When you grow up a 'deprived area', you'd be forgiven for thinking that the world is against you. Because, for a lot of people, the majority of their interactions with 'the state' in all its guises, are negative.

Social services, police, housing departments, etc.

State intervention in your childhood, legal processes being imposed upon you, decisions by strangers dictating where you can live, eviction threats, stop and search & family imprisonment are just some of the things which many people growing up in poverty will experience.

Education is often sold as the route of out of these conditions. At least that was my experience. If you can somehow manage to overcome the disruption, daily adversity, trauma, food poverty, etc, and do well at school, you can create a better life for you and your family.

Hundreds across the country will be working towards that idea, and on that basis, I cannot begin to imagine the potentially devastating impact that any unjustified mark-downs will have had.

When 'the route out of poverty' suddenly seems unfairly moved, what's the point?

I’ve heard it said poverty is a rising tide. Affecting us all. We’re all swimming, trying to keep our heads above water.

Many will wonder what they are supposed to do when decisions made by others, not their own effort, brings the water up over their head.

I sincerely hope that the appeals process is fair, properly-resourced and easy to navigate. But I worry about those who won't bother. Those for whom this decision will be the final straw in the utterly exhausting cycle of barriers and sheer exasperation that is living in poverty.

I won't be using these young people to make political points. Either about this situation or the rest of the barriers that they face in life.

I'll just be thinking of them today, & hoping that all of those who need to are able to find the energy, support, & resolve, to appeal.