BRADFORD is to play a major role in a year-long study into child development in the UK which starts tomorrow.

The Growing Up North study by Children’s Commissioner Anne Longfield will look at the gap between progress of children in the North of the country and their counterparts in the South.

She hopes that the findings of the report will be used by Government and local authorities when they consider regeneration plans.

Mrs Longfield will visit various cities and towns across the country during the study, including Bradford, to look at issues like health, access to facilities and school performance of children from birth to adulthood.

Mrs Longfield, who grew up in Otley and now divides her time between her home in Ilkley and London, said she wants her home district to play an important part in the study and a short film being used to introduce it was filmed in Bradford.

She said: “The report will look at the gaps between the North and the South and what needs to be done to fix this. It is about starting a dialogue.

“It will include debate about the North/South divide. We need to make sure children in places like Bradford get the same education as children in places like London.

“It used to be that London schools were some of the worst in the country. Now they’re the best. And the economy of the South East is racing ahead.

“If we are talking about a Northern Powerhouse and the regeneration of the North, then we need to look beyond roads and trains. You have to look at the life chances of children in the North. We need to make sure they are able to get brilliant jobs when they finish school.

“The study will look at all children, from babies upwards.

“We want children to have as many opportunities as possible, but sometimes for some children in some parts of the country those opportunities just aren’t there.

“For the launch of the study we’ve got a film of young people in Bradford talking about their ambitions for the future.

“We have their views of what they think of Bradford, what they think life is like in other places, and what they think the view of Bradford is from people outside the area.

“I hope the recommendations we make at the end of this study will inform the debate about regeneration.

“We’ll be looking for good, creative ideas.”

Last month, Sir Nick Weller, boss of the Bradford-based Dixons Academy chain, released a report highlighting the performance gap between schools in the North and the South, and what can be done to close it.

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