Executive Summary

This exploratory study is the first time that the point of view of primary schools and their day-to-day experiences of dealing with student homelessness have been investigated. The findings make an important contribution to the broader evidence base on the detrimental impact of homelessness on children’s education. Engagement and wellbeing are fundamental to learning. Given that homelessness can interfere with school engagement and wellbeing, it poses a major obstacle to learning.

The overall objectives of the project were to:

• Explore how schools currently identify and work with primary students who are homeless;
• Explore how schools respond and support students and what difficulties or barriers are encountered; and
• Identify the most effective ways to support the learning of students who are homeless.

Method

Two stages of data collection were involved. The first stage was an online survey and the second a telephone interview; participation in one or both was completely voluntary.

In the first stage, an email campaign was initially sent to 932 Victorian public primary schools inviting them to participate in an online survey. A total of 139 schools completed the online survey, yielding a response rate of 15%.

Of this group, 45 flagged that they had experience with students who were homeless. This group was invited to participate in the second stage of the project: a telephone interview. A total of 21 interviews were completed, which lasted between 20 and 40 minutes. All interviews were recorded and transcribed. Findings reported here are informed by the survey and interviews.

Key findings

Diversity in school experiences

The findings highlighted a stark contrast between schools and their experiences of students who were homeless. Two distinct groups emerged: at one end of the spectrum, most (63%) of the schools that participated in the study reported that they ‘never’ or ‘very rarely’ encountered students experiencing homelessness. At the other end, a small number of the schools were dealing with the issue on a regular basis. For these schools, generally located in disadvantaged communities, homelessness was not an isolated feature, but part of a broader range of social and economic difficulties with which they had to deal.

Those schools where homelessness was common had to allocate a range of resources to dealing with that and related situations. Such schools usually had good relations with local agencies, which they accessed regularly. Other local community groups and businesses also provided valuable financial and in-kind support to these schools. Despite the assistance from local communities, providing transport, food, clothing and other supports cost money which had to be found from the school budget.