CYP Now - Support schools and nurseries to tackle poverty, Longfield’s think-tank urges ministers

Programmes within schools and nurseries should be at the forefront of a government plan to tackle childhood poverty, a think-tank led by the former Children’s Commissioner for England has told ministers.

Researchers propose a targeted expansion of universal free school meals. Picture: Monkey Business/Adobe Stock

A report from Anne Longfield’s Centre for Young Lives and Child of the North states that “schools and nurseries are anchors in the most deprived communities and that they should play a leading role in those areas with the worst child poverty”.

It calls for government to produce a plan to support schools to reduce the impact of poverty as a first step of a national plan to reduce numbers of children living in disadvantaged households.

Other recommendation include a targeted programme of funding to support schools in areas with the highest child poverty rates to coordinate services and support to reduce the impact of poverty on children alongside a targeted extension of universal free school meals in these areas.

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