NEWS


Britain’s shame as one in five children live in severe poverty


by Daniel White


Figures showing that more than one in five children live in severe poverty in the UK have reignited calls for government action. Campaigners say the affect that


living in poverty has on a child’s education is devastating and that the situation in the UK could get worse in light of the coalition govern- ment’s cuts agenda. It follows a report commissioned


from the New Policy Institute by charity Save the Children which revealed that 1.6 million children across the UK live in severe poverty – more than one in five. The charity said that severe


poverty leads to children missing out on things like school trips and hobbies, affecting their educa- tional and social development, and also leaving them excluded from society. The charity says a household


is classified as being in severe poverty if its income is below 50 per cent of the median after housing costs, and where both adults and any children lack at least one basic necessity, or either an adult or children lack at least two basic necessities. This means that families liv- ing in severe poverty make ends


meet on less than £12,220 a year (for a couple with one child). That equates to less than £33 per day to cover all basic essentials such as food, utility bills and clothing. The report found that 680,000


of the children in severe pov- erty live in households where at least one adult works, highlighting that being in work is not always enough to escape poverty. However, severe poverty is


worse in areas with high levels of unemployment. The highest proportion of children living in poverty is 27 per cent in both Manchester and Tower Hamlets in London. Rachel Bhatia from Save the


Children told SecEd that the govern- ment needs to invest more money into areas where severe child pov- erty is worst to create more jobs that could enable children to have more options available to them.” She explained: “Poverty has a


huge effect on education. Sometimes the children have no support, they can’t afford books, can’t afford uni- forms and can’t afford to go on school trips or equipment for sport or hobbies and it leads to more of a social deprivation. “More money needs to be


invested in the areas badly affected to create jobs to improve the stand- ard of living. That could lead to


because of the public sector job losses and if high unemployment continues. The charity’s report was based


on figures from 2008/09. The statistics show a fall of around 100,000 in the number of children classed as living in severe poverty when compared with 2007/08, however these children still make up about four in 10 of all children in overall poverty. The figures show that on aver-


aged between 2006 and 2009, Wales had the highest proportion of chil- dren in severe poverty in the UK at 14 per cent, compared to England (13 per cent) and Scotland and Northern Ireland (both at nine per cent). On a region-by-region basis,


the proportion of severe poverty was highest among children living in London at 18 per cent, with the West Midlands at 16 per cent and the North West at 15 per cent. The report added that chil-


an increase in options available for the children, such as sports or school trips.” Save the Children is now urging


the coalition government to agree a plan to improve the situation. The


charity says barriers for employment should be removed for low-income parents by tackling low wages, sup- porting parents to meet childcare costs, and offering financial support for families in “desperate need”.


The charity slammed the gov-


ernment for its freeze on child ben- efits, which they say will likely lead to an increase in severe child pov- erty. It is also claimed that severe child poverty may also worsen


dren from Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Black African backgrounds were much more likely to be in severe poverty than other children. Between 30 and 35 per cent of these children were in severe poverty, compared to 11 per cent of White British children. For more information, visit www.savethechildren.org.uk


Welsh Assembly urged to tackle the stigma of free school meals


The Welsh Assembly government has been urged to improve the take- up of free school meals to help tackle child poverty. One third of Wales’s poorest


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children would rather not have their free lunch for fear of being mocked by their classmates, research by a group of cross-party Assembly members has revealed. The report by the National


Assembly’s Children and Young People Committee found that the average take-up of free school meals in Welsh secondary schools is just 68 per cent. Members are calling on the


Assembly government to make tackling the stigma of free school meals a priority.


And their warnings have taken


on a greater significance in light of a new study by Save The Children which shows youngsters in Wales are more likely to live in severe poverty than in any other part of the UK (see article above). Andrew Chalinder, head


of Save the Children in Wales, said: “Improving the take-up of free schools meals would be an investment in the health and education of the poorest children living in Wales, increase income for the poorest families and help to reach the target of eradicating child poverty by 2020.” The charity found that one in


seven children in Wales is being brought up in severe poverty,


slightly above the English figure while Scotland and Ireland both had fewer than one in 11 children living below the breadline. Its definition of severe poverty


is a couple with one children who make ends meet on less than £12,220 a year. That equates to less than £33 per day to cover all basic essentials such as food, utility bills and clothing. The Assembly government


said solving the problem of child poverty was the administration’s top priority. Responding to concerns over the take-up of free school meals, a spokesman said it would actively encourage schools to put in place cashless systems to purchase school meals.


Library board cleared of deliberate wrong-doing as building costs spiral


A secondary school building is costing Northern Ireland’s Department of Education £3 million more than agreed. The new Magherafelt High


School was to cost just more than £8 million but the price has risen to £11.5 million after work began on a building bigger than was approved. The North Eastern Education


and Library Board (NEELB) ini- tially received approval to tender for a 500-place school. It then extended the contract to


allow for 600 places without the go- ahead for additional expenditure. A report published by the


Northern Ireland Assembly found this was due to a lack of awareness rather than a deliberate attempt to avoid approval.


The report’s findings concerned


separate investigations into pro- curement issues in both the NEELB and South Eastern Education and Library Board (SEELB). It contained allegations that


second-hand heating equipment was installed at De La Salle High School in Downpatrick. The sus- pected fraud is still being investi- gated by police. Education minister Caitriona


Ruane said: “Apart from this issue, I am reassured that there was no further evidence of fraud identified. “However, the overall conclu-


sion of the investigation in the SEELB is that there are significant weaknesses in governance and pro- curement practices.” NEELB chief executive Shane


McCurdy says he welcomes that his board has been cleared of any deliberate wrong-doing. He adds that a clear omission


from the report is that the change in size of school from a figure of 500 to 600 pupils had been instigated by the Department of Education. This, he says, was at a time


when the department was fully aware that the project was being tendered by the board for an enrol- ment of 500 pupils. “It had been the board’s


understanding from then on that the figure of 600 pupils would be most appropriate and that a variation in the contract in line with the established practice would straightforwardly cater for this,” Mr McCurdy said.


SecEd • March 3 2011


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