NEU members know first-hand how poverty limits the life chances of children and young people and significantly affects their educational experience and outcomes in school.
The NEU’s No Child Left Behind Campaign calls on the government to take urgent action to break down the barriers to learning that poverty creates, so that every child can thrive in school.
Get started by using the resources below to make a difference and start turning the page on poverty.
“Schools, in their structure and organisation, can do more than simply reflect the society we have; they can try to be the precursor of the kind of society that we wish to have”Gorard, 2010
Examples of good practice
There are plenty of ways you can make a difference in your school, without having to add hours to your or your colleague’s workloads. Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Set up a second-hand uniform shop where parents can donate/collect items.
- Instead of a non-uniform day consider an odd-sock day.
- Provide pupils with a set of stationery at the start of the year and have it available in every class for all students. Engage with your PTA, if you have one, about funding this cost.
- Give at least one months' notice for school trips and promote any subsidies available.
- Regularly promote free school meals to all families – some may become eligible for this additional support over the course of the school year without realising.
- Establish a resource area to support pupils with creative homework options, ideally limiting how much online work needs to be done outside of school.
- Provide opportunities for students to study at school or loan devices to those who cannot access WiFi and IT hardware.