This report from the Department of Work and Pensions builds on earlier research showing the importance of work for parents if their children are to break out of cycles of deprivation. Children who live in poverty are more likely to grow up to be poor, with 16-year-olds growing up in a household where no parent works at higher risk of still being in poverty at age 30. Children who are poor but have parents who take an interest in their schooling and read to them when they are young are more likely to pull themselves out of poverty.The report shows that a father’s level of interest in his son’s education has a significant impact on how well he does at school. Having a father with little or no interest in their education reduces their chances of bucking the trend by 25%. A mother’s interest has a similarly big impact on the performance of her daughter in the classroom. It also shows that early educational achievement is key if a child in a poor household is to lift themselves out of poverty by the age of 30. It finds that parents can play a central role in influencing how well their offspring do.

The report is available at: www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd5