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A few years ago, researchers in Bradford set out to investigate why literacy rates in the West Yorkshire town were so low. But, instead of just looking at what was happening in schools, they studied all the information that had been collected separately by the NHS and the Department for Education. As they cross-checked the multiple datasets, they discovered that a third of pupils diagnosed with poor eyesight by the health service were not going to the optician for glasses, which meant they struggled to read.

There was a simple solution. All children were given a vision test in reception and those who needed spectacles were automatically given two pairs – one to take home and one to keep in class. Teachers were also told the results of the eye test so that they know which pupils and families to support. 

Literacy rates were transformed. In 2017, when the programme was introduced, pupils in Bradford were 6.2 percentage points behind the national average in reading at the end of primary school. By 2018, the gap had narrowed by almost a third and by 2019 it had halved to 3.1 percentage points. 

The “glasses in classes” project was one of the first successes of the ground-breaking Born in Bradford study which uses datasets from across the public sector to come up with innovative answers to tricky social problems. The researchers are now trialling the same approach to dentistry. By comparing health and education data, they found that one of the main explanations for school absences is tooth decay. The primary reason for children being put under general anaesthetic at the Bradford Royal Infirmary is to have all their teeth removed. Instead of hiring truancy officers, they sent dentists into schools. 

If data is the new oil then the researchers led by Mark Mon-Williams, professor of cognitive psychology at Leeds University, are the refiners turning government information into liquid gold. 

The study has been tracking 13,800 children born at the Bradford Royal Infirmary between March 2007 and December 2010. It draws together information from the NHS, education, local government, housing and welfare systems, allowing the team to join the dots and see the whole child rather than viewing the individual through the prism of disjointed Whitehall departments. 

There is no artificial intelligence or big tech involved. This is a local project finding practical solutions to specific problems but it has a wider relevance. The researchers have now been following the progress of the children for almost 20 years and they are starting to be able to make predictions about the future based on the lessons of the past.  

The team analysed data about children diagnosed with autism at 11 by the NHS and found that many of the traits were already apparent in the information collected by schools when the pupils were 6. They realised they could predict with remarkable accuracy which children would later receive an autism diagnosis on the basis of the teacher’s assessment at the end of the reception class. 

Pupils with a low score on what is known as the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile – carried out on all five year olds across England – were 50 times more likely to be subsequently diagnosed with autism. The team then used the same metrics to identify the current five year olds who were at risk of having additional needs. Instead of joining a seven-year waiting list, these children were formally assessed within weeks by a specialist team. Almost all had a neurodivergent condition, meaning support could be put in place immediately before difficulties escalated. 

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The Born in Bradford study found that pupils who have not reached a good level of development by the age of 5 are almost three times more likely to be not in education, employment or training (NEET) 12 years later. This suggests that any solution to the Neets crisis must start long before young people enter the jobs market and probably before children even get to school. Alan Milburn is studying the findings as he develops the recommendations for his Neets review. The Born in Bradford team are also working with the Ministry of Justice to help identify children most at risk of being dragged into crime so that they can be diverted onto a better track. 

There is a reason why this academic study in the north of England has caught the eye of policy makers in Whitehall. Born in Bradford shows there is an effective way to improve the delivery of public services while also saving money. If every area had a similar approach it would be transformative. There is an obvious child protection reason for greater collaboration too – from Sara Sharif to Baby P, too many children have fallen between the cracks in the system because information is not shared between schools, social services and the NHS. And the local dimension means the approach aligns neatly with Andy Burnham’s devolution agenda. 

Public consent is essential, of course, but polling suggests most people assume their data is already shared between government departments. Mon-Williams says the public services collect “extraordinarily rich information” but there is too much fragmentation. “The UK has data assets which are the envy of the world, but our failure to use information effectively is crippling our economy and harming our children,” he says. “The safe and intelligent connection of information means we can see the whole child, identify needs earlier, and get help to families before problems become crises. We rightly worry about protecting the data rights of our citizens, but we should be petrified at the consequences of failing to close the public service cracks through which far too many children are falling.” It is time to replicate the Born in Bradford approach across Britain. The government should harness the power of the data it already collects to redesign the state.

Photograph by Getty Images