Children in poor housing miss weeks more of school, study finds

Children growing up in damp or overcrowded homes miss significantly more school and perform worse in exams than their peers living in better-quality housing, according to new research.

A study led by University College London (UCL) found children in poorer housing missed an average of 15.5 more days of school – about three weeks – over the course of compulsory education. They also recorded lower scores in English and maths tests from primary school through to GCSEs.

The research, published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, analysed data from around 7,000 children born between 2000 and 2002 who are part of the Millennium Cohort Study. When the children were aged seven, their parents were asked about housing conditions, including damp, overcrowding and access to central heating.

One in seven children in the cohort lived in homes affected by damp, while around one in eight lived in overcrowded accommodation at age seven. Children were classed as living in lower-quality housing if they experienced at least two poor conditions.

Researchers linked these housing records to National Pupil Database data on school attendance and attainment for state school pupils from age five to 16. In England, most authorised absences are related to illness or medical appointments.

By the end of secondary school, children who had lived in lower-quality housing were found to have missed more school and scored between 2% and 5% lower, on average, in standardised English and maths tests. Damp and overcrowding were most strongly associated with lower attendance, particularly during primary school, while cold and overcrowded homes were linked to poorer GCSE results.

The study’s lead author, research fellow Gergo Baranyi from the UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies, said poor housing affected education as well as health. He said: “Poor quality housing doesn’t just affect children’s health, it plays a role in their educational outcomes too.”

He added that children in overcrowded homes may also lack quiet or suitable space to study, making it harder to keep up with schoolwork.

The authors said improving housing conditions could help narrow both health and education gaps, particularly for disadvantaged pupils who are more likely to live in poorer-quality homes.

Baranyi said: “Improving housing conditions, especially reducing damp, overcrowding and updating heating systems and energy efficiency can have significant benefits for children’s health and education.”

The findings come as governments introduce new measures aimed at improving housing standards. Co-author Sierra Clark, lecturer at City St George’s, University of London, pointed to recent building regulations, the proposed Renters’ Rights Act and new guidance on damp and mould risks.

Clark said: “The introduction of Awaab’s Law in October 2025 requires social landlords to investigate and fix dangerous damp and mould, and address emergency health hazards, within strict timeframes.”

Housing charity Shelter said the findings highlighted the impact of poor housing and homelessness on children’s education.

Shelter’s chief executive, Sarah Elliott, said a record 172,420 children were living in temporary accommodation, often far from their schools, leading to long commutes, exhaustion and disrupted attendance. Elliott called on the government to unfreeze housing benefit and increase the supply of social rent homes, saying England needed 90,000 new social homes a year for the next decade.

She added: “It’s heartbreaking that so many children are struggling to balance their studies while growing up in poor quality housing.”