Bed Poverty

Dear Parents/Carers,

Bed poverty is affecting outcomes for children across the UK, it has a severe impact on their educational attainment, development, and family life. At the most fundamental level, a bed is a safe space for a child, it offers warmth, independence, privacy and comfort, and it is especially important in high stress households. A bed also provides a social function, a place for children to have sleepovers and build their friendships at school.

Bed Poverty is estimated to affect 30% of the UK population, with over a million children estimated to have to share a bed with parents or siblings, or sleep on a floor, sofa, or in the bath. Sleep deprivation leads to tiredness in lessons, inability to carry out physical activities well, issues with school attendance, embarrassment & low self-esteem, anxiety, mental health issues, difficulty regulating emotions and can lead to wider family tension and distress.

It is a hidden truth that many households simply cannot afford to provide each child with a bed of their own. If bed poverty is affecting your child, please get in touch with the school and we can make a referral on your behalf to the Dream Team Project, which is a pilot project run by  Birmingham City Council (BCC) in partnership with Birmingham Voluntary Service Council (BVSC) and  Barnardo’s to provide support to families suffering from Bed Poverty.

Please contact our Early Help Coordinator Miss L Williams l.williams@bishopchalloner.bham.co.uk by Friday 20th September as we understand the project closes at the end of the month.

 

Kind regards

Mrs Nutt

Assistant Principal