Earlier this week, children’s commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza published The Big Ambition, a national survey of 367,000 young people in England.
Its focus is on “what needs to change in England to make childhood the best it can be” and it aims to do this by providing detailed insight into the views of young people in 2024 on a raft of key areas, such as education, online safety, jobs, skills and more.
As such, many of the findings are well worth safeguarding leads and senior leaders being aware of to help inform strategies in numerous areas - from safeguarding and wellbeing to academic outcomes.
Here are some key headline ideas:
1. Make children feel heard
When children were asked if they believed that people who run the country listened to their views, only 22 per cent agreed that they did.
While this relates directly to politicians, it does highlight a broader trend for young people not trusting those in charge and feeling “responsible, but not empowered”.
Schools should think about this within their own environment to ensure children feel their voices are heard and their input matters.
2. School enjoyment of pupils with SEND
Another notable stat can be seen on page 38, where the report reveals that only 56 per cent of children with special education needs and disabilities (SEND) said they enjoy school compared with 69 per cent for children generally.
This low figure is clearly something for all schools to be aware of and may well prompt school surveys to gain a school-level perspective that can be compared to the findings from this report.
Notably, though, children in state-funded special schools were much more likely to say they enjoyed school - at 76 per cent - underlining the benefits of bespoke provision that meets their needs.
3. Healthy diets and body image
One positive stat can be seen in the chapter on health, on page 25, where 71 per cent of children report having a healthy diet - climbing to 86 per cent for those under the age of six but falling to 65 per cent for teenagers.
While directly impacting the nutritional intake of pupils is not entirely within schools’ control, it does show the importance of touching on this topic where relevant, such as PSHE lessons, as pupils get older.
Linked to this is the stark difference in body image between girls and boys. Specifically, while 60 per cent of boys said they were happy with the way they look, only 40 per cent of girls said the same.
This is the single biggest difference between boys and girls in the survey and underlines why addressing concerns around body image, social media and mental health remain vital.
4. Online safety concerns
Another notable difference between boys and girls is in the chapter on online safety on page 96, where 75 per cent of boys said they felt safe online compared with 67 per cent of girls.
It is likely this is due to ongoing, and widely reported, concerns about sexting, sharing of indecent images and the rise of artificial intelligence.
This should serve as a powerful reminder to schools that educating children about the internet and its risks is an ongoing requirement.
The comment from one pupil that parents are often “ill-informed” about online concerns underlines why it is important young people receive accurate advice and information in this area and have a space to talk about any concerns.
5. Future career options
Finally, in the section on jobs and skills on page 105, just 65 per cent of respondents felt “children knew about good jobs for when they were older” and only 51 per cent said “children knew about apprenticeships, university options and career paths”.
Clearly, if children are to understand the link between education and future opportunities, and how academic outcomes may dictate this, it is important schools make this clear wherever possible.
These elements of careers guidance, set out in the Gatsby Benchmarks, are already expected of schools, but seems there is a gap between expectation and reality.
6. Accentuate the positive
It is important to end by saying there are many positive findings in the survey, too, for example:
- 92 per cent of children say they live with people who love and care for them.
- 83 per cent say that they have quality time with their family.
- 75 per cent say they have great teachers.
Acknowledging these positives, the report summary states: “In global terms, to grow up in England is profoundly fortunate. It remains a place of huge possibility.”
However, it is clear there are gaps where more can be done to ensure the issues that have been raised are addressed wherever possible and that schools can play a part in this.
As such, it is worth noting that the children’s commissioner has published a document detailing the specifics of the research, which could be useful to help inform any surveys or internal benchmarking of the areas covered, to then compare against this research.
Luke Ramsden is deputy head of an independent school and chair of trustees for the Schools Consent Project
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