Summary.

• Starting life with secure attachment gives the growing child the best possible internal assets for making the most of the educational system and subsequent career choices.
• Insecure attachment is a lifelong risk factor for problems with learning, relationships, later parenting and career choices, as well as for issues with emotional and mental well-being.
• The most serious form of insecure attachment, known as ‘disorganized’, constitutes a threat to all domains of development and social engagement.
• Early intervention, building the secure pre-verbal foundations for the child’s future, is an essential component of any education strategy that aims to break the cycle of deprivation and create a more equal society.