We wholeheartedly support government’s decision to do the right thing and scrap the two-child limit. Much like the expansion of free school meals, it will improve the lives of children up and down the country. And with record high levels of child poverty in the UK we welcome government’s recognition that publication of the strategy is only the first step. There is much to do and we must now build on this momentum to achieve more tangible change for children.
The festive winter period bring fun, but often also financial pressures for families on low incomes. Our joint report with the National Education Union covers how schools can reduce costs to make festive celebrations accessible to all.
Twelve young people from the Cost of the School Day Voice network met with the First Minister, John Swinney, and the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, Jenny Gilruth. They met at the First Ministers official residence, Bute House in Edinburgh, for a discussion about how the government can help further reduce the impact of poverty in Scotland’s schools.
Scrapping the two-child limit will be transformational for children. This is a much-needed fresh start in our country’s efforts to eradicate child poverty and while there is more to do it gives us strong foundations to build on. Every child deserves the best start in life and with today’s decision government has done the right thing.
A poll of English primary and secondary teachers, conducted by the NEU, found six in seven teachers (86%) say child poverty is limiting opportunity for their pupils to some extent. Two in five say it is limiting pupil opportunity greatly.
The government must invest in social security to reduce child poverty, boost living standards overnight and improve wider economic, health and educational outcomes.
There are limited exemptions to the two-child limit in universal credit, one of which is if the child has been conceived non-consensually, either due to rape or coercive control. In that situation, the woman who has experienced this abuse has to disclose it in order to get vital support for her child. Since the two-child limit was introduced in 2017, this has been one of the most harmful, insidious aspects of an already deeply damaging policy.
More than 100 organisations representing doctors, teachers, social workers, health visitors and more warn government against ‘half-measures’ on two-child limit.
As this government recognises, every child deserves the best start in life. But a record 4.5 million children live in poverty. Their life chances are being held back and their potential wasted. They deserve better.
