The ObserverSunday, 18 October 2026

The childhood lottery

Where you grow up matters. In Blackpool, children are 27 times more likely to miss school than pupils in Lambeth. A quarter of children in Croydon feel unsafe. In Bedford, it’s less than 7%. A new study exposes the vast inequalities of childhood in England, prompting the children’s commissioner to declare a ‘national emergency’.