Living Well Schools Newsletter - Poverty Focussed

1. Poverty in Bradford

This Living Well Schools Newsletter is focusing on Poverty. Some articles are more relevant for teaching staff, whilst other articles are more relevant for families / carers of pupils within the school.

Poverty within Bradford affects us all in one way or another.

Living in Poverty can mean waking up EVERYDAY facing insecurity and uncertainty, making impossible decisions about finances or facing marginalisation and discrimination because of your financial and / or other relative circumstances.

In Bradford, 18.9% of the population are income deprived. Of the 316 local authorities in England (excluding the Isles of Scilly), Bradford is ranked at 27th most income deprived.

Children (aged 16 and under) living in low income families in Bradford is 44.2% (about 55,000 children). The national average is 22%.

In some areas of Bradford this figure can be as high as 60%.

The impact of Poverty can have a far reaching and long lasting impact. For example, increase in school absences, reduced educational attainment, low self confidence and self- esteem, poor physical health and 9 times more likely to suffer from adverse childhood experiences - this list could be almost endless.

Our Poverty Workshop (for schools)  - Article 3 - helps schools to develop actions that can help alleviate some of the impacts that poverty has on children and the school day.

2. Nearly New School Resources

As this is a poverty-focused newsletter I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to reintroduce myself. I’m Charlotte and I am now in my role within the Living Well Schools team, looking at the provision of Nearly New School Resources.

My role involves coordinating the distribution of and supporting partnership working around Nearly New School Resources across the district, building a clearer picture of what is currently happening within schools and community groups, identifying areas of need, and helping to address any barriers to access.

On this page, you can access a checklist which simplifies the actions schools need to take to meet the statutory guidance around school uniform policies. 

This page will be updated over the summer with more helpful information and support available to schools. Please contact schools@mylivingwell.co.uk if you would like more information or support.

Click Here

3. Free Poverty Workshop

We provide a free one hour workshop session (for school staff) delivered by Living Well Schools covering the Bradford context of poverty and how poverty impacts education and health.

Workshop Aims & Objectives:

• To look at the Bradford context of poverty
• To consider how poverty impacts education and health
• To understand the impact that poverty has on the school day
• To look at the current support your school provides to help alleviate the impact of poverty on the school day.
• To look at what further support your school could potentially do or provide to help alleviate the impact of poverty further on the school day.

One of the outcomes of the workshop will be an opportunity for your school to work closely with your Living Well Lead to action plan and ultimately implement some of the recommendations highlighted in the workshop.

What teaching staff have said they learned from accessing the workshop:

“How poverty can have an impact on a child’s school day”

“Different things schools can do to help children suffering from poverty”

“How much we already do as a school!”

“What more we could do that would be simple to implement but very effective”

For more information please click on the link below or speak with your Living Well Schools Lead.

Click Here

4. Living Well Schools - Poverty Toolkits

Our Living Well Schools Website gives you access to a variety of FREE poverty toolkits - all the toolkits (13 in total) see the school topic though the perspective of the poorest child in school.

From Addressing Poverty Through School Food, to Addressing Poverty through Pupil Voice in Schools

Each toolkit provides guidance and case studies around Bradford practice on each topic. Each toolkit looks at the barriers and possible guidance from the perspective of parental engagement and pupil voice.

To view or download a toolkit - just click on the link below.

Click Here

5. Living Well School Grants are now open

Last year Living Well Schools launched its school grants. After the success of these we are once again launching them for a 2nd year.

You may want to apply for a project that is linked with allevieting poverty within your school?

The deadline to apply is 31st July 2026 and all projects must meet at least 5 of our Living Well Schools priorities. Schools can apply for up to £5,000 and we welcome projects big and small.

We will also be hosting a Grants Webinar with more information on Monday 6th July 3.30-4pm if you want to find out a bit more information before applying. 

Click on the link below for more guidance (please read before applying), information, links to register for the webinar and the link for the application form.

Click Here

6. Poverty and Mental Health

Poverty increases the risk of mental health challenges and this in turn reinforces economic instability.

In the UK, an estimated 4.3 million children and young people were living in poverty in 2022-23. That is 9 children in an average classroom. Some groups are disproportionately affected by both poverty and mental health, such as those from racialised backgrounds, care experienced children, children whose parents have mental health problems and disabled children and parents.

