Red book to track every child's schooling

The book, similar to the one given to parents to record health and physical development, will be a permanent log of progress in education.

The idea is at the heart of a reform programme designed to make parents feel more involved in education and to make schools more central to communities.

Children, Families and Schools Secretary Ed Balls plans radical changes to testing and the curriculum, including making foreign languages compulsory in primaries. The moves would also tackle lifestyle problems outside school, it is claimed. Research will begin into issues such as whether children are coming under unfair pressure to diet and whether alcohol adverts contribute to under-age drinking.

To help children let off steam, hundreds of millions of pounds will be spent on improving playgrounds to end what ministers call a "No Ball Games Here" culture in some cities.

The measures come nine months after a Unicef report strongly criticised the quality of childhood in Britain. The UK came 21st in a league table of "child wellbeing", behind Poland and Hungary.

Mr Balls said he wanted Britain to be "the best place in the world for children to grow up". He claimed the latest plans would "put the needs of families, children and young people at the centre of everything we do".