Growing Up North had incentivised to come north. Look at the dif-
we know that it has been done elsewhere nowhere other than the local McDonalds or ference MediaCityUK has made to those
before. Twenty years ago, London schools KFC to go in the evenings and weekends. children in Manchester and Liverpool who
were the worst in the country. Yet now, chil- Arts and sports funding should be focused had ambitions for a career in the media. We
dren in London, who 15 years ago were on giving access to those from disadvan- can do the same for every area of industry
behind many of their peers in the north in taged backgrounds – building confidence, with bold, urgent and long-term planning.
the early primary school years, are far more developing skills, raising ambitions – and We have much to be optimistic about.
likely to have excelled by the time they leave even having fun. As someone who lives in the north, I can
school. They have been through an educa- We need to put a greater priority on feel a buzz of anticipation that this could
tion system transformed at every level. Our children’s health and wellbeing from their be a period of real change for our towns
ambition should be for northern children earliest months of life through every stage and cities. But it will only happen if we
growing up in the 2020s to see the same of childhood to adulthood. Thousands look ahead to what our children need to
transformation in their lives. of schools are now measuring children’s make successful lives in their local com-
Today, a child who qualifies for free wellbeing alongside academic achievement munities and put them at the heart of
school meals in London is 30 per cent more and I would like to see this becoming the the policy-making process. Every child in
likely to be at the ’expected standard’ by norm. Of course, as parents we want our the north deserves to go to a good, well-
the end of reception, than a child living in children to get the best grades and qualifi- funded school, with excellent teachers and
Leeds. They are making better progress at cations, but we also want them to be happy, help and support as they leave school to
every stage of education and unless we act confident, have great social skills and be go into work, apprenticeships or higher
now, this gap will continue to rise. There is prepared for their life ahead. education. They want the area in which
absolutely no reason why, with the politi- If we are to tackle disadvantage we also they live to be ambitious for their futures
cal will, leadership and resources, London’s need to see local areas assessing where and bring together those that can help
progress cannot be replicated in the parts of children are most at risk and putting plans make it happen.
the north that most need it. in place to reduce vulnerability, including Devolution has the potential to trans-
Certainly, the creativity is there. I’ve intensive work in schools and with families. form childhoods in the next 10 years.
visited so many great schools and local or- That means serious investment in areas of Northern children won’t forgive us if we
ganisations in the north who are thinking entrenched disadvantage to bring services don’t grasp this once in a lifetime opportu-
big for kids – the infant school in Liverpool together to provide early intervention to nity and do it. F
11 / Growing up in the 2020sA proven investment
It is easier and cheaper to create strong, happy
and resilient children than it is to mend struggling,
unhappy and broken adults, writes Wendy Ellyatt
Wendy Ellyatt is the founder and chief executive
of the Save Childhood Movement
O ver the last two decades it has be-
come increasingly clear that, for
healthy and sustainable development, po-
the period from conception to birth. Re-
search in both animals and humans shows
that some epigenetic changes that occur in
struggle with increasingly restricted and
unnatural environments that inhibit their
natural development.
litical and economic priorities need to bal- the foetus during pregnancy can be passed Young children today are struggling with
ance economic growth with the long-term onto later generations, affecting the health pressures that were completely unknown to
wellbeing of society. There is also wide- and welfare of children, grandchildren and previous generations. There is the changing
spread agreement that current systems are their descendants. Crucially, however, we nature of family and community life; the rise
failing to appropriately support the devel- also now know that positive and nurturing in technology; the increasing influence of the
opment of flourishing communities and an relationships in early childhood can inhibit media; the lack of contact with nature; the
equitable, sustainable and stable planet. the development of these tendencies. pressures of the schooling system; and the
Governments across the globe have It is during this vital phase of life that demands of having to constantly look right,
been exploring ways in which we can bet- we grow our physical and mental structures achieve and be subject to the incessant judg-
ter measure development and progress and capacities, shape our sense of self and ment of others. These have all steadily eroded
in terms of human wellbeing. A number steadily adopt the external values of the the environments and experiences children
of challenges have arisen in the approaches adult world. Most of our limiting or self- need in order to refine their senses and de-
undertaken by different countries and cul- sabotaging beliefs are formed in early child- velop into happy, confident learners, in touch
tures, but there has been clear agreement hood. Depending on whether the systems with themselves and the wider world. They
that measures of GDP alone are not suffi- that we experience support or compromise are also living in increasingly risk-averse cul-
cient and that we need to develop a more our natural, healthy development we will tures with stressed and time-sparse adults
coherent global approach. grow up into happy, confident problem- and are subject to the constant intrusion
What kind of lives do we want our chil- solvers and risk-takers or more anxious, of the commercial and digital worlds.
