Parents report bullying due to child poverty in UK

A recent survey shows that one in ten parents living in poverty say their children have faced bullying due to their financial situation. The survey included 2,000 UK parents with school-aged kids and highlighted the serious effects of financial struggles on families. Parents reported spending an average of £2,000 a year on school-related costs. Many are going into debt to cover expenses like transport and school trips. The survey, conducted by Censuswide for the charity Parentkind, found that nearly one in eight parents rely on food parcels from their child's school. In the UK, a household is defined as being in relative poverty if its income is below 60% of the median after housing costs. Approximately 4.33 million children lived in such households as of March 2023. Official statistics on low-income households are set to be released soon. Parentkind called the survey results “shocking” and urged the government to set a goal to reduce schooling costs for poorer families. The charity's chief executive stressed that parents in poverty are spending large portions of their limited income on education, which is unsustainable. Jason Elsom, from Parentkind, suggested that reducing school costs could significantly help low-income families. He believes that making education free for these parents would improve their financial stability and provide some relief. The UK government plans to release its child poverty strategy this spring, acknowledging the high levels of child poverty as unacceptable. Campaigners are pushing for changes such as ending the two-child benefit limit. Educators also highlighted the impact of poverty on children. Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, pointed out that many families face difficulties with everyday expenses, affecting both children’s and parents’ mental well-being. In response, a spokesperson from the Department for Education noted ongoing efforts to address child poverty. Initiatives include providing free breakfast clubs for schools and reducing uniform costs. The government aims to improve opportunities for children from low-income backgrounds while increasing funding for supporting disadvantaged students.