Lack of access to early years education, dentists and ventilated classrooms are causing a fall in attendance among disadvantaged pupils in the North of England, a parliamentary report is warning.
The report, prepared by academics for the Child of the North All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG), has found a raft of links between education and health inequality and poor attendance rates in schools across the North of England, based on analysis of available evidence and interviews with children’s professionals.
It found that children living in poverty, from ethnic minorities and with special educational needs are more likely to suffer from tooth decay, which is impacting children’s quality of life and causing “disrupted routines including school attendance”.
The worst affected region in England is the North West, where 39 per cent of five years olds have had tooth decay, amid warnings from MPs that nationwide “NHS dentistry is facing a crisis of access”.