dren to live? What values do we want them passive or possibly aggressive individu- Investing in early childhood is therefore
to have? And what kind of people do we als – and the way that we are made to feel the most important thing that any society
want to them to grow up to be? as children can impact how we feel about can do. From an economic perspective such
We now know that the early years is the ourselves for the rest of our lives. Enormous investment brings enormous benefits later
single most important developmental phase amounts of money are spent by social care on. For example, in the USA Professor James
of the lifespan and that during this period and health systems around the world try- Heckman’s analysis of the Perry Preschool
there is extremely rapid advancement and ing to mend the biological and psycho- program, a high-quality preschool program
consolidation of the brain and other key logical damage created in adults during this for children from disadvantaged back-
biological systems. The new science of hu- vital period. grounds, showed a 7 to 10 per cent per year
man learning and development has made it Unfortunately, in many countries we are return on investment based on increased
evident that what happens during the early seeing unacceptably high levels of men- school and career achievement as well as
years has lifelong effects – and this includes tal and physical distress in children as they reduced costs in remedial education, health
12 / Fabian Policy Reportin the well-known US Adverse Childhood
© Jesus Rodriguez/Unsplash
Experiences studies. These revealed that
for every 100 cases of child abuse soci-
ety can expect to pay in middle or old age
for (amongst a wide range of physical and
mental health consequences): one addi-
tional case of liver disease; two additional
cases of lung disease; six additional cases
of serious heart disease and; 16 per cent
higher rate of anti-depressant prescriptions.
None of the estimates fully took account
of the additional economic value of the
knock-on effect that child abuse averted in
one generation will itself result in a cumu-
lative reduction in this dysfunction during
future generations.
All this led the all-party parliamentary
group for conception to age two to conclude
in 2015 that tackling the problems associat-
ed with early life should be no less a priority
for politicians than that of national defence.
The argument is not only an economic one.
It is about nurturing the kind of people and
leaders that we need to safeguard future
generations and to ensure that we can all
experience lives of meaning and purpose.
In other words, it is about us all being able
to flourish.
Over the next 10 years governments
should therefore seek to adopt the follow-
ing six major policies:
1. Full adoption of the UN Convention on
the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and
acceptance that the young child has bi-
ological/developmental rights that need
to be protected.
and criminal justice system expenditures. In approach – even the most cautious and cir- 2. A reversal of the current ‘funding curve’
a 2012 report the Centre for Excellence and cumspect in their evaluation – found that re- to prioritise the vital importance of the
Outcomes in Children and Young People’s turns on investment on well-designed early early years.
Services said: “we appear to have reached years’ interventions significantly exceeded
a tipping point where our knowledge and their costs. The benefits ranged from being 3. Cross-party political commitment to
practice have progressed sufficiently to 75 per cent to over 1,000 per cent higher promote equity in children’s develop-
make the policy question not whether we than the costs, with rates of return signifi- mental outcomes and to ensure that all
should invest in early intervention, but how cantly and repeatedly shown to be higher children can thrive.
can we not do so?” than those obtained from most other public
Similarly, in 2013, the Wave Trust pub- and private investments. The study found 4. Cross-party political commitment to
lished a report with government support that where a whole country has adopted ensure that education systems bal-
which concluded “there is general expert a policy of investment in early years’ pre- ance measures of attainment with those
consensus that it is somewhere between vention, the returns are not merely financial of health and wellbeing.
economically worthwhile and imperative to but in strikingly better health for the whole
invest more heavily, as a proportion of both population. The benefits span lower infant 5. The creation of a new Department for
local and national spend, in the very earliest mortality at birth through to reduced heart, Children and Families.
months and years of life.” Nine approaches liver and lung disease in middle age.
to evaluating the outcomes of early years’ in- The logical links between early invest- 6. The appointment of a cabinet level Min-
vestment were reviewed in the report. Every ments and health benefits are described ister for Children. F
13 / Growing up in the 2020sLeft to their
own devices?
