North-south divide starts with pre-school children, report says

Children from poorest families in north of England are falling behind peers in south before age five, IPPR North thinktank finds

Children born into the poorest families in the north of England are falling behind comparable children in the south before they even reach school, according to new research that highlights a host of educational and other inequalities the government must tackle to succeed in creating a "northern powerhouse".

The thinktank IPPR North has welcomed the aspirations of the chancellor, George Osborne, to tackle the UK's north-south divide, but warned that children in the prospective northern powerhouse area are already disadvantaged prior to turning five because families are affected by higher unemployment and low pay in a local economy suffering from weak productivity and underinvestment.

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