Introduction

The discussion and critical examination of poverty, child poverty and the impact of child poverty on school education in Scotland has intensified in recent years. This has been provoked by the increase in the level of poverty and a greater awareness of the effects of poverty and deprivation. The levels of child poverty have remained more stable but are still disturbingly high. Arguably, a more informed and nuanced understanding of the complexity of these issues has begun to emerge and influence public consciousness. There is now greater cognisance that children are dependents and are affected by the financial resource issues faced by their parents or carers. These challenges can include longterm unemployment or the cycle of ‘low pay, no pay’ (Thompson, 2015). There has been a rise in the level of working poverty in Scotland as the percentage of the workingage population in relative poverty has risen from 48% in 1996– 99 to 59% in 2014– 2017 (Scottish Government, 2019a). These challenges all lead to temporary or longerterm financial insecurity that impact on the lives of children and their readiness to participate in all social and academic aspects of school life.

There has also been an increased focus on research and the collation of information on child poverty and the impact of child poverty on school education. There are numerous ways to measure child poverty and deprivation and there is a substantial body of evidence on attainment and achievement (these will be discussed later in the chapter). There is also evidence that gender and disability are important factors that can be barriers to work and this has an effect on the household income (Congreve and McCormick, 2018). Around 40% of the children living in poverty are in a family with a disabled member, usually an adult. For half of these children, there is no adult working in the household. The children themselves may be the primary or sole carer for a disabled adult: there are approximately 44,000 young carers (young people under 18) in Scotland who care for a friend or a member of the family because of illness, disability, mental health or addiction (Scottish Government, 2018a).