There are so many risks to children as they grow that it seems criminal to be reducing the level of awareness of things going wrong for them. Children from poorer backgrounds need breakfast and after-school clubs. Children from any background may need a responsible adult to notice that something is not right.

I have taught for many years in young offenders’ institutions and prisons. Few prisoners set out to become criminals. Most drifted into crime after things went wrong at home or they played up at school. If the new policy lays the stress on achievement without considering the other things in a child’s life, how is the child going to be able to achieve if something goes wrong?

Judy Jackson, Education manager, Isle of Man Prison.