1 in 3 school-age children in England living in poverty (800,000) miss out on free school meals despite cost of living struggles of families. The main causes are restrictive eligibility criteria and lack of universal provision.
Last month, chancellor Rishi Sunak stood before the dispatch box and delivered his third and most significant budgetary response to the current cost of living crisis. As he announced the measures, he pledged: 'We need to make sure that for those whom the struggle is too hard…and for whom the risks are too great…they are supported… We will make sure the most vulnerable and the least well off get the support they need at this time of difficulty.'
Rydym yn siarad gyda llawer o deuluoedd fel rhan o brosiect Cost y Diwrnod Ysgol. Mae hyn yn rhoi gipolwg gwerthfawr ar farn rhieni ynghylch costau ysgol mewn tirwedd economaidd sy'n fwyfwy heriol.
We talk to lots of families as part of our Cost of the School Day project. This gives us a valuable insight into how parents perceive school costs within an increasingly challenging economic landscape.