At the time of writing the new Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has announced a string of new ministerial appointments including a new secretary of state for education, Gavin Williamson. It is vital we all work together to secure the best outcomes for children and families and a country that works for all children. This includes making the case to the Treasury, ahead of the Spending Review, that it pays to invest in children and their education, in both human and monetary terms.

The Department for Education’s (DfE) own research (from Dec 2017) on the potential economic value to the UK of reducing the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers in England to the same levels as in London estimates this could lead to an overall financial benefit of around £12bn.