With UK child poverty rates rising sharply over the last few years, the Department of Education this week held its first annual conference, and discussed the impacts of growing up poor on children's learning potential.

Entitled ‘Poverty: Practice-Based Challenges to Children's Educational Experiences,’ the day gave delegates the chance for continuing professional development, and to gain an understanding of the interconnection between poverty and children’s learning capacity.

In attendance at the event were health and social care professionals, childcare practitioners and future practitioners, psychologists, and staff and students from University College Birmingham, including those from the education and nursing departments.

There was also representation from local theatre charity BigBrum, whose work is focused strongly in schools dealing with high levels of deprivation.

After guests had the opportunity to share ideas and experiences over coffee, the day got underway with a welcome from University College Birmingham lecturer Laura Holloway, before a presentation and Q&A session led by Alice Bath, Operations Manager for national charity Family Action.

The organisation supports children, young people and families through crisis while providing practical help, and Alice spoke on recent changes, complexities and challenges of working with children and families in poverty before sharing her perspective on managing multi-disciplinary teams.

After this Sammy-Jo Lowe, Associate Assistant Principal for Birmingham-based Special Educational Needs (SEND) school James Brindley Academy, led a discussion on poverty and intersectionality in a SEND context.

James Brindley is a multi-sited school that also provides hospital and home teaching, and works with some of the city’s most vulnerable young people and their families, and Sammy-Jo spoke movingly on her own experience of growing up in poverty.