UK Cost of the School Day Partnership Shortlisted for National Award

 

Children North East and Child Poverty Action Group are proud to announce we have been shortlisted for a national sector Award.

The Third Sector Awards have recognised the UK Cost of the School Day programme in the Charity Partnership of the Year category, which celebrates charities working together to effectively deliver services to beneficiaries and to reach new groups.

Since 2019, the UK Cost of the School Day programme has consulted with over 7,300 pupils directly and 7,000 indirectly to understand the impact of poverty on children’s school life and supported schools to remove barriers related to poverty for pupils and their families. A true collaboration, the success of the partnership is founded on a shared vision for alleviation of poverty through systemic change. Through publishing findings, sharing best practice and campaigning the programme has influenced long-term change within the sector.

Recognition on the Awards shortlist is a testament to the incredible work of the team involved, who have navigated the challenges of the pandemic to deliver scale of impact against the odds and responded to the rapidly changing needs of pupils, families and schools.

The shortlist includes partnerships doing incredible work across the UK towards diverse range of impacts, including Our Frontline, a project from Samaritans, Mind, Hospice UK and Shout supporting frontline workers whose mental health was impacted during the pandemic and the Help Through Hardship Helpline delivered by Citizens Advice and The Trussell Trust.

Leigh Elliott, Chief Executive of Children North East, comments, “We are delighted to see the UK Cost of the School Day programme recognised in these Awards. With the latest child poverty figures revealing an increase in the number of young people living below the poverty line, it is now more important than ever for organisations to address the invisible barriers they face every day. Child Poverty Action Group shares our vision for a society where children are protected from poverty and we are very proud our collaboration with them has been recognised.”

Alison Garnham, Chief Executive of Child Poverty Action Group comments, “The Awards shortlist has powerful examples of what successful partnerships in the charity sector can achieve. We are proud that our collaboration with Children North East on the UK Cost of the School Day project has been recognised as one such example. This project has allowed us to shine an important light on school-related costs and the consequences of living in poverty on a child’s experience of education. It is through joint work that our project has been able to have wide-ranging reach and impact.”

Winners of the Third Sector Awards will be announced on 30th September.