Partnerships to tackle the effects of socio-economic inequality on children’s experiences of school

Education is a key driver of resilience against the backdrop of increasing uncertainty provoked by enduring forms of social injustice. Yet, for many children living in poverty, school is a site in which economic inequalities are reproduced and children experience further exclusion and stigma. Nearly a quarter of families in Europe are at risk of poverty. In the UK, nine in every class of thirty children are living in poverty. Poverty has been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, further entrenching inequalities in educational attainment. The Cost of the School Day project, developed by two charities, the Child Poverty Action Group and Children NorthEast, aimed to understand the barriers and challenges faced by poor children during the school day in the UK and use this evidence to help schools reduce costs and remove stigmatising practices to bring about a fair education for children. Starting with the assumption that activity is collective and governed by particular rules and divisions of labour, this paper analyses how partnerships within the project worked and ultimately led to change by looking at evidence produced in school reports, thereby improving the lives of children, young people and their families and enabling them to thrive and succeed.