CHILDREN living in poverty in Edinburgh are marked out for stigma even before they get to school, and may never lose that scar, according to a report to the city’s education, children and families committee yesterday.

The Edinburgh Council committee was told of the evidence for poverty stigma in a shock report that showed 15,000 children in the capital are officially designated as living in poverty, with every ward affected. The number is expected to rise to 19,000 within the next five years, while “in work” poverty – in which one person in a household is working but their income is below poverty level – was also expected to grow significantly.

The report also highlighted the importance of income maximisation to raising attainment. Officials stated that research has shown that the level of household income plays a major role in attainment levels with more initiatives needed to increase wages, encourage take-up of unclaimed benefits and other finance-related poverty costs. Speaking to the report, John Heywood, the council’s lead officer on tackling child poverty, said: “The gap with more affluent peers is pronounced well before children in poverty start school and continues to widen as they move up through the school system.

“There is a hardening of attitudes towards people living in poverty, and that includes children, and people are increasingly willing to blame some sort of individual failing rather than structural issues.

“There is therefore a strong stigma associated with poverty.”

In response to a question by SNP Cllr Gavin Barrie, Heywood confirmed that the Westminster Government was looking at changing the definition of child poverty.

“The Scottish Government doesn’t want to go with that change,” he said. “So at the moment there is a difference in what they want to do.”

The committee agreed to a number of recommendations by officials to tackle child poverty. These will include the development of more flexible and affordable good-quality childcare to meet the needs of families on low incomes

Steps will be taken to improve attendance at schools and early years establishments, and the attainment and achievement of young people. Reducing the attainment gap between lowest achieving pupils and their peers across the city will be another aim, as will be the identification and development of more safe places to play.

Education convener Paul Godzik said: “I think there is a clear recognition and focus on early years and this is one of the main planks to tackle this wider issue.”