The accident of birth is the greatest source of inequality in the US,” wrote economist James Heckman. It’s equally true in the UK today, where the strongest predictor of academic achievement is how much your parents earn. Though two-thirds of our kids attain a C or above in English and maths GCSEs each year, that number falls to just over a third of kids on free school meals. Heckman has also shown that the best way to tackle this inequality is to invest in children’s development as early as possible in their lives. It isn’t enough to transform schools – we have to start much earlier than that.

How babies learn - and why robots can't compete