Over half of teachers in England work with children who are homeless 

Shelter sounds the alarm on the housing emergency as teachers report homelessness is having a devastating impact on children’s education.

New research from Shelter shows that more than half of teachers in England have taught in schools with homeless children. The survey found 52 per cent of state school teachers encountered this issue in the past year.

The research was carried out by Teacher Tapp for the charity. It painted a stark picture of a housing system that is failing children and damaging their education.  

The impact on children’s education

A record 175,025 children currently stuck homeless in temporary accommodation. Shelter set out to delve even deeper into the impact on school-age children by working with the teachers’ union NASUWT. It surveyed its members who had worked with children experiencing homelessness in the past year:

• 76 per cent said children performed poorly in assessments or exams
• 92 per cent said pupils arrived at school tired, often due to long commutes and sharing beds
• 83 per cent reported missed school days as families are moved at short notice
• 75 per cent said homelessness significantly impacts mental health

Living in temporary accommodation is deeply unstable and unsettling for children. Councils regularly move families at short notice between B&Bs, hostels, bedsits, and flats. These cramped conditions often force children to share beds with siblings or parents. In such confined conditions there is often no space for older children to study for crucial exams.

Calls for government action

Paul Whiteman, general secretary at school leaders’ union NAHT, said:

“When children are living in temporary accommodation, this can affect their ability to attend school, and to focus and flourish in the classroom.

“We hope these policies will be built upon in the government’s upcoming homelessness strategy, and that ministers, across all relevant departments, will have a laser-like focus on ensuring these strategies are aligned, implemented and supplemented with further measures to tackle the cause and symptoms of poverty wherever necessary.”

The damage inflicted by the dire shortage of social homes, sky-high private rents and the freeze on housing benefit is being felt in classrooms across the country.

Following the publication of the government’s homelessness strategy, Shelter and NASUWT have joined forces. They urge the government to go further and provide every child with the foundation of a safe and secure home. 

In the meantime, Shelter’s frontline services will continue to be there for families facing homelessness this winter, and beyond. A donation could connect a family with a trained adviser. They will listen and find practical ways to improve their situation. Your generosity will support Shelter to campaign for the changes that will end homelessness for good. To donate to its urgent appeal visit www.shelter.org.uk/donate.

The human cost of housing insecurity

Ayeasha, 47, from London, was homeless for 12 years with her now 14-year-old son. During this time, they were moved between five temporary accommodation properties, many of which were riddled with disrepair. Ayeasha experienced serious flooding and at one point her ceiling collapsed. The last property they moved to was far from Ayeasha‘s son’s school. He had to stay with her mum during the week. They have been in a social home since June, but it is unsuitable for Ayeasha’s disability. Ayeasha is working with a Shelter legal advisor to be moved to an accessible property.  

Ayeasha said:

“Being homeless for so long was really depressing and stressful. For the first couple of years, I didn’t realise how much it was affecting my son.   

“We were moved so far away from my son’s school that he couldn’t live with me during the school week. It was very disruptive for him. He’s very active and likes to get involved in stuff like football training and matches, and sometimes he couldn’t do everything he wanted to because we were so far away from his school and friends.    

“We’re in a social home now, but it’s not suitable for my needs so I’m working with a Shelter advisor to move to a new home. After years of uncertainty and moving around, my son is still very unsettled. He’s working hard for his GCSE’s next year, but years without a stable home has made it hard for him to focus on school and taken a toll on his emotional wellbeing.” 

Shelter’s appeal and support

Sarah Elliott, chief executive of Shelter, said:

“Teachers are witnessing the same devastating effects of growing up in temporary accommodation on children that our services see every day. Feeling cut off and isolated, children are showing up to school exhausted after long commutes from accommodation that is many miles away. Others are struggling to concentrate whilst dreading another night in a cramped B&B room where they have no space or privacy to study for crucial exams.  

“With the public’s support, Shelter’s frontline services will keep doing everything possible to support families facing homelessness this winter and beyond. But to protect children from ever experiencing the harms of homelessness, the government must ramp up the delivery of genuinely affordable social rent homes by setting a national target for delivery. We need 90,000 social homes a year for ten years.” 

Matt Wrack, NASUWT general secretary, said:

“Homelessness is taking an enormous physical and emotional toll on children and young people, which is adversely affecting their education and ability to learn.  

“Teachers and school leaders are pulling out all the stops to help mitigate the effects of homelessness on these pupils and their families, but they cannot fix our national housing crisis. The government needs to go further and faster to make sure that no child’s opportunities in life are blighted by the lack of a safe and secure place to call home.”

The full report is available here:  https://england.shelter.org.uk/professional_resources/policy_and_research/policy_library/homelessness_in_england_2025