As reported by Centre for Young Lives, a new report calls for government action inside schools to combat child poverty, emphasising the need for targeted support in the UK’s most deprived areas
The report highlights recent analysis of the data of over 60,000 children illustrating a link between poverty and the current school attendance crisis.
A report published last week (Friday 15th March) by Child of the North and former Children’s Commissioner Anne Longfield’s new Centre for Young Lives think tank, is calling on the Government to take the battle to reduce child poverty inside the school gates and put the country’s education infrastructure at the forefront of a national plan to tackle poverty.
The report, “An evidence-based plan for addressing poverty with and through schools” argues that schools and nurseries are anchors in the most deprived communities and that they should play a leading role in those areas with the worst child poverty. It calls for:
A new Government plan to support schools to reduce the impact of poverty as a first step of a national plan to reduce child poverty.
A targeted programme of funding to support schools in those areas with the highest child poverty to coordinate services and support to reduce the impact of poverty on children.
The targeted extension of universal Free School Meals in schools with high levels of child poverty.
A Child Poverty Unit in No. 10 and a Government Poverty Tsar to drive improvements in education for disadvantaged children.
A national Scientific Advisory Group for Children to ensure evidence, evaluation, and data-sharing lie at the heart of the programme.
With over 4 million children in the UK living in poverty – 1m of them in the North of England – the report highlights the negative impact poverty is having on many children’s education, health, and future employment:
Children who experience persistent disadvantage leave school on average 22 months behind their peers and are far less likely to pass Maths and English at GCSE.
Children born into families with the lowest incomes in the UK are almost 13 times more likely to experience poor health and educational outcomes by the age of 17 years.
Only 4 in 10 of the most disadvantaged pupils will reach the expected attainment at the end of their time at school.
School leaders say they are spending more time on dealing with the impact of poverty in schools, including teachers providing food to hungry pupils.
The report also highlights the link between child poverty and the current school attendance crisis, suggesting that children growing up in poverty are likely to be at increased risk of being persistently absent from school.
It highlights new data from over 60,000 pupils across the Bradford District collated by the Connected Bradford project which shows that over half (57%) of those identified as persistently absent from school were eligible for Free School Meals (FSM). It found that children eligible for FSM were three times more likely to become persistently absent at some point over their school career compared to their peers who did not receive FSM. This grew to 4.5 times more likely for those who were persistently absent for two or more years across their schooling. These findings suggest that children growing up in poverty are likely to be at increased risk of not attending school.
The report draws on evidence to show how many educational establishments have already become anchor institutions within some disadvantaged areas, particularly during the pandemic when schools and nurseries played a major role in supporting the needs of children, young people and families living in poverty. It calls for schools to be supported to mitigate the problems of poverty within the classroom and beyond.
It highlights existing initiatives that show the positive impact that projects within the school gates can have on alleviating child poverty, including “Poverty Proofing” – developed and rolled out by Children North East – and the related “Cost of the school day” from the Child Poverty Action Group.
“Poverty Proofing” the School Day is a national programme which aims to ensure that “no activity or planned activity in school should identify, exclude, treat differently or make assumptions about those with less financial resource”. It listens to the voices and experiences of young people and identifies institutional inequalities in provision as well as providing an action plan to address issues such as affordability and access of uniform, administration and stigmatisation around FSMs, access to resources and activities, behaviour and setting, transport to school, accessing trips and extra-curricular provision, and support for parents and families.
As a result of the programme, those schools taking part have changed their practices around these issues and have subsequently reported improved attendance and attainment, as well as greater take-up of FSM and extra-curricular trips and activities, and more effective use of hypothecated funding.
The report also highlights the work of Opportunity Areas, for example the free school breakfast clubs established for all children in schools that had at least 35% of pupils eligible for Pupil Premium through the Bradford Opportunity Area initiative. Following this initiative, schools reported that pupils’ academic progress increased by an average of two months across reading, writing, and maths.
It also sets out how universities can play an important role in raising attainment of children in their local areas. Durham University have begun to explore how they can play a role in raising the attainment of children in their area and are sponsoring a scheme to provide local schools around Durham with evidence-based programmes that support disadvantaged pupils.
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