The Intersection of the Cost of Living, the Curriculum and Inclusion

Whilst coverage of the cost-of-living crisis may not be so prevalent in the media nowadays, and whilst child poverty is not new, neither of these things have gone away. According to the Child Poverty Action Group, 4.2 million children in the UK are growing up in poverty. That’s 9 children in an average classroom of 30. In the first of its kind survey of over 1,000 school professionals across the school community, nearly all respondents surveyed (89 percent) believe that child poverty in their school had increased in the last two academic years. This increased to 97 percent for head teachers and senior leaders, and 95 percent for governors.

As well as increasing poverty, there have also been real-term decreases in per-pupil funding since 2010, which has meant that schools have less purchasing power. The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) analysis from 2024 gives a detailed picture of school spending and predictions for this coming year. There has been much debate recently about the “broken system” for Disabled children and the cost of supporting them. The Labour government is promising a community wide approach and increasing inclusion in mainstream schools as well as breaking the class ceiling.

In considering issues related to access to education and the curriculum, poverty is not only about monetary resources but also about access to different kinds of opportunities and networks, as well as about children’s self-perception. Poverty disproportionately affects Black/Global Majority and Disabled people.

It is in this context that the government announced the curriculum review in July 2024. Recognising that this review provides an opportunity to tackle some deep-rooted inequalities within the education system and the curriculum. Let’s look at some of the key issues.

Assessment

The way learning and progress are assessed has a huge impact on students’ ability to progress to other forms of education, learning or work. Exams disproportionately disadvantage individuals living in poverty, as these students may not have quiet, safe or warm places to study. Many Disabled students may not have the right equipment at home to study. Exams also rely a lot on memory and a particular way of writing and presenting your views, which excludes many Disabled students and causes stress and anxiety to many. This may particularly impact students who already have money worries or other stressors at home. The Youth Shadow Panel curriculum review interim report earlier this year highlighted the stress that exams can cause and how exclusionary they can be:

“Most of our papers are based off memorisation and I don’t think that’s fair because there is so much to remember.” (KS3)

For assessment to be accessible and inclusive, there needs to be flexibility, with different ways for students to show what they know. Assessment methods must not only take into account different learning styles but build on the strengths of the students, rather than compound inequalities or exclude students who don’t have the same resources at home or access to the same support networks as more affluent and non-Disabled peers. Standard tests, rather than showcasing the unique strengths of particular students, often reinforce dominant culture too, which reinforces stereotypical assumptions and excludes many groups, including many people from Black/Global Majority communities, Disabled people and LGBTQI+ people.

A broad curriculum

Currently the curriculum has too much focus on Maths and English, especially at primary level, and there is an over-reliance on academic subjects. This means that many Disabled children are being pushed away from mainstream settings, based on false assumptions about whether they will be able to pass exams. Those experiencing poverty often have less access than their more affluent peers to the arts and creative subjects A broad curriculum and a great universal offer could be a way to start to level the playing field.

In order to do this, however, we need to close the gaps outside of school as well. For example, many students come to school hungry and 25% of schools have some kind of food bank provision. There is widespread recognition that schemes like breakfast clubs support children who may be facing hardships at home that impede their ability to learn. However, many Disabled students cannot access these provisions due to dietary requirements or other logistical barriers and lack of support. Disabled children often don’t get access to the full curriculum once they are in special schools, and SEN units within mainstream settings restrict access to the full curriculum. Disabled children, who are disproportionately living in poverty, have less access to creative expression, critical thinking and problem-solving opportunities due to segregation. There are lower expectations on their academic achievement, with specialist provision often focusing on therapy and ‘looking after’ students, rather than on providing a full and rounded education.

As part of the ‘zero-tolerance to low expectations’, the Labour government has stated that it wants to focus on oracy in their revamp of the curriculum.  However, an oracy focus will exclude students with particular impairments and from particular backgrounds, and will fall short of Inclusive Education.

Inclusion needs to start with vision, and it is a process that requires commitment from all school staff, local authorities and the government. It requires creativity, funding and effective policy.

An inclusive school with an inclusive curriculum would support students and families to get their entitlements to, for example, welfare benefits and support through health and social care plans.  An inclusive school would also break down other practical barriers associated with the cost of the school day. Often, breaking down the curriculum in different ways supports the most disadvantaged in the classroom as well as the others. In his article ‘Crafting your curriculum with poverty in mind’, Sean Harris talks of the importance of a curriculum that lands with the students, and discusses ways to centre and support those who experience socio-economic hardship.

Rather than siphoning off some children to resourced units and still more to special schools and pupil referral units, an aspirational broad curriculum would put the most disadvantaged at the centre. An inclusive curriculum would also normalise disability as a social justice issue and support the whole class to understand the world around them. This would include histories that affect us all in different ways, enabling Young people to understand each other in all their identities and build friendships and lasting connections across divides such as class, race and disability.

The Disabled People’s Movement has a pivotal role to play in making education inclusive, and Stronger Voices emerge to support Disabled People’s Organisations in London. This includes to understand the links between segregated education and poverty and to campaign on the issues, as well as engage Young people and their organisations campaigning work. Please do get in touch with Lani Parker for more details.