Parents, schools and governments need to work with children to put
together a new social contract for the digital age, writes Vicki Shotbolt
Vicki Shotbolt is the founder
and CEO of Parent Zone
A child born in 2018 will be on the cusp
of their tricky teenage years in 2030,
and entirely unaware of the enormous
For others, the reality included unrealistic
body images, instant access to unregulated
porn and multiple ways to be manipulated
whether it’s OK to share their children’s
baby photos or to track them with a smart
watch. They are not sure where their data
changes that will have inevitably taken and exploited. is being stored, and probably feel ambiva-
place between now and then. The gift of Parents, and in turn schools and gov- lent about the amount of time their children
perspective is something children live ernments, woke up with a start to a brave spend with screens, despite – or because –
without, until they arrive at the adult new world of reward and risk. Traditional they are every bit as dependent on devices
realisation that life changes around us. The media, with its own axe to grind, gener- as their kids are.
question is: are we, as adults, any better ated moral panic, and policy-makers shuf- The laws that have been crafted and
placed to anticipate what’s coming next? fled frantically to find policy solutions. tested over decades have failed to keep
Are we ready to mitigate the challenges and The signs suggest we are still looking for pace with technology and the best offered
maximize the opportunities of technological a quick fix – a retroactive sticking plaster so far are ‘catch up’ measures. Measures that
change over the next decade or so? you’re probably well placed to get around
For the last 12 years, my organisation – ask any half-techie teen how to bypass
has worked with parents and families to filters and they will likely have not one, but
help them navigate changing technology.
The laws that have two or three options.
Looking back to the very beginning, we been crafted and tested But it’s not hard to think through
were talking to parents about the internet some likely scenarios and do some
‘going mobile’, trying to prepare them for over decades have future-mapping.
the possibility that their children would be For example, the world of the ‘con-
accessing the internet on their phones. It failed to keep pace nected home’ is already here, and chil-
was a tough sell. The iPhone had yet to be
invented – these were the days of dial-up.
with technology dren cannot take their digital privacy for
granted, even after GDPR. We teach our
Parents were sometimes happy to provide children to think before they share infor-
phones to teenagers as virtual umbilical mation, while digital assistants like Al-
cords, but few imagined that the phone to deal with the complete transformation exa are always listening – gathering and
would soon become a source of information that digital technology and the internet broadcasting their personal data to the
and entertainment, social connection and has brought. world. A child in 2030 will have no way of
self-promotion. Children growing up in this digital world knowing where their data is stored, much
Kids were, quite literally, left to their own have few social norms when it comes to less the ability to get it back – they will
devices. For some, live streaming and the digital behaviour. One of the reasons for have been leaking data from birth simply
brave new world of social influencers of- this, is that parents aren’t setting rules for by talking to their toys and the devices in
fered opportunity and expanded horizons. their children. They themselves don’t know their family home.
14 / Fabian Policy ReportAnd it’s not simply a question of think- And we must tackle both digital resil- The opportunity to get it right for the
ing through risk. The pace of technological ience, and digital citizenship. On the one next generation is now. The next govern-
change means that we are tumbling over hand, we must help children to cope with ment could choose to talk about ‘regulating
new opportunities. On the simplest level, a world of online abuse and bad actors. On the internet’ as though it were a monolith
young people are growing up in a global the other, we need to ensure they are less and not a complex ecosystem, or it could do
space open to the friendships and interna- likely to embrace that world, by helping something more radical. It could convene an
tional perspectives that would have been them understand digital democracy, and the internet commission tasked with reviewing
unthinkable not that long ago. A child liv- enormous opportunities it offers individuals all the pillars of protection around a child,
ing in Birmingham is now as likely to be to effect real change: we need them to be its starting with the Children’s Act and the na-
influenced by a vlogger in Australia as they indefatigable advocates. We need to work tional curriculum. We can’t keep bolting on
are their schoolmates. In newly global digi- with them to put together a new social con- solutions – we need to embed responses to
tal spaces, children have the world at their tract for the digital age – one that reflects the changes the internet has brought into
swiping fingertips. their lived experiences, and not the semi- our national laws and institutions to keep
The question for adults is: how do we Luddite hankerings of our own generation. them meaningful.
