Urgent action needed to address child poverty in local schools
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Last week we shared devastating figures from research our charity has carried out, showing a huge increase in child poverty within Catholic schools in Greater Manchester and Lancashire over the last three years.
Here, our director Patrick O’Dowd shares more about why we felt it was so important to carry out this piece of work, and why urgent action needs to be taken to help save young lives in our communities…
When we started working with local head teachers and other school leaders to carry out research into the impact of poverty in Catholic schools across our diocese, we knew that the picture would be bad.
We work in schools day in, day out, supporting them with crisis management, mental health of pupils, parents and staff, social work, counselling, therapies and a wide range of other services. We see first-hand the impact that poverty and inequality can have on young lives.
But, as the responses to our questions around the extent of poverty in our diocesan schools, and the ways in which that poverty negatively impacts the lives of pupils and parents alike started to come through, even we were shocked to see the extent of its prevalence.
More than 95 per cent of headteachers and school leaders who contributed to the research cited that the number of children living in poverty has risen, with 35 per cent stating the increase has been significant.
Add to that the fact that 42 per cent of respondents believe that more than half of the children in their school are affected by poverty related issues, with half of those responding stating that poverty affects more than 75 per cent of their pupils and it’s an utterly awful picture.
It’s completely unacceptable that in 2025 this is the case.
A large part of our work – as well as providing 14 community and outreach services across Greater Manchester and Lancashire supporting people experiencing poverty, homelessness, displacement and disadvantage – is to advocate and call for urgent action. To demand that policies that affect people are changed. To be loud and unapologetic in doing so, and to work alongside others who can influence to help speed up those changes too.
Like our services, schools are uniquely placed in local communities. They are rooted in them and see what is going on every day. Staff understand that there’s no simple answer to many of the issues facing families in our area – and nationally too – but also know that, often if they don’t help and support children, who will?
Budgets are continually being stretched. Schools have more and more on their plate. They are delivering not just education to students but that wider wrap around support.
We’ve heard of school teachers ensuring children are able to wash before class (their parents couldn’t afford shampoo or to heat their water), running breakfast clubs, providing free uniforms or other equipment to those who can’t afford them, sending them home with packages of snacks…the list goes on.
Schools and their governing boards and wider communities are doing amazing things to help others. But it’s a daily balancing act and despite best efforts it’s a system teetering on collapse.
Growing up in poverty is known to have significant and long-lasting consequences, particularly when it comes to health and educational outcomes and attainment. It affects many young lives for the long-term.
The results of our research show that this is a real crisis.
Each number in that report is a young life. Action needs to be taken right now.
We want a world where no child should have to live in poverty – that shouldn’t be too much to ask.
Everyone deserves to live happily and with dignity in a safe, secure and supported environment, whatever their age – but especially the youngest in our communities.
A large part of our work is calling for change and helping to drive that forward with key local, regional and national decision makers. Amongst other things, we want to urgently see:
- An end to the two-child limit preventing parents from receiving Universal Credit and tax credits for more than two children in a family
- Free school meals for all primary-aged children
- Increased funding for mental health and SEND provision in schools
- Provision of temporary accommodation near to children’s schools and a duty on local authorities to notify schools when a family is placed in temporary accommodation
- Recommendations for further research
The complexity around poverty and how it can be resolved isn’t a simple one and we’re not complacent or naive to think this will happen overnight.
But, we know that with dedication and commitment from those who can change policy and use their influence for good, real change can happen quickly. And it needs to.
Human dignity and the right for every single individual to have their dignity upheld is at the heart of our ethos at Caritas and looking at the findings of this research we have to ask, ‘where’s the dignity’?
It’s time we all took action – however big or small to influence change. And it’s time now.
The damage for many is irreparable and if action isn’t taken, that will be true for many more young lives too.
Read more about the research and ways you can help now by clicking here.