Ealing community leaders call on candidates to protect children in temporary accommodation ahead of local election
Ealing community leaders call on candidates to protect children in temporary accommodation ahead of local election
Community leaders, headteachers and charities across Ealing have published an open letter to all parties running local election candidates, asking them to commit to urgent action to protect children and families living in temporary accommodation.
The letter, coordinated by Ealing Citizens, highlights that there are currently 4,436 children living in temporary accommodation in Ealing [1], with many in hotels or overcrowded homes far from their schools. Locally and nationally, children face disrupted education, poor health and constant instability as a result of the housing crisis.
Signatories include headteachers, faith leaders, youth organisations and frontline charities, concerned that children in temporary accommodation are missing lessons, enduring long commutes, and sitting exams while being moved from place to place.
The open letter calls on candidates to publicly commit to three actions if elected:
- To immediately notify schools and GPs when a child is placed in or moved within temporary accommodation.
- To guarantee the ‘Five Basics’ in all temporary accommodation, especially short-term hostels and B&BS, including cooking facilities, laundry access, Wi‑Fi, secure storage and clear information.
- To keep children close to their schools, with priority given to those in GCSE and post‑16 exam years.
Ealing Citizens is calling on candidates to endorse these commitments ahead of polling day and to work with community organisations to implement them within the first year of the next council.
The fact that so many of our families live in unsuitable accommodation in one of the wealthiest cities on the planet is a national disgrace. That is why we are taking action as schools and organisations across Ealing. We want to take actions that will reduce the number of our families in unsuitable accommodation and secure firm commitments from those seeking election. Our children deserve better.
Daniel Coyle, headteacher at The Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School, a member of Ealing Citizens.
Please see the full letter and signatories below:
To the Leaders of all the Parties running in the Ealing local elections,
We, the undersigned organisations, write under the leadership of Ealing Citizens to call for urgent, practical steps to protect children and families living in temporary accommodation (TA). Our long‑term goal is clear: to end the use of TA by tackling the root causes of homelessness and delivering enough genuinely affordable homes. Until that is a reality, we ask you to commit to measures that safeguard children’s education, wellbeing and dignity now.
Across Ealing and London, the scale and impact are stark. At the end of 2024/25, 4,436 children in Ealing were living in TA, up from 4,208 the previous year [1]. London‑wide, more than 100,000 children spent last Christmas in TA — at least one child in every classroom [2]. Nationally, official statistics recorded 172,420 children in TA by June 2025 — the highest on record [3].
In our schools and services we see how TA disrupts attendance, learning and health — long journeys, overcrowding, lack of cooking and laundry facilities, and frequent moves. Evidence links TA to poorer educational outcomes and recommends formal notification systems so schools can respond quickly [4, 5]. We have heard countless stories of young people sitting exams whilst being moved from hotel to hotel, travelling long distances to school, with families paying hundreds each month for storage and laundry. We cannot sit idly by whilst a whole generation of young people’s future is threatened.
Here is the experience of a young person, Michelle, who had to sit her GCSEs while being moved about from hotel to hotel:
“For nine months, I was homeless. Nine months of not knowing where I would sleep next. Nine months of living out of bags. I was moved from hotel to hotel while still expected to sit my GCSEs, revise, and carry on as if everything was normal. While other people worried about grades and revision timetables, I was worrying about keys, check-out times, and whether we would be moved again the next day.
Imagine trying to study when your room keeps changing. Different walls. Different noises. Different beds that never quite feel like yours. There was no routine and no stability — just survival. The struggle was real, and I won’t pretend it didn’t affect me. There were days I felt invisible, embarrassed, and exhausted before the day had even started. Because homelessness isn’t just about not having a house — it’s about the constant uncertainty, the feeling of being caught in between, and your life being on pause while the world keeps moving. I do not look for sympathy, but for awareness, understanding and connection. I know that there are many like me. Housing insecurity affects so many people — young people, families, students — people who are trying their best but still falling through the cracks.”
Please also see the report by GOSAD for more stories [7].
We are therefore calling on all of you to commit to the following three asks if you are elected to form the next Council:
1) Immediate School Notification
Commit to implementing the new legal duty to notify GPs and schools when a child is placed in TA or is moved between placements within the next 12 months and publishing data quarterly on the council’s performance.
