Children in blue school uniforms eating lunch

Child poverty

The NEU is fighting to break down the barriers poverty puts up around education.

We are campaigning for an education system where every child can thrive, and no child is left behind.

In the UK today, 31 per cent of our children – 4.5 million – are trapped in poverty. That means nine pupils in an average class of 30 have been let down.

Wealth is a significant predictor of how well children get on in school. By GCSE level, poorer pupils are on average 19 months behind their wealthier peers. We also know that some children are more likely to be affected by poverty than others, such as Black children and those with SEND.

What the NEU is doing

Fighting to make sure no child is left behind

Poverty isn’t inevitable – it’s the result of political decisions. After pressure from over 100 organisations, including the NEU, the government has scrapped the two-child benefit cap – a policy that dragged 109 children into poverty daily.

This change will lift hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty. It’s a big step forward, but the fight continues. The NEU will keep campaigning until no child is left behind.

Free School Meals For All

We believe that every child should have a healthy school dinner, every day. It’s that simple. Please have your say and tell the Government it’s time to extend Free School Meals to every child in primary school.
 

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Resources

The Government’s Child Poverty Strategy

The Government has published a strategy which aims to eradicate child poverty – a long-overdue acknowledgement that child poverty is not inevitable, it is a consequence of political choices. The decision to scrap the two-child limit, which the NEU and others have long campaigned for, will make a real difference to the lives of millions of children. 

The strategy includes extending free school meals to all children growing up in families receiving Universal Credit, as well as universal breakfast clubs – both steps in the right direction and an acknowledgement of the scourge of child hunger in our schools, which holds back the potential of so many children. However, the government needs to go further and follow the example of Wales and London to roll out FSM for all primary school children, so no child is left behind.

Educators see every day how poverty damages children’s ability to learn, coming to school hungry, cold, or without the basics they need. They have been plugging the gaps for far too long.  If this child poverty strategy is implemented with urgency and backed by proper investment, the government could begin to turn the tide. 

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