A think-tank has warned that the costs of going to school are a barrier to regular attendance for some children from low-income families.
Research by the Centre for Young Lives has revealed that both primary and secondary school pupils who are eligible for free school meals are more than twice as likely to be absent than their peers.
Researchers heard that the costs of travel, uniform, and food are more than some families can regularly afford, with ‘troubling’ stories about children missing school because their family could not afford the correct PE kit or bus fares twice a day.
But the report says there is no clear, single factor behind the link between poverty and school attendance.
It also warns that schools’ identification of children where family deprivation is the leading factor behind their non-attendance is often limited and uncoordinated.
Its recommendations include removing the two-child benefit cap; ensuring guidance says schools should consider poverty in relation to absence; and helping schools giving families financial relief in times of crisis.
The executive chair of the Centre for Young Lives, Anne Longfield, said: ‘The recommendations in this report have the potential to improve school attendance among children in poverty.
‘That includes putting more money in the pockets of families and bringing down the cost of school.
‘We also want to see stronger support for families, strategies from schools that recognise poverty, and better use of the Department for Education’s world-leading attendance data.’