2) Guarantee the “Five Basics” in TA
Ensure every family has access to the essentials for dignity and stability:
- Cooking facilities
- Laundry access
- Wi-Fi
- Secure storage
- Clear information
These minimum standards directly affect health, attendance and attainment [6]. We are calling for them to be provided in hostels and bed & breakfast style accommodation in particular, where families are struggling without these basics.
3) Keep Children Close to Their Schools
Place children within a reasonable travelling distance of their current school, with clear priority for Key Stage 4 (GCSE) and Key Stage 5 (post‑16). Long, expensive commutes and out‑of‑borough moves cause missed lessons, fatigue and distress — particularly damaging in exam years.
We ask you all to:
- Publicly endorse these commitments before polling day.
- Work with Ealing Citizens and the undersigned organisations to implement these asks within a year, if you are elected to lead the Council.
- Report transparently on progress — including quarterly data on: school notifications sent; compliance with the Five Basics; and placement distance from schools, disaggregated for KS4/KS5.
By acting now, you will reduce harm for children who are already living with the consequences of the housing emergency — while we continue working together for the long‑term solution: ending reliance on TA through genuinely affordable homes.
Signed,
Alex Hallawell, Assistant Principal, West London College
Daniel Patrick Coyle, Headteacher, The Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School
Savita Martis, Headteacher, St Anselm's Catholic Primary School
Julian Rakowski, Headteacher, St Joseph's Catholic Primary School
Christopher Richards, Headteacher, Villiers High School
Monica McCarthy, Headteacher, St Vincent's Catholic Primary School
Clare Walsh, Headteacher, Mount Carmel Catholic School
Rebecca Sullivan, Head Teacher, St John Fisher Catholic Primary School
Neil Crosbie, Headteacher, Blair Peach Primary School, Southall
Jackie Ashmenall, Lay Chair Ealing Deanery, Christ the Saviour Church
Sara Nathan OBE, Chair and Co-Founder, Ealing Sanctuary Hub
Emma Leahy, Community Organiser, Ealing Foodbank
Gary Buckley, Chief Executive Officer, Action West London
Erica Georgeson, Artistic Director, Monster Cat Theatre CIO
Rev Peter O’Sullivan, Assistant Priest, St Anselm’s Church Southall
Rev Julia Palmer, Vicar, The Parish of St Thomas the Apostle, Hanwell
Rahma Hussein, Youth Voice Projects Manager, Young Ealing Foundation
Mr Craig Ross, Headteacher, St. Gregory’s RC Primary School
Emma Coutts, Pastoral Lead, Clifton Primary School
Sharmarke Diriye, Programmes Lead/CEO, Golden Opportunity Skills and Development (GOS&D)
Rev Liam O’Donovan, Parish Priest, Our Lady of the Visitation Greenford
Katie Tramoni, Headteacher, Christ the Saviour C of E Primary School
Footnotes
- Ealing datapack (Scrutiny Review Panel – Housing & Environment, “Temporary Accommodation in Ealing”, Q4 2023/24 vs Q4 2024/25: 4,208 → 4,436 children in TA). London Borough of Ealing, published 2025.
- London totals: More than 100,000 children in TA (Dec 2025); at least one child in every classroom. London Councils analysis/briefing, 17 Dec 2025.
- England totals: 172, 420 children in TA (end of June 2025). See DLUHC “Statutory homelessness in England: April to June 2025” (published 16 Oct 2025).
- Parliamentary Committee (Housing, Communities & Local Government Committee) — Children in Temporary Accommodation (First Report, 3 Apr 2025). Recommends formalised notification systems and details impacts of TA on children.
- School attendance link (School‑Home Support, 4 Apr 2025) — highlights TA as a barrier to attendance; endorses school/GP notification recommendation.
- Education & wellbeing impacts of TA and poor housing (Shelter/YouGov briefing; issues noted by teachers include missed school, fatigue, hunger; long journeys when placed far from school).
- Far from Home: Improving Temporary Accommodation for Global Majority Families in Ealing (GOSAD, 2025).