Over half of teachers in England work with children who are homeless
Posted 16 Dec 2025
Over half of teachers in England work with children who are homeless
"Shelter sounds the alarm on the housing emergency as teachers report homelessness is having a devastating impact on children’s education"
Shocking new research from Shelter reveals that over half (52%) of teachers in state schools in England have worked at a school with children who are homeless in the past year. The research, carried out by Teacher Tapp for the charity, paints a stark picture of a housing system that is failing children and damaging their education.
With a record 175,025 children stuck homeless in temporary accommodation, Shelter set out to delve even deeper into the impact on school-age children by working with the teachers’ union NASUWT. It surveyed its members who had worked with children experiencing homelessness in the past year. The findings show that children growing up without a safe and secure home experience exhaustion, missed school days and poor mental health:
Three quarters (76%) of the teachers who responded said that being homeless had led to children performing poorly in assessments or exams.
Nine in ten (92%) respondents said children experiencing homelessness have arrived at school tired. The fact families living in temporary accommodation are routinely placed out of area resulting in longer school journeys, and children often share beds with parents or siblings are both likely to be contributing factors.
Over eight in ten (83%) said that children have missed days of school. It can be very challenging for parents to get children to school while living in temporary accommodation as they can be moved around from place to place at very short notice.
Three quarters (75%) said that homelessness has had a significant impact on the mental health of the children they teach.
It is well known that living in temporary accommodation is deeply unstable and unsettling for children, with families regularly moved at short notice between B&Bs, hostels, bedsits and flats. It is also often cramped which may result in children having to share beds with siblings or parents. In such confined conditions there is often no space for older children to study for crucial exams.
The damage inflicted by the dire shortage of social homes, sky-high private rents and the freeze on housing benefit is being felt in classrooms across the country. Following the publication of the government’s homelessness strategy, Shelter and NASUWT have joined forces to urge the government to go further and provide every child with the foundation of a safe and secure home.
In the meantime, Shelter’s frontline services will continue to be there for families facing homelessness this winter, and beyond. A donation could connect a family with a trained adviser who will listen and find practical ways to improve their situation, as well as supporting Shelter to campaign for the changes that will end homelessness for good. To donate to its urgent appeal visit www.shelter.org.uk/donate
CASE STUDY: Ayeasha, 47, from London, was homeless for 12 years with her now 14-year-old son. During this time, they were moved between five temporary accommodation properties, many of which were riddled with disrepair. Ayeasha experienced serious flooding and at one point her ceiling collapsed. The last property they moved to was so far from Ayeasha ‘s son’s school that he had to stay with her mum during the week. They have been in a social home since June, but it is unsuitable for Ayeasha’s disability. Ayeasha is working with a Shelter legal advisor to be moved to an accessible property.
Ayeasha said: “Being homeless for so long was really depressing and stressful. For the first couple of years, I didn’t realise how much it was affecting my son. “We were moved so far away from my son’s school that he couldn’t live with me during the school week. It was very disruptive for him. He’s very active and likes to get involved in stuff like football training and matches, and sometimes he couldn’t do everything he wanted to because we were so far away from his school and friends.
“We’re in a social home now, but it’s not suitable for my needs so I’m working with a Shelter advisor to move to a new home. After years of uncertainty and moving around, my son is still very unsettled. He’s working hard for his GCSE’s next year, but years without a stable home has made it hard for him to focus on school and taken a toll on his emotional wellbeing.
“It’s unacceptable that children are being uprooted from their homes suddenly and moved to a whole new area, far from everything. Everybody deserves to be treated fairly and it’s just not right that so many families are experiencing homelessness.”
Sarah Elliott, Chief Executive of Shelter, said: “The housing emergency is infiltrating our classrooms and robbing children of their most basic need of a safe and secure home. Children shouldn’t have to try and balance their studies with the horrific experience of homelessness.
“Teachers are witnessing the same devastating effects of growing up in temporary accommodation on children that our services see every day. Feeling cut off and isolated, children are showing up to school exhausted after long commutes from accommodation that is many miles away. Others are struggling to concentrate whilst dreading another night in a cramped B&B room where they have no space or privacy to study for crucial exams.
