CPAG and the NEU’s child poverty and education briefing
This briefing, from CPAG and the NEU, lays out from an education perspective what is needed to reduce child poverty, to alleviate the negative impacts of poverty on children’s education, and to empower schools to ensure all children can thrive in education. This package of policies, supported by school staff, draws on our analysis of what is needed for children in poverty:
- Increasing family incomes
- Alleviating income-related inequalities in education
- Removing barriers to education and reducing the cost of the school day
For schools to play their part in breaking down barriers to opportunity, they must start from a secure and sustainable position. The policy recommendations in this briefing are not in place of, but must be in addition to, the adequate funding of the education system which must include additional investment in the workforce and estates. Any work to alleviate poverty must also consider its intersections with other characteristics. The government must pay particular attention to Black children and children with SEND, who can face additional barriers to escaping the trap of poverty.
The policy recommendations detailed in this document are rooted in a vision of what a school day would be like for a child if poverty-related barriers were removed.