The path to gang violence begins at four years old: why early action could be key

As one watches the four- and five-year-olds sitting in a circle on the carpet at Rushey Green primary school enthusiastically describing picture cards, gang violence is one of the last things that come to mind.

- Anna Fazackerley

Yet these children are part of a project funded by the mayor of London's Violence Reduction Unit, which was set up to tackle the number of teenagers dying as a result of knife crime.

The boys and girls, all of whom started at the Lewisham school unable to talk properly, are being taught how to use language and communicate more clearly. Research shows that the path to getting excluded from school, then being exploited by criminals or caught up in a gang, often starts here in reception, with children who are left behind coming to feel they don't belong in school because of their problems with language.

The statistics are stark. Two-thirds of children at risk of being excluded from secondary school have problems with speech, language and communication which may be unidentified, according to the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.

The same is true of 60% of those accessing youth justice services. Further up the chain, communication and language problems are far more prevalent in the prison population than the national average.

The Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) was created in 2019 and modelled on a unit in Glasgow, which is credited with dramatically reducing murders by treating violence as a preventable public health issue. It brings together young people, police, health professionals, teachers and youth workers to tackle the root causes of violence.

About 90% of London boroughs have now signed up to its inclusive education charter, which commits to reducing exclusions and suspensions to keep young people safe in school.

Lib Peck, director of the VRU, describes helping four-year-olds to communicate as a "no brainer". She says: "We know that kids are safer in school, and we know the ones who are most likely to be excluded, so it makes sense to flip it round and intervene right at the beginning."