1 in 5 schoolchildren 'living in poverty'

February 24 2011

As many as one in five schoolchildren in the UK can be classed as living in severe poverty, a leading charity has reported.

Research carried out by Save the Children found that around 1.6 million children under the age of 16 live in households with an annual income under £12,000.

Furthermore, this number is expected to increase over the coming months as the government's austerity measures start to be felt at local level.

As well as not getting nutritional meals, the charity has warned that children from impoverished backgrounds often go without school essentials such as proper uniforms, books and stationery.

Launching the new report, Sally Copley, head of UK policy at Save the Children said: "Children up and down the country are going to sleep at night in homes with no heating, without eating a proper meal and without proper school uniforms to put on in the morning."

According to the charity's research, Wales has the highest proportion of children living in poverty of anywhere in the UK.

Posted by Andrew Jones

News brought to you by TimePlan, the UK's FIRST for teaching jobs

Want to know more about teaching in the UK?

News Homepage