Best Practice

The cost of winter: Supporting your families

Poverty Pupil wellbeing Pupil Premium and disadvantage Vulnerable children
Winter can be incredibly difficult for families living in poverty. Sean Harris considers how schools can understand the impact of seasonal hardship and what they can do to support children and parents/carers
Image: Adobe Stock

Poverty and hardship in the UK have become increasingly pressing issues for schools and policy-makers this year.

Annual research from the Centre for Research in Social Policy at Loughborough University has highlighted the urgency and extent of disadvantage across communities.

The study (Stone, 2024) confirms that approximately 4.3 million children in the UK – 30% of all children – are living in relative poverty after housing costs.

Alarmingly, the research finds that child poverty rates of 25% or higher are common, affecting two-thirds of Parliamentary constituencies, with poverty particularly prevalent in the North East, North West, West Midlands, and Wales.

A report from Child of the North (2024), meanwhile, underscores the detrimental impact of poverty on children's education:

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