Cost of living: 'The toxic reality of pupils living in poverty'

About 1,200 pupils attend Manchester Communication Academy

Three-quarters of pupils at a school in north Manchester are living in poverty as the cost-of-living crisis deepens but their school life paints a contrasting picture.

About 1,200 children attend Manchester Communication Academy in Harpurhey, studying in a £32m building with access to the latest technology and state-of-the-art equipment.

But when the school bell rings, more than 900 pupils return home to a different reality.

For many, food is sparse, the electricity is switched off and their homes are falling into disrepair.

"They get lots of opportunities... that's their daytime life," Dr Patsy Hodson, the school's vice principal, told BBC North West Tonight.

"Then they go home to a house that might be vermin-infested, with a toilet that won't flush, where they have to take a bucket to the bath to have a shower."

Ms Hodson said: "It's a hybrid poverty and it's absolutely toxic because it hides. They are hiding in plain sight.

"So you can walk round the school, see all these kids beautifully dressed walking round and literally their parents are not surviving.

"They're below the poverty line completely."

Dr Patsy Hodson said the school "was passionate about making every day better for every child"

Ms Hodson added that her school was not an isolated example with 15 nearby educational institutions also dealing with a similar situation.

Despite the difficulties outside the classroom, pupils' exam scores at the school are in line with or above the national average.

Ms Hodson believes this has been helped by the extra support provided by the school.

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It allows children to cook once a week with free ingredients so they have a meal to take home.

The school also runs a food hub where families can pick up three big bags of provisions each week and covers expenses such as bus passes, uniforms and cultural trips.

"This is akin to children growing up in developing countries where they don't have the essentials for life," Ms Hodson said.

Poor housing is one of the biggest issues facing those living in poverty, according to Vicky Leigh, the school's area lead for family partnerships.

She said: "We have situations where families have got so much damp that the walls are literally black.

"They've got leaks and are having to put a bucket on the sofa because water's pouring in when it rains, problems with rats and other vermin."

Vicky Leigh said it was "not ok that children and families should be put in this position"

Research has shown that growing up in poverty not only affects your childhood experiences and education.

It can affect what job you can get, how much you earn, your mental and physical health, relationships and even your life expectancy.

According to Public Health England, in Newton Heath in north Manchester, life expectancy is 10 years lower than in east Didsbury in the south of the city.

Ms Hodson said: "We've got children who live eight miles away who live an utterly different lifestyle to children here.

"We shouldn't, in 21st Century Britain, have children who live eight miles apart who wake up with absolutely different life opportunities, with their life script already written.

"That is wrong."

You can watch more on this story at 18:30 BST on Tuesday 12 July on BBC North West Tonight on BBC One or on iPlayer.

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