England’s Best Regions to Raise Your Child Revealed

Raising a child is one of the most exciting, rewarding and admittedly daunting things you can do.  What can you do to ensure your baby has the best start in life?

With this in mind, we researched the best locations in England to raise a child.

We analysed indicators across six key areas including Ofsted ratings, crime rate, cost of childcare, average house price, amount of green space and air quality, to uncover England’s best city to raise your child.

The study revealed that the North East is the best overall area for raising a child. Read on to find out more.

Key Findings

• The North East is the best place to raise your child
• The South East ranks as worst on the list
• London tops the Ofsted rankings
• The North East has the lowest crime rate
• The North East and East Midlands offer the cheapest childcare
• The North East offers the most affordable housing
• London has the most green space, with the North East in second place
• The North West has the least pollution in the city centre
• The South West has the highest recorded pollution levels

The North East is The Best Place to Raise Your Child

The North East was uncovered as the best place to raise a child, performing favourably in categories such as Ofsted school ratings, cost of childcare, crime rate, air pollution and average house price.

We found that the South East ranks as worst on the list, with low Ofsted ratings, high childcare costs, high house prices, limited access to green space and poor air quality.

London also performs poorly in many areas, with high crime rates, levels of air pollution, house prices and cost of childcare.

Read on for our full category-by-category breakdown of regions across the country.

Ofsted Ratings

Ranking	Place	Outstanding	Good	Requires  Improvement	Inadequate
1st	London	31	62	6	2
2nd	South East	19	71	7	2
3rd	North West	21	67	9	3
4th	North East	20	67	10	4
5th	East of England	17	68	11	4
6th	West Midlands	17	66	12	5
7th	East Midlands	15	68	12	5
8th	South West	15	67	13	5
9th	Yorkshire and the Humber	16	66	13	5

 

London Tops The Ofsted Rankings

London came out on top with an excellent 31% of schools ranked as “outstanding” and 62% of schools ranked as “good”. The South East, North West and North East all perform comparably in Ofsted rankings, with the vast majority ranked as either “outstanding” or “good”.

Bottom of this list is Yorkshire and the Humber, with only 16% of schools ranked as “outstanding” and 13% of schools listed as “requires improvement”.

Crime Rate

Region:	Number of total recorded crimes (excluding fraud) during past 4 months:
North East	279,239
South West	379,481
East Midlands	401,338
North West	415,425
West Midlands	469,709
East of England	500,620
Yorkshire and the Humber	581,290
South East	731,732
London	912,487

 

The North East Has The Lowest Crime Rate

Government statistics on crime rates as reported in July of 2020 lists the North East as having by far the lowest number of recorded crimes out of any region, clearly leading in the category.

The region is known for having low crime rates and strong local communities, with a 2019 travel survey showing that visitors rated Newcastle the friendliest city in the UK and Government research showing that 84% of people in the North East chat to neighbours at least once a month. This region is clearly a winner in terms of community spirit and safety for your child.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, London is ranked as most crime-heavy according to Government records. The region displayed a clear lead in regards to the highest number of crimes committed, with 1 in 3 knife crimes in the UK occurring in the capital. Despite the high Ofsted ratings and opportunities of the capital, London has its drawbacks in regards to safety when choosing a location to raise your child.

 

Cost of Childcare

 

The North East and East Midlands Offer the Cheapest Childcare

Choose the North East or East Midlands for low-cost childcare. Nannies and babysitters are both cheapest in the North East, with the cost of a childminder also being significantly cheaper in the region than in other parts of the country. Meanwhile, the East Midlands is the lowest-cost area for nurseries and ranks #2 in the other categories for lowest childcare costs.

Once again, London performs poorly here, with the most expensive childcare in all four categories, whilst the South East also ranks as expensive for childcare.

 

Average House Price

Region (lowest price to highest)	Average House Price (January 2020)	Monthly % change since December 2019
North East	£126,592	-2.6
North West	£164,769	-1.5
Yorkshire and the Humber	£165,383	-0.9
East Midlands	£195,707	-0.4
West Midlands	£200,628	0.4
South West	£254,320	-1.8
East of England	£286,999	-2.2
South East	£320,700	-1.2
London	£476,588	-1.1

The North East Offers The Most Affordable Housing

Once more, the North East ranks first in this category. Government statistics show that the North East is currently by far the cheapest region in the country for housing, with the average house costing almost £40,000 less than in the North West, the next cheapest region.

Other lower-cost regions for housing include the North West and Yorkshire.

London is again the clear worst performer in this category, with average house prices almost half a million pounds, or 3.8 times more expensive than the average house in the North East.

 

Access to Green Space

 

Region	Population not within a ten-minute walk of a green space
London	12,108
North East	88,682
Yorkshire and the Humber	182,248
North West	199,455
East Midlands	233,624
West Midlands	266,387
East England	329,846
South East	402,049
South West	418,097

London Has The Most Green Spaces Followed by The North East in Second Place

London comes out on top for nearby access to public green spaces such as parks and nature reserves. Only 12,108 people in the area lack access to one of these locations, meaning the vast majority of the populace has somewhere to bring the kids for some time outdoors.

The importance of playtime outside has been proven to help children to develop physically and mentally as well as benefiting motor skills and spatial awareness; however, studies are showing that children today may be spending only half the time playing outside than their parents did. A UK government study discovered that 10% of respondents have not been in a natural setting such as a park or trip to the beach/countryside in more than a year.

The North East comes second for access to green space; only 88,682 of the population cannot get to a public green space within a 10-minute walk, placing the area significantly ahead of the rest of the country and giving it a distinct advantage over the South West, where a staggering 418,097 of the population cannot access a park or other green area within a 10-minute walk.

 

Air Quality

Region	Highest Polluted Location	Rate
South West	Chideock Hill, West Dorset	97.7
Yorkshire & Humber	Station Taxi Rank, Sheffield	91.7
South East	North Street Clock Tower, Brighton	90.8
London	Strand, City of Westminster	88
West Midlands	St Chads, Birmingham	74
North East	Blackett Street, Old Eldon Sq, Newcastle	71.3
East of England	Bell Vue, Epping, Epping Forest	67.0
East Midlands	M1 Lilbourne, Daventry	62.6
North West	Oxford Road, Manchester	62

The North West Has The Lowest Pollution Levels

The North West has the least pollution in the city centres according to the most recent Air Quality Annual Status Reports. Air quality is hugely important for children and babies, as their lungs are still growing which makes them particularly vulnerable to high pollution levels. Being exposed to air pollution as a child can trigger asthma and childhood cancer as well as infections like pneumonia.

The South West has the highest recorded pollution levels, as 97.7 ug/m³ of Nitrogen Dioxide was recorded on Chideock Hill, the area’s most polluted location. Whilst choosing a location purely based on pollution levels in the city centre may not be practical or possible, it’s something to bear in mind when selecting a home for your children to grow up in.

 

 

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