Children & Young People
Overview
Poverty is an issue which particularly affects children in London. While the child poverty rate has decreased over the past 5 years, it is still similar to the rate in 2015, and remains higher than the overall poverty rate. 37% of London’s children live below the poverty line, which is higher than any other age group.
Nearly 5 in 6 homeless households in temporary accommodation
contain children, which highlights the impact that the high cost of housing in
the capital is having on young Londoners. The unemployment rate for 16-24 year
olds is 9%, compared to 4% for 25-64 year olds.
More positively, 60% of London’s children achieved 5 A*-C grades at GCSE, compared to 53% in the rest of England. The attainment gap between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged pupils is also far smaller in London than in the rest of England.
We have funded a number of initiatives focussed on children and young people to address some of the particular challenges they face in London and to help ensure that they are able to meet their potential.
One example is the Moving On Up Initiative, which aims to
improve the employment rate of young black men in London. Another is a secondment
we have funded for a member of Coram Children’s Legal Centre to the Greater London
Authority’s social integration team. This secondee will work on the Citizenship
and Integration Initiative, specifically looking at Young Londoners. We are also
members of the London Child Poverty Alliance, which launched a manifesto before
the 2018 local elections explaining what Councils and Councillors can do to
combat child poverty.
We have funded a number of reports about young people’s issues, including work on child trafficking, social integration and the impact of sanctions on young single parents. Some of these reports can be found below and the full range can be found here.
To explore more data about children and young people in London, visit London’s Poverty Profile.
Children & Young People: What we’re doing
Children & Young People: News
News
Citizenship & Integration Initiative research - London’s children and young people who are not British citizens
News
Get involved in London Challenge Poverty Week 2019
News
Successful outcomes from Citizenship and Integration Initiative
News
Citizenship and Integration Initiative: call for applications
Children & Young People: Data
See all
Data
19-year-olds without Level 2 or Level 3 qualifications
Data
Attainment gap for disadvantaged students
Data
Childhood obesity by London borough
Data
Child poverty and type of housing
Data
Children in poverty before and after housing costs
Data
Comparing the Index of Multiple Deprivation with its Education Domain
Data
Destinations of school leavers
Data
GCSE attainment in English and Maths by London borough
Data
GCSE attainment in English and Maths, by population sub-groups
Data
Infant mortality
Data
Infant mortality by London borough
Data
Key Stage 5 qualifications and disadvantage
Data
Material deprivation of children
Data
People sleeping rough
Data
Poverty and life stages
Data
Poverty for London's adults, children and pensioners, by family work status
Data
Temporary accommodation types
Data
The age distribution of the population
Data
Unemployment rates by age group
Children & Young People: Publications
Publication
Left Behind: Single parents with pre-school aged children and job-seeking under Universal Credit in London
Publication
"Free Transport Means Everything to Me": Understanding the impact of the suspension of free travel on under-18s
Publication
Involving Young Londoners: A review of participatory approaches in the youth sector
Publication