More than half of teachers work at a school where a child is homeless – survey
More than half of teachers in England have worked at a school in the past year where at least one child was homeless, a survey has found.
Nearly a third (31%) of 7,127 state school teachers said in the past year a child or children they personally taught or interacted with was homeless.
A further 20% said they were aware of at least one child experiencing homelessness at their school that they did not personally teach.
Chief executive of Shelter Sarah Elliott said: “The housing emergency is infiltrating our classrooms and robbing children of their most basic need of a safe and secure home. Children shouldn’t have to try and balance their studies with the horrific experience of homelessness.
“Teachers are witnessing the same devastating effects of growing up in temporary accommodation on children that our services see every day.”
The survey, commissioned by charity Shelter, found teachers in London were by far the most likely to report working with children who were homeless in the past 12 months.
Nearly half (45%) of London teachers said they had personally worked with a child who was homeless, and a further 28% said they were aware of at least one child experiencing this at their school they did not teach.
More than a third of teachers responding to the poll carried out by TeacherTapp in the North West (35%) and South West (35%) also said a pupil they personally taught or interacted with had been homeless in the past year.
Ms Elliott added: “Feeling cut off and isolated, children are showing up to school exhausted after long commutes from accommodation that is many miles away.
“Others are struggling to concentrate whilst dreading another night in a cramped B&B room where they have no space or privacy to study for crucial exams.”
More than 175,000 children in England are homeless in temporary accommodation as of 2025, Shelter said.
Mum Ayeasha, who was homeless for 12 years with her now 14-year-old son, said the last property they were moved to was so far away from her son’s school he could not live with her during the week.
“It was very disruptive for him,” she said.
A separate poll Shelter commissioned from teachers’ union the NASUWT found of 263 teachers who had worked with homeless children, three in four (76%) said homelessness had led to those children doing poorly in their exams.
Three in four (75%) also said it had a significant impact on the mental health of the child. Nearly all (92%) said homelessness meant children had arrived at school tired, and eight in 10 (83%) said it meant they had missed days of school.
NASUWT chief executive Matt Wrack said the lack of a safe and permanent home puts children’s future life chances at risk.
“Homelessness is taking an enormous physical and emotional toll on children and young people, which is adversely affecting their education and ability to learn,” he said.
Headteachers’ union the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) has previously warned the burden placed on schools and teachers “has never been higher”, with schools running food banks and supporting families with housing while public services “crumbled” around them.
Shelter is calling on the Government to speed up delivering social rent homes by setting a national target.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: “No child should be trying to learn without the security of a settled home.
“That’s why we’ve made changes to ensure schools can now support pupils experiencing homelessness at the earliest possible opportunity, while our comprehensive homelessness strategy, backed by record funding, will addresses the root causes of homelessness and set us on a path to ending it for good.”
More than two in five teachers reported being aware of at least one child who was homeless in the past year at their school in every English region.
London – 73%
– A child or children I teach or interact with – 45%
– A child or children at the school I don’t personally teach or interact with – 28%
South West – 56%
– A child or children I teach or interact with – 35%
– A child or children at the school I don’t personally teach or interact with – 21%
North West – 53%
– A child or children I teach or interact with – 35%
– A child or children at the school I don’t personally teach or interact with – 19%
Midlands – 53%
– A child or children I teach or interact with – 31%
– A child or children at the school I don’t personally teach or interact with – 22%
South East – 48%
– A child or children I teach or interact with – 30%
– A child or children at the school I don’t personally teach or interact with – 18%
East of England – 46%
– A child or children I teach or interact with – 25%
– A child or children at the school I don’t personally teach or interact with – 21%
Yorkshire and the North East – 41%
– A child or children I teach or interact with – 25%
– A child or children at the school I don’t personally teach or interact with – 16%
Published: by Radio NewsHub