Poverty, Education and Life Chances in Luton
Poverty continues to shape children’s educational experiences, engagement and outcomes. In Luton, a diverse and multi-ethnic town, high levels of child poverty and food insecurity coexist with strong community networks and significant educational aspiration. This study aims to develop a locally grounded account of how material hardship, particularly food insecurity, is experienced by families in Luton, its educational consequences, and the ways in which schools and community organisations are responding.
The research focuses on Luton Foodbank, an emergency food community organisation, and its mediating role between schools, referral agencies and households. This vantage point allows the study to examine how household circumstances, institutional practices and community support systems interact to shape children’s life chances. The findings will inform the strategic and operational work of Luton Foodbank and the Chiltern Learning Trust, and contribute to the wider evidence base on the educational consequences of food insecurity.
Aims
The study addresses five research questions:
- How does poverty, particularly food insecurity, shape children’s engagement with schooling in Luton?
- What school-level disparities in attainment, attendance and educational outcomes are evident between pupils eligible for free school meals and their peers?
- How do schools identify and respond to food insecurity and related forms of material hardship, and what factors shape their responses?
- What role do community organisations, particularly Luton Foodbank, play in mediating the relationship between household poverty and educational experience?
- How do current school-based and community responses align with the ambitions of the Luton 2040 Child-Friendly Town vision?
Methods
The study employs a qualitatively focused mixed-methods design. The quantitative strand consists of descriptive analyses of publicly available Department for Education data, school-level datasets provided by Chiltern Learning Trust schools, and anonymised referral data held by Luton Foodbank. These analyses establish the scale and distribution of disadvantage across groups and schools, and map patterns of foodbank use against the priorities of the Luton 2040 framework.
The qualitative strand comprises case studies of six Chiltern Learning Trust schools, three primary and three secondary, selected to reflect Luton’s geographical, socio-economic and ethnic diversity. Across the study we will conduct semi-structured interviews with 18 school staff (teaching and non-teaching), seven referral agency staff and community stakeholders, and three Luton Foodbank staff, alongside six focus groups with parents and carers. Together, the two strands capture both the structural patterns of deprivation and the experiences and professional judgements that lie behind them.
All research is conducted in accordance with King’s College London’s research ethics and data protection procedures. A final report will be published in May 2027.
Principal Investigator
Senior Lecturer in Sociology of Education & Policy
Affiliations
Funding
Amount: £20,942
Period: September 2026 - May 2027