The Aporia
The Aporia
Yadav, N. (2026, October 19). London boroughs named among very best and worst places in England to grow up - how does your area fare? Evening Standard. https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/best-worst-places-london-children-grow-up-b1301437.html
Yadav, Niva. “London boroughs named among very best and worst places in England to grow up - how does your area fare?” Evening Standard, 19 Oct. 2026, https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/best-worst-places-london-children-grow-up-b1301437.html.
Yadav, Niva. “London boroughs named among very best and worst places in England to grow up - how does your area fare?” Evening Standard, October 19, 2026. https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/best-worst-places-london-children-grow-up-b1301437.html.
Dated from the outlet's own feed. Check the original for its byline.
Dame Rachel de Souza, England's Children’s Commissioner, declared a national “emergency” regarding childhood conditions in the country following an extensive report published on October 19, 2026. The study, titled "The Childhood Lottery," highlighted severe inequalities affecting children's life chances across different regions of England. Middlesbrough was identified as one of the hardest places for children to grow up in, while Cheshire East topped the list of areas providing the least challenging environment.
The report analyzed 162 measures covering health, education, criminality, housing, and welfare, revealing that 30% of children are not "school ready" by Reception age. Additionally, more than half of pupils do not achieve a good standard in English and maths GCSEs at the age of 16. About 12% of young people feel unsafe in their local areas.
Areas like Middlesbrough and Hounslow were pinpointed for high crime rates and low youth service access, while more affluent regions such as Surrey, Richmond upon Thames, and Cheshire East were highlighted as providing better support for children's development. The report also noted that 1 million children had active referrals to services.
The report- named the Childhood Lottery and commissioned by Dame Rachel De Souza - examined the “enormous disparities” between areas in England.
This is a wider trend across London where boroughs make up all ten of the local areas with the lowest vaccination rates.
