Grandmas turn children into winners especially when they're well-off, finds report

By ELEANOR HARDING, EDUCATION EDITOR Published: 18:17, 24 May 2026 | Updated: 18:24, 24 May 2026 Grandmothers are instrumental in enhancing a child's success in life, especially when they are well-off, according to a report. The Social Mobility Commission has released new analysis showing the 'grandparent effect' can lead to better outcomes, including educational attainment. The Government-funded report found the strongest positive grandparent influence was from the mother's mother. It said grandparents could enhance lives through 'contributing to caregiving' and 'financial and emotional support'. It added their involvement would likely 'transfer intergenerational socio-economic advantage' in terms of wealth and educational achievement. The Commission analysed academic research to determine which parts of children's family lives had the greatest influence in determining children's futures. In a foreword to the report, Alun Francis, chair of the Social Mobility Commission, said: 'To move the needle on social mobility, we must pay more attention to the conditions that enable families to function at their best. 'This includes recognising that raising children takes a wider 'village' of support. Beyond the immediate household, wider social networks and the support of the extended family, particularly the role of grandparents, provide the critical framework of stability and resilience that children need to thrive.' Grandmothers are instrumental in enhancing a child's success in life, especially when they are well-off, according to a report (file picture) Did YOUR grandparents influence your success growing up? What's your view?The report found the strongest influence on outcomes was parents' education, plus the quality of the home learning environment such as access to the internet, a place to study and help with homework. However, it also pointed to other adult influences, such as aunts, uncles and grandparents. It highlighted a study led by the University of Turin, Italy, which found children receiving informal care from their grandparents had better language skills at 18 months than children in formal childcare settings. A review by the University of Oxford of 69 pieces of research found that grandparental influence averaged about a quarter of the influence of a child's parents on their education. The Commission's report said: 'A growing body of evidence suggests that grandparents may play a significant, albeit complex, role in shaping their grandchildren's educational outcomes from early childhood through to adolescence.' No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.