A new report out today is calling on the Government to put the country’s education infrastructure at the forefront of a national plan to tackle poverty.
The Child of the North initiative – led by the N8 Research Partnership and Health Equity North – and former Children’s Commissioner Anne Longfield’s new Centre for Young Lives think tank seeks to encourage the Government and Opposition to reset their vision for children and show how putting the interests and life chances of young people at the heart of policy making and delivery is crucial to Britain’s future success.
This latest report argues that schools and nurseries are anchors in the most deprived communities and 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 and a targeted programme of funding to support schools in areas with the highest child poverty to co-ordinate services and provide support to reduce the impact of poverty on children and 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 and a national Scientific Advisory Group for Children to ensure evidence, evaluation, and data-sharing lie at the heart of the programme
With over four million children in the UK living in poverty – one million of them in the North of England – the report highlights the negative impact that poverty is having on many children’s education, health, and future employment, including 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
nly 4 in 10 of the most disadvantaged pupils will reach the expected attainment at the end of their time at school and 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 at increased risk of being persistently absent from school.
Anne Longfield, Executive Chair of the Centre for Young Lives, said:
“Intervening within the school gates to target the most vulnerable children to make sure they are provided with the support they need with pastoral support, family workers, educational psychologists, youth workers, breakfast and after school clubs, enrichment activities and holiday play schemes, can make such a difference to breaking down barriers and inequalities.
“Child poverty has become the elephant in the room in Westminster. Both parties have an opportunity at the forthcoming election to look at measures to tackle the root causes that are holding so many children back in their education. Free school meals should be a long-term ambition for all schools, but we should start by targeting individual schools in local areas with the most disadvantaged children and young people.
“The evidence is clear that investment in the UK’s education system is being squandered because the effects of poverty are not being addressed as an integral part of educational provision. Schools should no longer have to use sticking plaster solutions to tackle poverty.”
Professor Mark Mon-Williams, Child of the North report series editor, said:
“Education is the most powerful tool available to a nation that wishes to invest in its future. Poverty is eroding the life chances of millions of children in the UK and fueling inequity and economic stagnation. There is hope for the UK’s future, but it requires immediate investment in the eradication of child poverty and the removal of poverty related barriers to education. The weight of scientific evidence shows we must act and work with and through educational establishments to give every child the best possible start in life.”