“With the public’s support, Shelter’s frontline services will keep doing everything possible to support families facing homelessness this winter and beyond. But to protect children from ever experiencing the harms of homelessness, the government must ramp up the delivery of genuinely affordable social rent homes by setting a national target for delivery. We need 90,000 social homes a year for ten years.”
Matt Wrack, NASUWT General Secretary, said: “Homelessness is taking an enormous physical and emotional toll on children and young people, which is adversely affecting their education and ability to learn.
“These children’s future life chances are being put at risk due to their lack of a secure, safe and permanent home. If their education suffers now, that is likely to have repercussions which could potentially last a lifetime.
“Teachers and school leaders are pulling out all the stops to help mitigate the effects of homelessness on these pupils and their families, but they cannot fix our national housing crisis. The Government needs to go further and faster to make sure that no child’s opportunities in life are blighted by the lack of a safe and secure place to call home.”
ENDS
Notes to editors:
Teacher Tapp survey
Teacher Tapp is a daily survey app that asks over 11,000 teachers questions each day and reweights the results to make them representative. On 11th November, we asked “In the past 12 months, are you aware of any children at your school who were homeless with their family in council temporary accommodation (for example, a B&B or hostel)?”
Of 7,127 unique responses from state school teachers in England, 52% indicated that they are working at a school with children are homeless, including 31% who indicated that a child or children that they personally teach or interact with is homeless.
In the past 12 months, are you aware of any children at your school who were homeless with their family in council temporary accommodation (for example, a B&B or hostel)?
| Region | Yes - a child or children I teach or interact with | Yes - a child or children at the school I don’t personally teach or interact with | Total working at a school with children that are homeless (may not sum due to rounding) |
|---|---|---|---|
| East of England | 25% | 21% | 46% |
| London | 45% | 28% | 73% |
| Midlands | 31% | 22% | 53% |
| North West | 35% | 19% | 53% |
| South East | 30% | 18% | 48% |
| South West | 35% | 21% | 56% |
| Yorkshire and North East | 25% | 16% | 41% |
| England | 31% | 20% | 52% |
* based on 7,127 Teachers in primary and secondary state schools in England
NASUWT questionnaire
Shelter worked with the teachers’ union NASUWT to circulate a questionnaire to their members who have worked with primary and secondary age children who are homeless in the last 12 months. Data was collected between 9th and 31st October 2025. Valid responses were received from a total of 263 teachers in England who have worked with children who are homeless.
Data has not been weighted and findings may not be representative of all teachers.
NASUWT members who have experience working with children who are homeless were asked “Thinking of those children at your school who have been homeless in the last 12 months, which, if any, of the following have been an issue for a child or children at your school because of homelessness? Please select 'yes' or 'no' for each option”
Of those who responded:
Three quarters (76%) said that being homeless has led to children performing poorly in assessments or exams.
Over eight in ten (83%) said that children have missed days of school.
Nine in ten (92%) respondents said that children have arrived at school tired
Respondents were also asked whether they had observed a negative impact on various aspects of the health and wellbeing of schoolchildren who were homeless. Three quarters (75%) said that homelessness had “very much” had a negative impact on children’s mental health.
Homeless statistics
The number of children homeless in England is taken from Shelter’s Annual Homelessness Report 2025. The total number of children who are homeless includes the number of children who are homeless in temporary accommodation (derived from the MHCLG statutory homelessness) statistics and the number of children who are accommodated by social services under s.17 (Children Act 1989) (taken analysis of the results of Freedom of Information requests by Shelter to local authorities in England)
According to our analysis, there are a total 175,025 children homeless in England in 2025.
The full report is available here: https://england.shelter.org.uk/professional_resources/policy_and_research/policy_library/homelessness_in_england_2025
About Shelter: Shelter exists to defend the right to a safe home and fight the devastating impact the housing emergency has on people and society. Shelter believes that home is everything. Learn more at www.shelter.org.uk
About Shelter’s Winter Appeal 2025: Families experiencing homeless often face years in cramped, insecure temporary accommodation. Right now, many are terrified of waiting out the winter in appalling conditions. No family should face homelessness alone. Donate today www.shelter.org.uk/winterappeal