Every Child Can and Here Is How We Know

A response to the Government’s Every Child Can announcement  |  June 2026 

The Government is right. Every child, regardless of where they grow up or which school they attend, should have access to music, sport, the arts, nature and civic life. Not as an afterthought. Not depending on their postcode. As a common entitlement. The £132.5 million Every Child Can programme, backed by a new national Enrichment Framework and Ofsted scrutiny, is the structural commitment that can make that real.

We welcome it unreservedly.

Intergenerational Music Making (IMM) and Intergenerational England (IE) have spent eight years doing exactly what this policy is trying to achieve using music, sport, the arts and nature to build the skills, confidence and relationships children need for life. What we have learned from that delivery, and from our research partnerships with four universities, is directly relevant to how Every Child Can is designed and implemented. 

What this policy is responding to 

The State of the Nation survey underpinning this announcement is unambiguous: despite being the most digitally connected generation in history, young people in England today face some of the highest rates of isolation globally. They want safe spaces, trusted adults, better mental health support and greater access to the kinds of activities that build real-world skills and confidence. The participation gap this policy sets out to close is not marginal it is structural, and it falls hardest on children from the most disadvantaged backgrounds.

• 1 in 5 children and young people aged 8–25 have a probable mental health disorder — with rising anxiety, depression and disengagement from school and community life. (NHS Digital, 2023)

• Children from the least advantaged backgrounds are significantly less likely to participate in music, sport or arts activities — enrichment access remains heavily skewed by family income, geography and school type. (EPI, 2024)

• Children who participate in arts, music and hobby clubs are significantly more likely to progress to higher education — while those involved in sport clubs are more likely to be in employment as young adults. (EPI, cited in the announcement)

• 25% of boys aged 11–16 report feeling lonely sometimes, often or always — loneliness is taking hold before adulthood, not after it. (Sport England Active Lives Survey, 2023–24)

• Only 56% of 16–24 year olds feel connected to their neighbourhood — compared to 75% of those aged 65+. Enrichment in community settings — not just schools — is uniquely placed to close that gap. (DCMS Community Life Survey, 2022/23)

The five categories of the Enrichment Framework arts and culture, sport and physical activity, nature and outdoor, civic engagement, and life and future skills are not arbitrary, they reflect what children themselves say they need, and what the evidence consistently shows builds the kind of confidence, social connection and skills readiness that lasts beyond the school gates.

What we do 

IMM www.imm-music.com is a national organisation founded in 2018, with delivery teams in London, Manchester and Surrey. We have delivered over 2,500 intergenerational projects in schools, care homes, hospitals, housing developments, community hubs and public spaces. Our work sits across all five of the Enrichment Framework categories.  

What the evidence shows

Eight years of independent evaluation and academic research partnerships with Manchester Metropolitan University, Sheffield Hallam University, the University of Southampton and the University of Surrey give us a clear picture of what enrichment in music, sport, nature and the arts achieves for children when it is delivered well.

The figures above are measurable outcomes in confidence, connection and wellbeing the skills the Enrichment Framework is explicitly designed to build.

Our Music and Literacy Project showed that music-based enrichment in schools improves reading and writing skills, strengthens vocabulary and comprehension, and boosts collaboration and empathy between peers. Children do not just learn notes or rhythms. They learn to listen, to contribute, to lead, and to fail safely. These are life skills. Our Move and Groove programme showed that combining music with physical activity increases engagement significantly among children who are hardest to reach through sport alone. Sing and Grow showed that children who grow things alongside older people develop empathy, patience and a sense of community that classroom learning alone cannot replicate. 

EPI research, cited in the Government’s own announcement, confirms what we see on the ground: children who participate in arts, music and nature activities are more likely to progress to higher education; those who engage in sport are more likely to be in employment as young adults. Enrichment is not supplementary to children’s futures. It is formative.

How we can support implementation

Intergenerational England is the UK’s national body for intergenerational practice and policy, and the Secretariat to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Tackling Loneliness and Connected Communities. IE has directly influenced the NHS 10-Year Plan, the National Youth Strategy and the Civil Society Covenant. Together, IMM and IE bring delivery infrastructure, policy expertise and an independent evidence base to Every Child Can.

What we offer to DfE and DCMS:

• Practical delivery models across all five Enrichment Framework categories, ready to scale in schools, community settings, weekend and holiday provision

• Evidence from eight years of programme evaluation, independently assessed through four university research partnerships

• Expertise in reaching children from the most disadvantaged backgrounds, the children the participation gap falls hardest on

• A proven approach to combining music, sport, nature and arts into cohesive enrichment that builds multiple skills at once, rather than treating categories in isolation

• Policy input to the Enrichment Framework benchmarks, school profiles and Ofsted assessment criteria to ensure enrichment is evaluated on outcomes, not just provision

• Demonstration sites across London, Manchester and Surrey where DfE and DCMS officials can see Every Child Can in practice

“There were some lovely moments as the energy and enthusiasm of the young children in the room lit up the faces of the many older retired people, themselves clapping and singing along — a great example of organisations working together to make a warm, happy and very inclusive occasion.”

Shahid Azeem, High Sheriff of Surrey — IMM Intergenerational Creative Health Hub, Guildford, 2025