help them make sense of the global pic- Some of the jobs for which we are pre- We have a chance to look ahead to make
ture? As a nation, we’ve historically been paring young people for will not exist when sure that all children have access to the
squeamish about tackling ‘difficult’ topics they leave school or university. In a decade’s amazing opportunities that are coming, and
with our children, so this isn’t something time, technology will have transformed the that every young person understands the
that we can leave only to parents. How workplace. The winners will enjoy a work opportunities and responsibilities of living in
do we plan to talk to them about the tsu- environment – as vloggers, gamers, influ- a digital democracy, so the internet strength-
nami of content they have access to online? encers – that they have literally created for ens our social bonds rather than chips away
A forward-thinking government would re- themselves. But others run the risk of being at them. We can lurch towards legislation
ject a quick update to PSHE topics in favour left out and left behind, particularly children that fails before the ink has dried, or we can
of a root and branch review of the whole from less well-off backgrounds who are take a breath and do the work that needs to
curriculum, to reflect children’s global ac- more likely to pursue jobs in areas vulnera- be done to build a digital society fit for those
cess to information and influence. ble to automation and artificial intelligence. growing up in the 2020s, and beyond. F
© Benjamin Sow/Unsplash
15 / Growing up in the 2020sThe entrepreneurs
of tomorrow
We must foster creativity in young people and give them the tools
they need to succeed in the digital economy, writes Liam Byrne
Liam Byrne is the Labour MP for Birmingham
Hodge Hill and shadow digital minister
G rowing up in the 2020s are a generation
of digital natives. They are young
people who, when they need some extra
Here we have a mountain to climb.
Today, very few of the mega start-ups of the
digital age begin life in the United Kingdom.
na’s fintech and electric vehicle sectors are
world leading. Over the last 15 years, cash-
less payments on Chinese apps like WeChat
cash, don’t think twice about turning to Where are the homegrown Googles and and AliPay have grown into a $16tn market.
an app for a delivery gig, a platform to sell Facebooks? Currently, Britain ranks at just In 2016, mobile payments in the country to-
on last year’s wardrobe or rent out their 48 out of 60 in the global enterprise league talled $9tn, dwarfing the US’s $112bn that
room. They see social media stars not only table. Of the top 300 companies created in the same year. In fact, China, the ancient inven-
as a source of light entertainment but also last 30 years, only a handful are British and tor of paper money, looks set to become the
as entrepreneurs whose success they can the only two ‘British’ websites in the global world’s first cashless society.
aspire to. top 100 were actually founded across the If we’re to avoid being left behind, an
Thank heavens. We need that entrepre- also-ran in the cyber age, we’ll need a revo-
neurial zest like never before. Estimates lution in the way we support young people
vary of just how many jobs will be lost in the business of starting a business. Our
through automation. But we do know this: Our young people young people don’t lack motivation but op-
some groups will be hit harder than others. portunity. Almost 60 per cent of young peo-
And young people, and the working class don’t lack motivation ple aged 18 to 30 say, “I would like to start
will be hit hardest of all. In fact, estimates my own business”– but only 13 per cent are
show that some 3 million working class jobs but opportunity in fact self-employed. Yet if we raised our
could be wiped out by the rise of the robots. youth enterprise to the level of Germany or
That’s five times more jobs than were lost the United States, we would create an extra
through the shutdown of coal and steel – 100,000 jobs.
put together. Atlantic – google.co.uk and amazon.co.uk. Fostering entrepreneurship will demand
Now, some on the left are arguing for While Britain can boast being home to over more from the government than just a cash
what they call a ‘post-work’ consensus. 40 per cent of Europe’s so-called ‘unicorns’ – injection, though. Becoming a leader in the
Where automation is accelerated and new those new firms worth more than digital age requires vision. We should aim
wealth taxed and redistributed to all with $1bn – at £85bn, the total value of all to be the most advanced digital society
a universal basic income. Maybe one day European unicorns put together is just half on earth, with government and entrepre-
that utopia will arrive. But in the meantime that of Facebook alone. neurs working together. Here we can learn
we need, not a 'post-work' consensus, but Meanwhile, looking east, countries like much from Estonia, the surprising e-capital
a 'good work' consensus. And that means China are steaming ahead to meet the Unit- of Europe.
democratising the digital revolution for the ed States. China’s 89 ‘unicorns’ are worth When Estonia emerged from the north-
entrepreneurial talents of the next genera- almost as much as America’s. Grabbing west corner of the old USSR, its leaders
tion of young people. emerging industries with both hands, Chi- took the bold decision to reinvent the
16 / Fabian Policy Reportcountry as a digital pioneer. Today, digital students growing up in the 2020s will be and guidance too. From the classroom to
portals allow its citizens to access public stuck with a schooling that does little to the workplace, young people need access
services, pay tax and vote online, while prepare them for the challenges and op- to specialised and personalised mentor-
the country boasts the world record for portunities of the digital economy and with ship from a young age: careers advice that
the most start-ups per person, supported options for technical education that simply gives children the confidence to start their
by a system that demands just five min- aren’t good enough. own business while understanding the
utes for an entrepreneur to register their As automation reduces the number of risks and responsibilities that come with
new company. manufacturing jobs available, we need to being your own boss.
