poverty in scotland

New figures revealed this week by the Save the Children charity show that the education gap between poorer children and their classmates remains wide open. Save the Children says it has found a stark link between levels of deprivation at home and a child's success in the classroom. Children from wealthier homes in the Borders perform on average more than 60 per cent better in school than those receiving free school meals.
Douglas Hamilton, Save the Children's head for Scotland said "Too many children in Scotland are not reaching their potential at school simply because they are poor.
Poverty continues to be a key determining factor in how well a child will do at school and this is absolutely scandalous. Many of Scotland's poorest children live in substandard housing, have fewer books and educational games at home, lower aspirations and less confidence in their own ability to achieve their dreams. At every stage of school, children from poorer backgrounds do far worse than their better off classmates."

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More than one in three of the 600,000 Scottish carers battle poverty and depression as a result of caring for a family member, new research revealed. A survey conducted by The Princess Royal Trust for Carers found that 40% of carers in Scotland said they did not want to wake up in the morning because of dire financial circumstances. 73.3% have had to borrow money from family and friends. Nearly half fear they will lose their homes, and almost two thirds have been forced to spend their savings as they struggle to make ends meet. Almost a third of those surveyed say they are "fearful for the future".