Impact Of School Costs On Families And Child Poverty

EDM number 1234 in 2007-08, proposed by John Battle on 19/03/2008.
Categorised under the topics of Consumers, Incomes and poverty and Schools.

That this House notes the publication of Adding up: The Range and Impact of School Costs on Families by the School Costs Coalition; further notes that the report reveals restrictive supply arrangements making school uniforms unaffordable, restrictive costs for learning materials such as books, sports kits and art equipment and disadvantaged pupils missing school trips due to charges and widespread bad practice on making information available to pupils and parents when payments are voluntary and help with costs is available; expresses concern that over 70 per cent. of both primary and secondary school parent respondents find it difficult to meet all the costs associated with their child's education, with many experiencing distress from high school cost demands; is further concerned at reports that pupils whose families are unable to meet school costs are frequently bullied and disciplined as a consequence; recognises the need to address school costs to help eliminate child poverty and improve educational attainment; calls on schools and local authorities to monitor charging policies, disseminate good practice and make sure that parents are made aware of help with costs in non-stigmatising ways; and calls on the Government to make the school costs requirements of the Admissions Code enforceable in their own right, with extension of powers to the Schools Adjudicator to allow parents to make direct complaints where school costs requirements are not complied with, and to consider a statutory duty on local authorities to provide uniform grants for families in receipt of maximum child tax credit.

This motion has been signed by a total of 78 MPs.