Greater focus needed on ending child poverty- Norfolk education rep
It's as over a fifth of staff are working in schools across the region where at least one child is homeless, according to a new survey
An education rep in the county tells us a greater focus is needed from Ministers on ending child poverty.
It's as findings from Shelter show that a quarter of teachers in the East are working with a child who's homeless.
"These are much wider social issues"
Tim Wilkes works for the National Education Union in Norfolk:
"We're at the frontline of a lot of this and we know that children are coming to school hungry, cold and without the equipment that they need. For a long time now it feels like it's been left to educators to try and plug some of these gaps.
"We want to support those children and parents who are struggling. We want to provide them with things that will help in the short-term and with sign-posts that help them source further help.
"However, these are much wider social issues".
More than half of teachers in England have worked at a school in the past year where at least one child was homeless, a survey has found.
Nearly a third (31%) of 7,127 state school teachers said in the past year a child or children they personally taught or interacted with was homeless.
A further 20% said they were aware of at least one child experiencing homelessness at their school that they did not personally teach.
"Teachers are witnessing the same devastating effects of growing up in temporary accommodation"
Chief executive of Shelter Sarah Elliott said: "The housing emergency is infiltrating our classrooms and robbing children of their most basic need of a safe and secure home. Children shouldn't have to try and balance their studies with the horrific experience of homelessness.
"Teachers are witnessing the same devastating effects of growing up in temporary accommodation on children that our services see every day."
More than 175,000 children in England are homeless in temporary accommodation as of 2025, Shelter said.
Mum Ayeasha, who was homeless for 12 years with her now 14-year-old son, said the last property they were moved to was so far away from her son's school he could not live with her during the week.
"It was very disruptive for him," she said.
A separate poll Shelter commissioned from teachers' union the NASUWT found of 263 teachers who had worked with homeless children, three in four (76%) said homelessness had led to those children doing poorly in their exams.
Three in four (75%) also said it had a significant impact on the mental health of the child. Nearly all (92%) said homelessness meant children had arrived at school tired, and eight in 10 (83%) said it meant they had missed days of school.
"Homelessness is taking an enormous physical and emotional toll on children"
NASUWT chief executive Matt Wrack said the lack of a safe and permanent home puts children's future life chances at risk.
"Homelessness is taking an enormous physical and emotional toll on children and young people, which is adversely affecting their education and ability to learn," he said.
Headteachers' union the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) has previously warned the burden placed on schools and teachers "has never been higher", with schools running food banks and supporting families with housing while public services "crumbled" around them.
Shelter is calling on the Government to speed up delivering social rent homes by setting a national target.
More than two in five teachers reported being aware of at least one child who was homeless in the past year at their school in every English region
"Children need a safe place to grow"
The Government say it's putting £3.5 billion into halving long-term rough sleeping and preventing homelessness.
Housing Secretary Steve Reed said:
“Homelessness is one of the most profound challenges we face as a society, because at the heart, it’s about people. Families deserve stability, children need a safe place to grow, and individuals simply want the dignity of a home.
“This strategy is shaped by the voices of those who’ve lived through homelessness and the frontline workers who fight tirelessly to prevent it.
“Through our new strategy we can build a future where homelessness is rare, brief, and not repeated. With record investment, new duties on public services, and a relentless focus on accountability, we will turn ambition into reality.”