Commenting on a survey commissioned by Shelter which found more than half of teachers have worked at a school where at least one child was homeless in the past year, 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.

“While the government’s new child poverty strategy included some welcome measures - like reducing use of B&Bs and requiring councils to notify schools and health services when a child is placed in temporary accommodation – these figures show the scale of the challenge.

“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.”