Be pushy like Southerners so kids succeed, children’s tsar tells parents in North
PARENTS in the North need to be as pushy as their southern counterparts if they want their youngsters to get the best grades, the children’s tsar has warned.
Children’s Commissioner Anne Longfield said demanding parents in London and the Southeast spur youngsters on because they expect more from schools.
In a report, she highlighted that there was little difference between the academic achievements of northern and southern primary school children.
But a gap opens at secondary school and continues to widen until pupils reach the age of 16.
Researchers found that a child from a disadvantaged background in London was 41 per cent more likely to get five GCSEs at grades A to C than a similar youngster in northern England.
And school leavers in London and the South-east are 57 per cent more likely to go to a top university than northerners.
Mrs Longfield – who is a mother and lives in Leeds – said it was time northern parents had higher expectations.
She explained: “We need to be aware of inconsistencies and variations in secondary schools and push hard for our schools to show how they are improving and helping our children to achieve.
“One of the drivers of improvements of schools in London has been the demand for good results from parents and children. There is much we northern parents can learn about this parent power.”
In a bid to discover the reason behind the achievement gap between children in the South and other regions, a major new study, called Growing Up North, has been launched.
Mrs Longfield, who is leading the 12-month project, said it provided an opportunity to help define the future of the 3.6 million children growing up in the North of England.
She said: “The economic disadvantage of the North is well established but as a place for children to grow up the reality is far more complex.
“While there are parts of the North where children fall behind there are also places where they excel. The regeneration under way provides a unique opportunity to reshape prospects for children in the North.
“I want every child, wherever they are born, to get the same opportunities and support to prosper.
“To do this, we need to understand why children do better in some parts of the country than others and what it is about the place they grow up in that supports them to succeed.
“Growing Up North will put children at the heart of discussions about northern regeneration. It’s time to leave the NorthSouth divide behind.”