material deprivation

• Working class students are more likely to suffer material deprivation and poverty, leading to educational failures
• External factors like poverty are closely linked to educational underachievement
• According to the Department for Education (2012), barely 1/3 of pupils eligible for free school meals achieve 5 or more GCSEs at A* including maths and English, compared to 2/3 of those who achieve without
• Factors contributing to education underachievement:

  • Home and health issues (Douglas, 1964)
  • Hidden costs of education (Bull, 1980; Tanner, 2003)
  • Housing problems like poor housing leading to crowding, disturbed sleep, nowhere to do work, and damp housing causing poor health (Douglas)
• Temporary housing can lead to moving frequently and attending different schools, causing disruption to learning
• Poor nutrition can lead to more chances of being ill and absent, as well as emotional and behavioral problems like hyperactivity and anxiety, resulting in lower achievement (Douglas)
• Financial support and costs of schooling include expensive textbooks, school trips, computers, private tuition, which Bull referred to as 'the cost of free schooling'
• Hidden costs of education in 2009 were estimated at £700 for primary and £1,200 for secondary schools, including expenses like uniform, PE kits, school trips, class materials, and stationery
• Gibson and Asthana (1999) found a correlation between low-income household income and poor educational performance, with poor housing making it hard to study, higher rates of ill health leading to absences and falling behind in lessons, and low income resulting in the inability to afford resources
• Tanner (2003) highlighted the financial burden on low-income families, leading to children being stigmatized and bullied, and potentially deterring working-class individuals from further and higher education