Supporting Children and Young People Living in Poverty
Poverty is not an individual failing of children or families.
It is a structural condition shaped by income, housing, geography, access to services, and policy decisions.
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Research consistently shows that school-wide decisions—not just classroom strategies—play a powerful role in either reducing or reinforcing disadvantage. When schools rely only on individual teachers to “compensate” for poverty, inequities are often unintentionally deepened rather than addressed
Building an equity-focused school culture
An equity-focused school culture recognises that equal treatment does not lead to equal outcomes when students start from very different circumstances.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
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Schools that support children living in poverty:​
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Acknowledge how poverty, housing stress, and remoteness affect learning and wellbeing
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Understand that achievement data reflects access and opportunity, not intelligence or motivation
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Embed trauma-informed principles across the school, not just in individual classroom
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Equity-focused schools shift the question from
“Why isn’t this student achieving?”
to
“What barriers might be limiting this student’s access to learning?”​
Leadership is critical. Without clear commitment from school leaders, responsibility for addressing disadvantage is often pushed onto individual teachers, which is neither fair nor effective
Rethinking how achievement data is used
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What often happens
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While often well-intentioned, these practices can unintentionally lock students into limited learning pathways.
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Why this causes harm
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Achievement data reflects stability, access, and prior opportunity, not fixed ability.
When schools treat early results as indicators of potential, students living in poverty are offered fewer chances to catch up or extend themselves
Startegies and Aboriginal
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This is particularly damaging for students who are capable but have experienced interrupted schooling, illness, or housing instability.
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Early test results are used to group students
Students experiencing poverty score lower due to fewer learning opportunities
Groups become fixed over time
Curriculum access narrows for those placed in “lower” groups
Groups become fixed over time
What Schools can do instead!
Treating achievement data as a starting point, not a judgement
Requiring contextual questions before grouping or streaming, such as:
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Has this student experienced disrupted schooling?
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Has attendance been affected by housing or family stress?
Reviewing grouping and streaming decisions regularly
Ensuring all students have access to rich, challenging learning—with appropriate scaffolding
The goal is not to lower expectations, but to expand access.
1. Reducing suspension and exclusion
Why exclusion makes things worse
Removing students from school does not address the underlying causes of behaviour, which are often linked to stress, trauma, or unmet needs. Instead, exclusion reinforces feelings of rejection and disconnection.
More effective approaches include:
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Limiting suspension for non-violent behaviour
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Requiring evidence that support strategies were tried before removal
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Monitoring discipline data for patterns of disproportionality
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Keeping students connected to learning wherever possible
Schools that prioritise connection over punishment are better able to support long-term engagement.
2. Building strong partnerships with families and communities
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Families experiencing poverty are often described as “disengaged”, but research shows this label is frequently inaccurate.
Many families:
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Value education highly
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Have experienced exclusion or judgement from schools in the past
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Face structural barriers such as inflexible work hours, transport issues, or housing instability
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When schools interpret absence or limited visibility as lack of care, trust is damaged and partnerships weaken.
Effective partnerships involve
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Respectful, two-way communication rather than compliance-focused contact
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Listening to families before acting
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Working with community organisations, cultural leaders, and support services
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Viewing families as partners in children’s learning and wellbeing
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When schools engage authentically with communities, they strengthen both educational outcomes and community voice