Too skint for school: how poverty is affecting children’s education

A new report by the Centre for Young Lives paints a troubling picture of how poverty is impacting children's education in England.

The ‘Too Skint for School’ report highlights the growing problem of children from struggling families –, particularly those who get free school meals (FSM) – missing school.

As absence rates soar, it’s clear that financial barriers are keeping thousands of children away from the classroom.

The rise in absence rates

The report shows that absences among children eligible for FSM have increased at an alarming rate.

Since the Covid pandemic, children who are eligible for FSM are more than twice as likely to repeatedly miss school.

if you’re from a low-income background, the odds of missing school are stacked against you:

• Children eligible for FSM are over twice as likely to be absent than their peers.
• FSM-eligible children are three times more likely to miss more than 50% of school.
• In poorer areas, such as Bradford, children on FSM are over three times as likely to regularly miss school.

Heartbreaking stories and hidden costs

The report reveals heart-wrenching stories from families struggling to make ends meet.

Parents shared stories of children being forced to share shoes and miss school  because they can’t afford basic necessities like PE kits.

Some children are missing school because their families can’t afford bus fares.

The role of schools

While some schools are working hard to support children from low-income families, the report found that others overlook the impact that money struggles can have on attendance, and punish students instead of supporting them.

The Centre for Young Lives urges schools to be more considerate and think about  families’ income when addressing attendance issues.

Understanding that some children may be late or absent because of family money worries can help create a more supportive educational environment.

Recommendations for change

The Centre for Young Lives recommends several ways to break the link between poverty and school absences, including:

• scrapping the two-child limit on universal credit.
• expanding FSM to all children in families receiving universal credit.
• reducing the number of logos on school uniforms to make them more affordable.
• updating attendance guidelines to recognise poverty as a contributing factor to absence.
• offering financial relief for families in crisis through schools.

Calls for more government help

Anne Longfield, executive chair of the Centre for Young Lives, said the government needs to take urgent steps to improve attendance among children from low-income families.

“A lack of money should never stop a child from attending school,” she said.

The government have said they will tackle the problem with a strategy that will address the “wide-ranging and deep-rooted” causes of child poverty.

Longfield added that the government’s promise to reduce child poverty will be undermined if children continue to miss out on education because of money troubles.

Do you need money help?

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