“I would like it to rain books!” – children’s reflections on books, libraries and reading from The Big Future
“The joy of sharing a book together is one of the greatest gifts we can give a child. Reading helps children dream bigger, build confidence and feel connected.” – Frank Cottrell-Boyce, author and former Children’s Laureate Frank shared these powerful words after we joined a royal visit to Spellow Library. Her Majesty The Queen, Patron […]
The Big Future: Speaking to children in Scunthorpe
This week, I went to a place that, for many years, was home. I grew up in Scunthorpe. It is where my family – in the words of It’s A Wonderful Life – did their working and paying and living and dying. It is where my father became a skilled pipefitter at the steelworks, after […]
Putting young people at the heart of devolution
Today I am sharing a guest blog written by one of my former Youth Ambassadors, Rylie. Rylie was part of the first cohort of Ambassadors in 2024 and is from Darlington. After leaving school Rylie undertook an apprenticeship and works as a consultant, including as a global advisor on education and youth policy, supporting the […]
2026 WellChild Awards
Recently I had the privilege of attending the 20th WellChild Awards – an inspiring evening celebrating the courage and achievements of children and young people, as well as the families, carers and professionals who support them. As part of the evening’s celebrations, I was honoured to present the Inspirational Child 7–11 Award to 10-year-old […]
The Big Future: Speaking to children in Norfolk
The first few years of my time as Children’s Commissioner were immediately post Covid. In many ways, I imagined that the response to the pandemic, and its impact on children, would be what defined my time as Commissioner. It is so odd that it so clearly has, and yet in many ways this goes unacknowledged. […]
GPC spend over £500: 2026 – 2027
1 April 2026 – 30 June 2026 Transaction date Transaction amount Entity Details 28/4/2026 £1,642.92 OCC Office supplies / stationary 20/5/2026 £900.00 OCC Travel 30/5/2026 £1,063.48 OCC Social media services 5/6/2026 £825.00 OCC Party conference passes All figures shown are gross amounts paid inclusive of VAT (where applicable).
Spend over £25,000: 2026 – 2027
We publish details of all spending over £25,000 on a quarterly basis. 1 April 2026 – 30 June 2027 Nil All figures shown are gross amounts paid inclusive of VAT (where applicable).
Every child deserves a route to a successful future
A version of the below blog appeared in The FT in September 2026. Every time I speak to children their voices resonate with me, and I take something back to Westminster. Nowhere was that more true than last week on a visit to Scunthorpe, where I grew up. I visited the giant steelworks where my […]
What should education look like after 2030?
Today I am sharing a guest blog written by one of my former Youth Ambassadors, Rylie. Rylie was part of the first cohort of Ambassadors in 2024 – she has since gone to work as a global advisor on education and youth policy, supporting the Education Beyond 2030 process. Education Beyond 2030 is a global […]
AI in education: Initial reflections from the DfE’s youth advisory panel
How should artificial intelligence be used in education? What opportunities does it offer, what risks does it present and what safeguards should be in place? Most importantly, what will AI mean for the next generation of children and young people? These are some of the questions the Department for Education wants to explore with young […]
“Things began to change because people invested their time in me” – Reflections on being NEET and why I wrote to the Prime Minister
Yesterday, I published new findings showing that thousands of 16 and 17-year-olds enrolled in further education are attending less than half the time. These ‘hidden NEETs’ are effectively disengaged from education, but remain outside the official statistics on young people not in education, employment or training. Behind every statistic is a young person with their […]
Press Notice: Thousands of teenagers slipping through the cracks, as 42,000 ‘hidden NEETs’ remain enrolled in colleges but severely absent from learning
Tens of thousands of 16 and 17-year-olds enrolled in further education settings are severely absent and attending learning less than half the time – meaning they are disengaged from education but remain invisible to official NEET figures, the Children’s Commissioner has warned. Dame Rachel de Souza’s new analysis suggests the number of young people not […]
Archived Content
Improving the living situation of children living in secure accommodation
Anne Longfield, Children’s Commisioner for England, has written to Vicky Ford MP, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Children and Families, Lucy Frazer QC MP, Minister of State, Ministry of Justice and Nadine Dorries MP, Minister for Patient Safety, Suicide Prevention and Mental Health regarding concerns about children in living in secure accommodation, particularly those […]
Children in custody during lockdown
Since the start of the Covid pandemic, the Children’s Commissioner’s Office has investigated and highlighted concerns about the treatment of children in secure settings. Our briefing in May used data collected from the Youth Custody Service (YCS) alongside a series of interviews with children to shine a light on conditions for children in custody during […]
Help at Hand annual report 2020
Our 2020 annual report for Help at Hand, our advice line for children in care.
Response to the DfE’s announcement on unregulated accommodation for children in care
Anne Longfield, responding to the DfE’s announcement on unregulated accommodation for children in care, said: “The Government’s ban on unregulated provision for under-16s in care is very welcome, but needs to go further and include all under-18s. There are too many teenage children in care living in completely unsuitable and sometimes dangerous accommodation, including hostels […]
Five things you need to know about SEN in schools
How children’s needs are met (or go unmet) in schools, and the implications of these for the SEND Review and other reforms
Building back better
When I became Children’s Commissioner for England six years ago, I set out an ambitious vision for a nation where childhood is understood and celebrated and where the voice of all children is listened to at the heart of Government. I had in mind a particular group of children who, in my experience of working […]
Building back better – Anne Longfield’s final speech as Children’s Commissioner
Anne Longfield, Children’s Commissioner for England, has delivered her final speech in post with a challenge to the Prime Minister to show he is serious about children by putting them at the heart of his post-Covid plans. Her speech warned that the Prime Minister’s promise to ‘level up’ will be ‘just a slogan unless […]
Speech
Characteristics of children entering care for the first time as teenagers
Last year, research from my office showed that even before the pandemic, there were 120,000 highly vulnerable children in England who were falling through the gaps in education and social care. This group of children – equivalent to 1 in 25 13-17 year olds – all had significant additional needs and vulnerabilities but were not […]
Spend over £25,000: 2020 – 2021
We publish details of all spending over £25,000 on a quarterly basis. 1 April 2020 – 30 June 2020 Nil 1 July 2020 – 30 September 2020 Transaction date Merchant name Transaction amount Entity Details 14/08/2020 National Audit Office £33,600.00 OCC External Audit Services 1 October 2020 – 31 December 2020 Nil 1 January 2021 […]
Still not safe
The public health response to youth violence
