Poverty and education are deeply linked in the UK, with a child's socioeconomic background often determining their educational opportunities and outcomes.
While education is widely recognised as a pathway out of poverty, the reality is that children growing up in low-income households face significant barriers that hinder their ability to succeed academically. This page explores the relationship between poverty and education in the UK, the challenges faced by disadvantaged students, and the steps needed to break the cycle of poverty through education.
Updated in January 2026
Sophie, nine & her siblings draw at home in Cardiff. Her family received our Early Years Grant in the summer of 2023.
The Scale of Child Poverty in the UK
4.5 million children in the UK are growing up in poverty. This means nearly one in three children are growing up in households that struggle to afford basic necessities like food, heating, and school supplies.
The impact of this is felt acutely in schools across the country. The attainment gap between disadvantaged students and their classmates begins early and often widens as children progress through school.
How Does Poverty Affect Education?
Poverty creates multiple barriers that make it harder for children to learn and thrive at school.
These challenges often compound over time, creating a cycle that's difficult to break.
Educational Resources and Extracurricular Activities
Children living in poverty often lack access to books, computers, and quiet study spaces at home. Children living in poverty are far less likely to have access to private tutoring or enrichment activities like music lessons, sports clubs, or educational trips. These experiences, while not strictly academic, play a crucial role in developing confidence, social skills, and a love of learning.
Caring Responsibilities
Some children in poverty take on caring responsibilities for younger siblings or unwell family members, reducing time available for homework and school activities. This often goes unnoticed by teachers and schools.
Housing Instability
Unstable or overcrowded housing makes it difficult for children to complete homework or get adequate sleep. Thousands of children in the UK are living in temporary accommodation or experiencing homelessness, which disrupts their education and wellbeing. It was found that over half of teachers in state schools in England have worked with children who are homeless.
Diet and Home Life
Children from low-income families are more likely to experience food insecurity, which affects concentration and energy levels at school. Too many children in the UK live in households that struggle to afford a healthy diet. Additionally, stress from financial hardship at home can impact a child's mental health and ability to focus on learning.
What are the Impacts?
The effects of poverty on education are both immediate and long-lasting, affecting children's day-to-day school experience and their future prospects.
Absenteeism
Children living in poverty are more likely to miss school due to illness, lack of proper clothing or equipment, or family circumstances. Persistent absence rates are higher among children eligeble for free school meals.
Inability to Concentrate
Hunger, stress, and poor living conditions make it harder for children to concentrate in class. Teachers report that students who are worried about money at home or who haven't eaten breakfast struggle to engage with lessons.
Less Likely to Pursue Further Education
By the time students reach secondary school, the attainment gap has often widened significantly. Young people from disadvantaged backgrounds are far less likely to progress to university. Even when they do, they're more likely to drop out due to financial pressures.
The Cycle of Poverty and Education
Education is often described as the key to breaking the cycle of poverty, but the reality is more complex. While qualifications can improve earning potential, systemic barriers mean that children from low-income families face an uphill battle from the start.
Without intervention, children who grow up in poverty are more likely to experience poverty as adults. Limited educational attainment restricts access to well-paid jobs, perpetuating the cycle into the next generation.
Joy* with her 9 month old twins, daughter Mitchell* and son Evan* The twins played with the Wonderpack Infant, Edinburgh
Ibrahim, four with Play-Doh at a Lego play innovation lab in Tower Hamlets
How to Address the Issue
Breaking the link between poverty and educational disadvantage requires coordinated action from government, schools, and communities.
Click on the red arrows to find out more about each topic.
Targeted Support for Families in Poverty
Direct financial support through benefits like Universal Credit and free school meals helps alleviate immediate pressures. However, many families still fall through gaps in the system. Expanding access to free school meals, providing vouchers during school holidays, and ensuring that the Pupil Premium reaches the children who need it most are all essential steps.
Equitable School Funding
Schools in deprived areas need additional resources to support disadvantaged students. This includes funding for mental health services, breakfast clubs, and additional teaching staff. School funding in England has not kept pace with rising costs, putting pressure on schools to do more with less.
Addressing the Root Causes of Poverty
Long-term solutions require tackling the underlying causes of child poverty, including low wages, insecure employment, and the rising cost of living. Strengthening workers' rights, increasing the minimum wage, and reforming the benefits system are all part of the solution.
Improving Access to Higher Education
Financial barriers shouldn't prevent talented young people from pursuing university or vocational training. Expanding grants and bursaries, reducing tuition fees, and providing better careers advice in schools can all help level the playing field.
How We Help
At Save the Children, we work with families and schools across the UK to ensure every child has the opportunity to learn and thrive, regardless of their background.
We provide grants to families to help cover the cost of school uniforms, trips, and other essentials. We also run programmes in partnership with local communities to create safe spaces where children can play, learn, and build confidence.
Our advocacy work pushes for policy changes that address the root causes of child poverty and educational inequality. We campaign for fair funding for schools, stronger social safety nets, and reforms to ensure that every child gets the support they need to succeed.
Because every child deserves the chance to reach their full potential—no matter where they start.
Teddy, five and his mum Chloe take part in Families Connect activities, in Belfast
