Ministers have been urged to show more 鈥渦rgency鈥 on tackling child poverty amid fears schools will be expected to further “plug the gap”, following reports the government’s flagship strategy is delayed. The that Labour has pushed back publishing the strategy until at least the autumn, following Treasury concerns over the cost implications of scrapping the two-child benefit cap. But union leaders have warned schools 鈥渄o not have time to make up the education lost to fatigue and hunger鈥, with 鈥渆very day of inaction鈥 dragging scores more children into poverty. Association of School and College Leaders general secretary Pepe Di鈥橧asio said: 鈥淭he government should show a sense of urgency over this critical issue rather than kicking the can down the road. Schools ‘plugging the gap’ 鈥淐hild poverty has a devastating impact on both welfare and education and the longer that action is delayed the worse these problems will become.鈥 National Education Union leader Daniel Kebede noted 鈥渟chools and individual teachers are routinely having to step in with extra food, uniform supply, period products and toiletries鈥. He demanded 鈥渢his should not become normalised鈥. The child poverty strategy is being led on by education secretary Bridget Phillipson and work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall. Daniel Kebede A Cabinet Office child poverty unit was also launched with a brief to help create an 鈥渁mbitious strategy鈥 and report to the ministers. It has been charged with considering how ministers can use policy levers in areas such as education, household income, housing, children鈥檚 health and childcare to tackle child poverty. Speaking at an event last week, Kate Anstey, of Child Poverty Action Group UK, labelled the benefits cap a 鈥減overty-producing鈥 policy. She believes it is one measure that as a 鈥渂are minimum鈥 should be scrapped in the strategy for it to 鈥渂e worth the paper it’s written on鈥. This comes as the Department for Work and Pensions estimates 3.2 million families across Britain will be affected under plans to tighten personal independence payments. Attainment gap ‘unlikely to close’ It says another 250,000 will fall below the poverty line in 2030, including 50,000 children. Di鈥橧asio said the issue 鈥減laces schools in the position of trying to provide as much support as they can within constrained budgets, both in terms of the child鈥檚 welfare and their educational attainment鈥. He thinks attainment gaps are 鈥渧ery unlikely鈥 to be closed 鈥渨hile we continue to have very high rates of child poverty鈥. Kebede added: “It is a stain on one of the richest countries in the world that we continue to expect schools and their staff to plug the gap. 鈥淓very day of inaction drags an additional 109 children into poverty. Schools do not have time to make up the education lost to fatigue and hunger.鈥 A government spokesperson said it will 鈥減ublish an ambitious child poverty strategy later this year鈥. It will 鈥渆nsure we deliver fully funded measures that tackle the structural and root causes of child poverty across the country鈥.