In an ideal world, every child would have a happy and fulfilled childhood but sadly, there are children in the UK who face daily challenges in their home lives. These issues can also follow them to school and can impact their behaviours and academic achievements.
As well as finding out the legal implications of child neglect through child law solicitors, below we’ll be exploring how a troubling home life can directly impact a kid’s education.
5 Ways Children’s Education Can be Impacted by Home Life
Around 14.5 million people in the UK live in poverty – a figure which translates to approximately 22% of the population. For a child whose family is living in poverty, hunger can be a constant companion and when a child is hungry, they’re unlikely to be able to properly concentrate during classes. As a result, a child may start to fall behind and ultimately this could have an impact on their grades.
Abuse
Sadly, stories of child abuse are becoming more and more frequent in the UK with high-profile cases such as Arthur Labinjo-Hughes making headlines. Every year in the UK, the NSPCC takes approximately 6441 calls regarding the suspected physical abuse of a child and 4418 calls concerning suspected emotional abuse.
While the concept of physical abuse is easy to understand, emotional abuse can be more complex and can involve humiliating the child or deliberately trying to frighten them. Children who suffer abuse at home will sometimes react by ‘acting out’ at school or bullying other children. While other kids may become more withdrawn and suffer a lack of confidence.
Neglect
Recent heartbreaking reports from the NSPCC reveal that around 8,389 calls are received every year from people expressing concerns about the neglect of a child. Neglect can be every bit as harmful as abuse and can include a range of actions from simply ignoring a child to a failure to feed, clothe and adequately safeguard a child or young person.
A neglected child will often appear disinterested and will disassociate themself from their surroundings, including a reluctance to engage with schoolwork, teachers and other children.
Sexual Abuse
Sexual abuse is an extremely serious offence and, shockingly, 1 in 20 UK children experience some form of this type of abuse – often within their own home. In many cases, children suffer sexual abuse at the hands of a family member. This can lead to a wide array of issues, including mental health issues which can severely impair the child’s concentration and capacity for learning.
Parental Addiction
Unfortunately, a handful of children live with a parent or primary caregiver who is addicted to alcohol or drugs. Life with an addict can be unpredictable and frightening and, depending on the severity of the addiction, this can lead to neglect.
The child of an addict can find themself taking on the role of the adult while at home and will take on parental responsibilities such as cooking, cleaning, taking care of younger siblings and taking care of the parent. In turn, this can mean they feel under pressure to take care of things at home. As a result, the child may neglect their social life and struggle to focus on schoolwork which they will see as less of a priority than keeping things ticking over within their household.
Reversing the Cycle
As we’ve discussed in this article, a troubling home life can disrupt a child’s education in many ways including, poverty and neglect.
When a child’s education is compromised, it can have a long-lasting effect on the child’s adult life. Therefore, it’s important that parents, teachers, and caregivers look out for telltale signs of abuse and neglect so that all children have a fair shot at an education.
Please be advised that this article is for general informational purposes only, and should not be used as a substitute for advice from a trained legal professional. Be sure to consult a child lawyer/solicitor if you’re seeking advice on child abuse. We are not liable for risks or issues associated with using or acting upon the information on this site.
