The staggering number of children currently trapped in poverty in Liverpool has been revealed.
Child poverty is on the rise in the UK. Between 2019 and 2020, 200,000 more children were pushed into poverty in this country.
The coronavirus pandemic and its impact has left more families in poverty and limited the life chances of millions of children.
Data shows that there are now 4.3 million children in the UK growing up trapped in poverty - that's nine pupils in every class of 30 across the country.
The National Education Union (NEU) has launched a major new campaign called No Child Left Behind that aims to highlight the shocking number of children in this position and call on Members of Parliament to act.
Campaigners are calling on ministers to hike child benefits and to scrap plans to cut the £20 a week Universal Credit uplift in October.
The NEU and the End Child Poverty coalition by Loughborough University has broken down the child poverty number for individual areas and Liverpool's figures are stark.
Across the five parliamentary constituencies in the city, there is a total of 31,739 children deemed to be growing up in poverty.
The worst hit area is the Liverpool Riverside constituency, where a total of 38% (6,122) children are trapped in poverty, while Walton is not far behind with 37% (6,658).
Liverpool Wavertree constituency currently has 6,568 children trapped in poverty - that's 36% of all kids in the area.
Liverpool's other constituencies are not faring much better. West Derby has figures of 6,487 (34%) and Garston and Halewood has 31% (5,904) children trapped in a cycle of poverty.
A child is deemed to be living in poverty if their household falls below 60% of median income.
For a family of two adults and two children, this amounts to £400 a week - and for a single parent with one child it is £223 a week.
The stats calculate poverty levels after housing costs are taken into account to avoid skewing results for areas where rents are higher.
Kevin Courtney and Dr Mary Bousted, joint general secretaries of the National Education Union, said: “It’s just not right that child poverty is reaching these shocking levels throughout the UK – an average of 9 children in a class of 30 are trapped in poverty.
“Heads, teachers and support staff believe the Government should be shocked enough to act.”
Anna Feuchtwang, Chair of the End Child Poverty Coalition, said the situation for children “couldn’t be starker”.
