News, research & insights
w/c 09 June 2025
Free School Meals expansion to feed 500,000 more children
The government’s welcome decision to expand free school meals to all families on Universal Credit will directly support 500,000 children from September 2026, prompting campaigners to call for further policy progress.
Schools have ‘no time to wait’ for national poverty strategy
Union leaders have called for urgent government action on child poverty, warning that schools cannot compensate for the immediate impact of hardship on pupils.
Most teachers don’t find KS2 results data useful, DfE survey finds
Headteachers are urging a review of national testing after a government survey revealed that most secondary teachers find Key Stage 2 SATs data unhelpful.
Move from ‘meat three times a week’ guidance, says charity
The Food Foundation is urging a review of school meal guidance in England, highlighting that children consume more processed meat than adults.
Headteacher appointed as advisor to Education Secretary
Andrew O’Neill, Head of All Saints Catholic College, has been seconded for 12-months to serve as a school leader adviser to Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson.
Research & Insights
Local Numbers, National Crisis:
Child Poverty Across the UK
[Loughborough University; End Child Poverty Coalition, 2025]
This latest report presents updated Local Indicators of Child Poverty After Housing Costs, developed by Loughborough University’s Centre for Research in Social Policy for the End Child Poverty Coalition.
Using local data and the Understanding Society survey, the analysis adjusts for housing costs to better reflect real disposable incomes across different areas.
It highlights a major gap in current estimates, which exclude around 722,000 children in households with no recourse to public funds (NRPF)
I’d recommend taking an in-depth look at the data for your particular areas of geography/communities. But here are some notable headlines.
4.5 million children (31% of all children) were in relative poverty in 2023/24, and the poverty rate remained high across the nations and regions.
Devolved polices such as the Scottish Child Payment have contributed to overall lower levels of poverty across Scotland, as compared to the rest of the UK, although more than one in five children remain in poverty.
In two-thirds of parliamentary constituencies, at least one in four children are in relative poverty after housing costs
Constituencies with the highest levels of child poverty are well above the national average, with over half of all children in these areas living in poverty.
This includes Middlesbrough & Thornaby East (52%), Manchester Rusholme (51%), Liverpool Riverside (50%), Dewsbury & Batley (58%), Bradford West (57%), Bradford East (55%), Leeds South (52%), Birmingham Hodge Hill (55%), Birmingham Perry Barr (52%), Birmingham Yardley (51%), Walsall & Bloxwich (51%), Birmingham Hall Green & Moseley (50%) and Bethnal Green & Stepney (50%)
The constituency with the highest level of child poverty is Birmingham Ladywood where 62% of children live in poverty. This means in an average classroom of 30 children, 18 are living in poverty
Constituency-level child poverty rates are directly and strongly correlated with the percentage of children affected by the two-child limit in that local area, providing further evidence that the policy is a key driver of child poverty.
(Source: Loughborough University; End Child Poverty Coalition, 2025)
This is why over 130 organisations have written this open letter to government calling for urgent action to address this.
The North East Child Poverty Commission have produced this insightful and detailed summary of what the data means for the North East and how this can be addressed at scale.
Healthy food security is the foundation of progression and education
[Harris; NE Bylines, 2025]
I’m plugging one of my own articles here because I believe it is important to convey why food poverty is a cornerstone of tackling educational inequality.
It also chimes with news late last week regarding the extension of free school meals for more children.
In it, I explore the explicit links between access to nutritious food and educational outcomes.
Food insecurity hampers children's ability to learn, develop, and thrive, particularly in regions like the North East of England where poverty rates are high.
By drawing attention to initiatives such as school breakfast clubs and community food programmes, I’m aiming here to advocate for systemic solutions that address both immediate needs and long-term educational equity.
You can also read about how Dormanstown Primary Academy (Tees Valley Education) are using place-based work through children and families to help tackle some of these issues. More on this here as a case study.
(Source: Community Farm Shop; TVEd, 2025)
Ensuring children have reliable access to healthy meals is not merely a welfare issue but a foundational element of educational policy and social mobility.
Please do share the article with educators, policymakers, and stakeholders in education and public health, as it calls for integrated approaches to tackle food insecurity and its impact on both learning and progression.
Priced out of school:
How lack of money prevents young people from attending school
[Child Poverty Action Group; 2025]
This recent research by CPAG explores how financial hardship directly affects school attendance among 11–18-year-olds across the UK.
