Does where you live shape your child’s future? A new report reveals a stark postcode lottery

A new report reveals huge differences in children’s access to mental health support, education, dental care and safe spaces, depending on where they live.

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Published: October 20, 2026 at 12:14 PM

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Children’s services in England are facing a “national emergency”, with where a child grows up having a significant impact on their access to education, healthcare, youth services and safe spaces to play.

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A new report from Children’s Commissioner for England Dame Rachel de Souza has highlighted what she calls a “postcode lottery” in childhood, revealing huge differences between local areas in the support available to children and the challenges they face.

The *Childhood Lottery* report examines more than 160 measures of children’s lives, including education, health, safety and social care. Its findings suggest that deprivation alone does not explain why some areas struggle, with some more deprived communities performing better than wealthier places.

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The postcode lottery affecting children’s lives

The report highlights significant differences in children’s experiences across England, from waiting times for mental health assessments to GCSE results and access to dental care.

Among its key findings:

The differences between individual areas are particularly striking. In Leicester, children waited an average of six days for mental health assessments, compared with 118 days in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

In Richmond upon Thames, 70% of children achieved good grades in English and maths GCSEs, compared with 31% in Knowsley.

Access to dental care also varied widely. While 86% of children in Redcar and Cleveland had seen a dentist in the previous year, the figure was just 39% in Hackney.

I cannot see what I have seen, here and over my six years as Commissioner, and see the status quo as anything less than a national emergency.

Dame Rachel de Souza

Which areas are the hardest places to grow up?

The report identifies Middlesbrough, Hounslow, Bradford, Nottingham, Halton, Peterborough, Leicester, Liverpool, Sunderland and Medway among the 10 most challenging places to grow up in England.

At the other end of the rankings, Cheshire East, Merton, Surrey, Richmond upon Thames, Hertfordshire, Cheshire West and Chester, Haringey, Leicestershire, Central Bedfordshire and Wokingham were identified as the least challenging places to be a child.

However, the commissioner stresses that every area has work to do. Even places ranked among the least challenging can have significant gaps in support, while areas experiencing high levels of deprivation can still deliver strong services for children.

Haringey in north London, for example, performed well despite high levels of deprivation, while Cambridge ranked lower despite being one of England’s least deprived areas.

“There is a poverty issue, but there are also service issues, and capacity issues,” Dame Rachel told the BBC.

She added that she wanted to see “rocket-boosted support for these places”.

Why children need safe places to play

Beyond the statistics, the report highlights the impact that crime and a lack of safe spaces can have on children and their families.

Dame Rachel described speaking to children who had witnessed knife crime regularly and felt unable to visit their local park because of concerns about safety.

In her report, she also recalled visiting Middlesbrough and hearing from a 14-year-old girl who knew the crime statistics in her local area.

“Children should not have to know those statistics,” she wrote. “Their parents should not have to talk about them over dinner to explain why children cannot play outside.”

Children plays hopscotch outdoors on a summers day,

The findings raise questions about how easily children can access the everyday experiences that support their wellbeing, including spending time outdoors, meeting friends and taking part in activities in their local community.

What changes are being called for?

Dame Rachel is calling for a minimum standard for children’s services across England, alongside a national Children’s Emergency Fund to help improve services in areas where provision falls below that level.

She also wants larger local authorities and regional mayors to take greater responsibility for improving children’s outcomes, with a designated leader for children and families in every strategic authority.

The report argues that local decision-makers need the funding, information and powers to respond to the specific challenges facing children in their communities, alongside clear accountability for results.

Dame Rachel said she had previously resisted calls to focus primarily on funding, but believes the scale of the problems now demands action.

“The extent of failure is too great,” she wrote. “I cannot see what I have seen, here and over my six years as Commissioner, and see the status quo as anything less than a national emergency.”

What has the government said?

Education Secretary Lucy Powell said the government would work to ensure that “no child is held back by where they grow up”.

The Department for Education said it was investing in support at every stage of childhood, including childcare, school standards, youth services and opportunities for training and employment.

The government also said it was opening 1,000 Best Start Family Hubs in England. These hubs aim to bring together support for parents and children, including health, education and advice services.

The Local Government Association said public services needed the right resources and “powers at the right levels” to improve outcomes for children across the country.

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For families, the report highlights how much a child’s opportunities can depend on local services, and why improving access to support, education and safe spaces remains an important challenge across England.

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