In the last three years, more than half of state school teachers in the South West (53%) have worked at a school with children who were homeless or became homeless, a major study by Shelter and YouGov has revealed.

The charity’s findings show most teachers have first-hand knowledge of the damage done by the housing emergency to education –– with it now commonplace to see children grappling with homelessness at school.

With the impact of the pandemic making housing inequalities worse, Shelter warns that this desperate situation could worsen for the 2,730 homeless children living in the South West.

In the last three years, some of the most devastating effects seen by teachers with experience of working with homeless children or those living in bad housing in the region include hunger, tiredness, absenteeism, and poor hygiene.

For example, 92% of teachers reported children coming to school hungry, and 91% reported children arriving at school in unwashed or dirty clothing.

In order to explore the themes raised by its polling in more detail, Shelter also carried out anonymous interviews with eight teachers working in primary and secondary schools.

One of the teachers interviewed reflected on how exhausted a young pupil became because she was moved to emergency homeless accommodation in a different area: “She leaves home at 6am every morning to get to school because the local authority have no homes so she has been temporarily rehoused [out of area]...the family of four are living in one room at a B&B. Her attendance has dropped severely, she has become ill and she is always tired.”

Another secondary school teacher shared the experience of one student whose housing situation had such an extreme impact on his mental health, he was eventually forced to drop out of school altogether: “He was in temporary accommodation on his own and just couldn't handle anything. His situation was such a mental strain on him that he just couldn't handle being at college anymore, so he dropped out in the end."

Shelter is now urging the public to support its frontline services as they contend with a surge in demand triggered by the pandemic.

Polly Neate, chief executive of the charity, said: “Without a safe and secure home, a child’s life chances can be deeply disrupted. This is not only a scandal affecting the South West, it’s a problem everywhere. Without action the extra harm being done to homeless children as a result of the pandemic may never be undone. The region’s homeless children must not be the invisible victims of this crisis.

“We still don’t know what the long-term impact of the pandemic will be on this generation of children. But for now, Shelter is here to support and give hope to the families who need us the most. With the public’s support we will do all we can to make sure every child has a safe and secure home – this winter and beyond.”

To donate to Shelter’s urgent winter appeal and give hope to families facing homelessness, please visit www.shelter.org.uk/donate.