While there has been investment into mental health services, communities experiencing deprivation and inequalities are less likely to benefit from this. Schools are at the heart of the community and have positive relationships with those that most need the services. We urge schools to engage with families to signpost them to appropriate mental health services in their local areas and, wherever possible, implement support to overcoming barriers to access.

Your Living Well Schools lead can also work with you to engage your school community through our parent workshop (Supporting Your Childs Emotional Wellbeing Workshop), click on the link below for more information.

Click Here

Many children can be carers for their parents. if one of their parents is struggling with their mental health, to support the young carer 'The KidsTime Workshops' are fun, supportive group sessions for families where a parent or carer has a mental health condition. No formal diagnosis is required to attend these workshops.

They’re a safe, relaxed and non-judgemental space for families to come together to learn and talk about mental health, without shame or stigma.

Children get to meet other young people in the same situation, share experiences, get answers to questions and, most importantly, have fun. Click on the link for more information.

Click Here

7. Cost of Living Support

Living Well have developed a leaflet with a wide range of low-cost and free food options to support people experiencing food insecurity in Bradford district.

Click on the link below to find out more information and to access a leaflet.

Click Here

You can also download a Cost of Living Booklet that covers food resources, energy and bills, debt and gambling, health and wellbeing, housing support, feeding the family and things to do. Click on the link below for more information.

Click Here

8. Free Holiday Activities

Free family fun activities in parks across Bradford over the summer.

Free activities include:

*Sports Games   * Dance   *Climbing Tower                  *Arts and Crafts   *Bouncy Castles  * Adventure Play          *Sports Inflatables  and lots, lots more!

Aimed at ALL children and young people from the ages of 5 - 14.

All children must register their name and school on arrival. No bookings, just turn up and play!

All events are from 11am - 3pm.

For more information of which parks and which dates, please click on the link below.

Click Here

HAF also run many clubs and activities throughout school holidays, which do have some eligibility criteria. Children on benefits-related free school meals are eligible for a free place at a HAF holiday club during the Easter, Summer and Christmas school holidays. Places are also free to children with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND).

HAF clubs provide free fun activities and a healthy meal for eligible children.

Bookings are now open for the summer holiday.

On the link below you can search the list of clubs to find one near you.

If your child is on benefits-related free school meals, then you can book a place on-line.

If your child is not on benefits-related free school meals but has special educational needs or disabilities (SEND) then you will need to contact a club directly to book a place. Contact details of all clubs are via the link below.

Places are limited on the clubs so please book early to avoid missing out.

Children with SEND

HAF places are free for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

Most HAF clubs can support children with low to moderate SEND needs. We ask parents and carers to contact the club before booking so they can discuss their child’s needs and make sure the activity is suitable.

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9. 50 things to do

Summer holidays can bring alot of pressure on families to keep their children busy, active and engaged in learning, which is often very difficult without needing to pay a small fortune.

In today’s digital world, screens are everywhere. Too much screen time is having a detrimental effect on young children’s development.  50 things to do are encouraging parents of young children to put down both theirs and their children’s screens and play more!

There is a menu of fun and exciting ideas for play and learning for 0 - 4 year olds and a separate menu for  5-11 year olds in Bradford.

Try all 50 Things, learn new skills and discover your local area! Most of these activities are free to do and can be adaptable to cater for differing needs.

Some examples of activities are: Crack the code, Cool Magician, Mini - Curator - click on the link below to find out more detail.

Click Here

10. Family Hubs Summer Holidays Support

Schools can often be a vital place of support and the first port of call for many families to get to the help they need.

With schools being shut for 6 weeks during the summer, it can mean, for some families, that their first port of call for information on many different topics isn't available untill schools reopen.

The family hubs are a free, impartial service offering advice, information and signposting to children, young people and families within the Bradford district.

Here you can find information and advice pages for all aspects of family life, a service directory and a guide to local activities and events. If you can't find what you are looking for, they are there to help!

Covering topics such as: Local free things to do / where to go, Finances, Mental Health & Wellbeing, Staying Healthy, Relationships, Education, Jobs and Careers and much more.

Click on the link below to find your local family hub, what's on and how to contact them.

Click Here