Giving Compass' Take:

• Judith Burns & Adina Campbell report on a study that found poor children's social mobility was determined, in part, but the community they were raised in.

• Is this phenomenon repeated in other western countries? How can philanthropy help to ensure that social mobility is universal?

• Find out why education isn't enough o ensure social mobility.


Rhythmical Mike, a 24-year-old East Midlands poet, performs his work to pupils at Lovers' Lane Primary school in Newark, Nottinghamshire.

It's an area where many children face big challenges and, according to a new State of the Nation report from the Social Mobility Commission, their educational and career prospects are too often limited from the outset.

It ranks all 324 local authorities in England in terms of the life chances of someone born into a disadvantaged background and it debunks the notion of a simple North-South divide.

Instead, it says, there is a "postcode lottery" with "hotspots"  and "cold spots" found in all regions.

The report highlights a "self-reinforcing spiral of ever-growing division", with children in some areas getting a poor start in life from which they can never recover.

West Somerset sits at the bottom of the league table, with average wages less than half those in the best performing parts of London.

There are some surprises, with wealthy areas such as West Berkshire, Cotswold and Crawley performing badly for their most vulnerable residents.

The report explains that wealthy areas can see high levels of low pay, with poorer young people at risk of being "somewhat neglected", particularly if they are scattered around isolated rural schools.

Conversely, some of the most deprived areas are "hotspots", providing good education, employment opportunities and housing for their most disadvantaged residents.

Read the full article about the postcode lottery by Judith Burns & Adina Campbell at BBC.