A STUDY has been launched examining, for the first time, the impact of homelessness and poor housing on educational attainment among pupils in Scotland.

Researchers at Edinburgh University estimate children from about 700 registered homeless families are failing to meet their true potential because of their circumstances.

Many children face disruption to their schooling because their families are homeless itinerants who live in a succession of bed and breakfast establishments. Others are unable to study at home because of dampness and other intolerable conditions.

The #25,000 study - commissioned by Shelter and Scottish Homes - will examine the experiences of pupils in three areas of Scotland over an 18-month period, covering rural and urban locations.

The findings will offer guidance to local authority housing providers, schools and voluntary groups on how to recognise when poor housing is affecting a child's education.

Professor George Thomson, of Edinburgh University's Institute for the Study of Education and Society, said: ''We will conduct a small number of interviews with families - with their agreement and under conditions of strict confidentiality - to assess the nature and extent of the impact of homelessness and stressed housing conditions and to determine what effects this might have on a child's performance at school.''

Tricia Marwick, of Shelter, said: ''Damp homes cause illness and they are costing the NHS #100m every year. We are also asking how you can expect kids to fulfil their potential if they are living in bed and breakfast accommodation or homes where they are co'oried down in the sitting room because the damp is running down the walls in the bedroom.

''While we can argue the health links, the relationship between education and poor housing has never been researched.''