Alarm at gap between rich and poor children
MOST children in poor areas have already fallen behind in their development by the time they start primary school, it was revealed yesterday.
The deficiency will result in under-achievement, unemployment, ill health – and an early death, experts have warned.
And unless more effort is made to ensure that toddlers are encouraged to talk, play and read, the class gap will widen. But much of this could be reversed if parents simply spend time reading to their children. New figures show a widening gap between children in the wealthiest and poorest areas.
EXPRESS CASINO: GET A FREE BONUS OF UP TO £150 NOW!
Almost 70 per cent of children in prosperous Solihull, West Midlands, have a good level of behaviour and understanding at the age of five. But in the poorest performing borough of Haringey, north London, this figure falls to just 42 per cent.
According to experts, this could leave children “blighted” for the next decade of their lives. And it is the starting point for a life on benefits, in poor housing and suffering from ill health.
The figures were revealed by Sir Michael Marmot, a leading public health academic, who measured inequality in each borough.
In a plea to the Government on spending cuts, he said: “We know things can move in a positive direction and we are saying, here is the data. Please do not make anything worse.”
