IMPACT SNAPSHOT: Child of the North and Centre for Applied Educational Research

We connected health services with educational settings to address stark regional inequalities, producing 12 evidence-based reports that influenced national policy.

#Sickness to Prevention
#Hospital to Community

The Yorkshire and Humber ARC’s Born in Bradford Centre for Applied Education Research (CAER) exemplifies successful applied health research collaboration through quantifiable impact on child health inequalities. The initiative connected public services with educational settings to improve childhood outcomes through evidence-based approaches.

Impacts:
• Produced 12 evidence-based reports addressing critical issues affecting children and young people.
• Generated over 100 media articles and press interviews across major outlets (The Times, Guardian, BBC).
• Highlighted stark inequalities: 33% of Northern children not “school ready” (rising to 45% for those on Free School Meals).
• Children in disadvantaged areas 2.5x more likely to miss school regularly and 3x more likely to become NEET.
• Successfully influenced national policy, including joint dental commissioning approaches following ministerial roundtables.
• Created 36 practical implementation guides for schools, local authorities, and NHS Trusts.
• Established methodology for rapidly translating evidence into regional and national policy.

The project demonstrates how ARC infrastructure can amplify local insights to shape national policy by connecting health, education, social care, and other services. This cross-sector collaboration model provides a blueprint for addressing complex inequalities affecting children’s health and educational outcomes.