What can schools do to support children and young people who are experiencing poverty?

More than a third of children in London are living in relative poverty. Growing numbers are facing financial challenges and families who were already living on low incomes have, in many cases, seen their circumstances become even more difficult during the pandemic.

For schools, it is recognised that child poverty can lead to a whole range of issues including poorer educational outcomes, diminished pupil well-being, and reduced engagement and participation. Addressing the impacts of poverty in schools is complex, but schools can and do make a huge difference.

In this roundtable, Child Poverty Action Group will share insights from their ongoing Cost of the School Day project which is working with whole school communities to understand how school costs have an impact on learning and participation for children and young people.

Based on research with over 4,500 children and young they will discuss some of the cost-related barriers that children from families with fewer financial resources can face at school and what schools can do to develop a more inclusive school day. They will share some practical strategies and approaches that schools can put into place to ensure all children and young people have full access to all opportunities on offer at school.

https://cpag.org.uk/cost-of-the-school-day