While persistent absence has risen sharply since the Covid-19 pandemic, particularly among secondary school pupils and those eligible for free school meals (FSM), this report highlights the often-overlooked role of poverty in driving some of this non-attendance.
Key findings include:
16% of all young people have missed school because they lacked something essential to attend (e.g. uniform, lunch, transport).
This figure rises to 26% among those receiving FSM.
The most common reasons for absence include: not having the correct uniform or kit (47%), no money for meals or packed lunches (43%), and unaffordable transport (26%).
FSM pupils were more than three times as likely to miss school for lack of correct uniform and twice as likely to be sent home for it.
Young people also missed school due to mental health issues, which were more prevalent among those from low-income households.
Cost pressures also influenced subject choices and participation in trips or extra-curricular activities.
The research demonstrates that poverty not only limits children's access to school but also subjects them to greater penalties within the system, compounding inequality.
The report calls for policy action to remove financial barriers to attendance and ensure all children can fully participate in education.
Readers may also find it helpful to view part 3 of my equitable curriculum series (published 10 June) , in which I provide further insights into these topics and how to tackle them.
No podium without pipeline:
Formula 1 offers unlikely blueprint to tackle skills divide
[Gardner; The Edge Foundation, 2025]
I found this article insightful, and not just because I enjoy F1!
Alice Gardner, CEO of the Edge Foundation, explores how Formula 1 is addressing its skills and diversity challenges, offering valuable insights for the broader education and skills sector.
Despite the UK's rich motorsport heritage, the sector faces significant skills shortages. Research indicates challenges both on and off the track, highlighting the need for a more diverse and skilled workforce.
Gardener draws on F1's proactive approach to this problem which includes partnerships with educational institutions and programs like F1 in Schools
As an aside, there are some excellent case studies on the F1 in Schools website to show how this is being achieved across education settings.
The article explores how partnerships are aiming to inspire and develop the next generation of engineers and technicians. These initiatives are designed to build a sustainable talent pipeline and address the skills gaps.
The F1 sector recognition of its skills and diversity challenges, coupled with its strategic educational partnerships, provides a model for other sectors.
Rewards and competition in education
[Hidi et al; 2025]
This recent research from Hidi et al (2025) challenges the common belief that rewards and competition are simply good or bad for motivation and learning.
Instead, researchers show that both rewards and competition are complex and can work together to support motivation in different ways.
Intrinsic (internal) and extrinsic (external) rewards are not opposites but complement each other, each playing a unique role in encouraging engagement.
How rewards and competition affect learning varies greatly depending on individual differences such as interest, personality, and mental health. Needless to say, this will be of interest to those of us exploring inequalities too.
Competition itself is not inherently harmful; the impact on well-being depends more on personal resilience and the learning environment. Again, this is interest if we layer it with other research into hardship/poverty related barriers to learning.
Additionally, providing meaningful feedback and support helps learners engage more deeply, whether in school, sport, or digital games.
Understanding these nuances is important for educators and practitioners aiming to create motivating, supportive learning experiences that recognise the diverse needs of learners. Something we refer to lots in Tackling Poverty and Disadvantage in Schools.
Opportunities
Make a difference in the Tees Valley
Come and support our PLACE based work!
You may have heard that Tees Valley Education and partners were successful in securing a significant amount of investment into Teesside!
With thanks to the National Lottery Community Fund, we have partnered with Zarach and the Sleep Charity to tackle sleep inequalities in the region.
Zarach is expanding its vital work in the Tees Valley and is recruiting a Family Engagement Officer to join the team.
This role offers an exciting opportunity to help shape and grow a dynamic local service supporting families in hardship across Middlesbrough, Hartlepool, and Stockton-on-Tees.
The successful candidate will need experience in case management, partnership working, and charity operations, and must be able to travel locally and occasionally to Leeds.
Applications close at 5pm on 22 June 2025, with interviews taking place in Middlesbrough on Wednesday, 09 July.
BERA Equality in Education Award
This is a great opportunity to celebrate best practice and equity in education.
The BERA Equality in Education Award honours an individual whose work has significantly addressed inequality and discrimination in education.
The award recognises efforts that have promoted diversity, equity, and inclusion at local, national, or international levels, with clear evidence of sustainable structural change in systems that uphold inequality.
To nominate someone, submit a completed nomination form, including a 1,000-word statement (written by the nominator) outlining the nominee’s contributions.
Key criteria include:
Impact on diversity, equity, and inclusion
Relevance to specific contexts (local/national/international)
Evidence of long-term structural change
Innovation in approach
Collaborative working