Millions of pounds will be spent on new play and leisure facilities as part of a government plan to reverse the decline of childhood and make sure that children in England are both seen and heard.

Ed Balls, the Children’s Secretary, said yesterday that he wanted to move away from the “no ball games” culture of the past, which curtailed the freedom of children and young people to learn and develop by playing independently outside the home.

Outlining details of the Government’s ambitious ten-year Children’s Plan, Mr Balls said: “The main message that children and young people have given us is that they wanted more and better things to do, particularly after school and at the weekends,” he said.

Most young people recognised their responsibilities towards society, but felt their own contributions were too often undervalued or ignored.

“We want kids to be seen and heard,” Mr Balls told the House of Commons, adding that he wanted to make Britain the best place in the world for children to grow up.

The plan aims to strengthen the children’s workforce by requiring all newly qualified teachers to gain a masters degree in education during their first year in the job.

The suggestion received a cautious welcome from teachers, who were pleased at the increased professionalism this will allow, but concerned about the timing, since the first year of teaching is the hardest for most new recruits. The plan also seeks to find better ways of dismissing poor teachers and striking them from the professional register maintained by the General Teaching Council.

A new system of restorative justice scheme will encourage young offenders to come face to face with their victims and make reparations to them. Those who say “sorry” could be spared court. Beverley Hughes, the Children’s Minister, said: “Studies have shown that many young people don’t have a clue about the impact of their behaviour on other people.”

There will also be a review of the way sex and relationships education is delivered in school. This is in response to concerns raised by young people in a recent report suggesting that sex education is taught so badly that many teenagers are left in complete ignorance about how to avoid sexually transmitted infections and pregnancy.

The plan also set out options to help children born in the summer months, who often lag behind classmates born the previous autumn. Although the difference is most pronounced in the reception year, there is evidence that it lasts right up until the age of 16 in some children. Ministers will examine whether summer babies would benefit from the option of starting school the following January, or even the next September when they are five.

Although the law already allows for some flexibility, many local authorities have withdrawn January starts saying that it makes it even harder for summer babies to catch up.

As part of his curriculum review, Sir Jim Rose will examine whether it would be appropriate for even greater flexibility in start dates.

Free nursery education will be available for some two-year-olds in particularly deprived areas. The most recent research found that children from disadvantaged homes are up to a year behind in their learning than those from more privileged backgrounds by the age of three. From next year, every family will be entitled to 15 hours of free nursery education, up from 12½.

As part of the plan, the government also said that 90 per cent of five-year-olds would meet the agreed standard across the 13-part early years foundation stage by 2020.

The most up-to-date figures from the Office for National Statistics found that only 45 per cent of children met the correct standards in the key areas of personal, social and emotional development, and communication, language and literacy this year. The department said across all 13 parts, 71 per cent of children had passed.

The plan, which has the backing of Gordon Brown, aims to shift policy from the narrow confines of education to a broader focus on children.

Bob Reitemeier, chief executive of the Children’s Society, which is conducting an inquiry into modern British childhood, gave the plan a cautious welcome. Kate Green, chief executive of the Child Poverty Action Group, said it was now crucial that the Treasury made sure the resources were put in place to allow the Government to meet its goal of halving child poverty by 2010.

Michael Gove, Shadow Education Secretary, said the plan was a missed opportunity and “an underwhelming collage with items stuck on any old how and no underlying vision.”

What teachers think

“My younger colleagues haven’t got the energy or the time to spend on taking masters degrees in the first few years of their careers” Chris Gardner, head of Ashton Park secondary school, Bristol

“The tough job is to engage hard to reach parents, those who didn’t have a good education experience themselves” Mick Brookes, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers

“I’m a little concerned about the reorganisation of the curriculum but pleased they appear to be listening to us” Tim Benson, head teacher at Nelson Primary School, East Ham, East London

“Oh no, not more initiatives” David Fann, Sherwood Primary School, Preston

“Teaching being a profession in which teachers are expected to hold a masters degree is an idea whose time has come” Steve Sinnott, NUT general secretary

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