As the UK forges a new path after years take apprenticeships in the service sector – We will also need to address the lack
as the north-west corner of the EU, we need of creativity in the classroom. With a stag-
the same sense of purpose. We cannot allow gering variety of online learning tools to
the reactionary rhetoric weaponised by the
Leave campaign to hold sway as we make
Teaching staff convey facts, teaching staff should have
more freedom to focus on developing ‘soft’
policy for a post-Brexit Britain. In a digital should have more skills like imagination, communication
age, old jobs from barristers to baristas may and self-motivation that are so crucial for
disappear, but that means we must be ready freedom to focus on building an entrepreneurial spirit. Tech-
for the new jobs. nology will only become a more intrinsic
Here we can learn not only from our
developing ‘soft’ skills part of the classroom in the 2020s, but
competitors around the world but from our like imagination, while this generation of students might
own history as a great nation of innovation. learn their French vocabulary from an
Researching my book Dragons, I studied communication and app, inspirational teachers and mentors
800 years of British capitalism, revealing will be key in helping them develop their
a country that was not just shaped by sov- self-motivation business idea to bring Paris techno to the
ereigns and statesmen but built by some of West Midlands.
the most extraordinary entrepreneurs on To give the entrepreneurs of tomorrow
the planet. Of course amongst them are which accounts for nearly 80 per cent of the the tools to succeed, we need an education
plenty of rogues and renegades, fraudsters, value in the UK economy – much more seri- system that takes us from ABC to PhD.
slave-owners, opium traders and una- ously. Students starting out in their careers That means a total rethink of the kind pro-
bashed imperialists and, of course, women will need these bespoke skills to get on the posed with Labour’s National Education
were for hundreds of years frozen out of the ladder. But with a majority of employers say- Service, supporting learners from cradle
enterprise economy by the traditional struc- ing the skills they need for the future are ge- to grave. Meeting the challenge of estab-
tures of patriarchy. neric rather than highly specific, we also have lished professions fading away – while
At its best, though, Britain’s enterprise to ensure their qualifications are respected new industries thrive and demand work-
spirit has driven forward innovation, new and transferable to allow them to progress. ers with new skills – will require a culture
industries and world-beating firms that At the moment, apprenticeships are a great of truly lifelong learning. To provide this
not only created new wealth but invented idea poorly implemented. Courses designed we must be innovative, thinking of de-
new ways of sharing it, from Port Sun- by employers are often not transferable be- grees not only as courses to be completed
light to Bournville to the boardroom of tween organisations – even where the con- in short, sharp bursts, but as a means of
John Lewis. Huge firms are slashing costs, tent is very similar, and we need a proper learning that people can return to repeat-
driving down wages and failing to invest regulatory system to ensure quality. edly over several years.
in new opportunities, with UK corporates We also continue to have a worrying
sitting on nearly £600bn. Right now, big deficit in STEM skills, something that
business is failing to invest in the great could be countered by giving universi-
new jobs of the future, so we need our en- Why can we not ties a boost, and spending 3 per cent of
terprising classes more than ever before, to GDP on science like our competitors in
create fresh jobs in the new industries of
have enterprise Germany and South Korea. The govern-
big data or genetic medicine, cyber-securi- education in every ment must prioritise learning to equip
ty or the internet of things. our young people with both the skills and
To make this a reality though, the gov- school and college? the confidence they need to start their
ernment will have to be willing to invest in own businesses.
young people to become the entrepreneurs Great entrepreneurs make history by in-
of tomorrow, starting in the classroom. Why venting the future. With challenges of the
can we not have enterprise education in Even where high-quality courses are likes of Brexit, climate change and a rap-
every school and college? If not at school available, students often aren’t taking idly changing workplace facing us, we need
then where are young people supposed to them up. Children and young people, a future generation of entrepreneurs who
learn how to manage a business account therefore, need to have an entitlement, not not only surf the waves of change but actu-
or apply for a loan? Without major change, just to education and skills, but to advice ally shape the tides. F
17 / Growing up in the 2020sYou can also read
