Teachers providing food for pupils in poverty, survey shows

Almost two thirds (63 per cent) of school support staff and over half of the teachers (54 per cent) responding to a survey said they personally provide and pay for extra food for pupils. Around two thirds of school leaders (68 per cent) said the same.

The survey of National Education Union members looked into the effects of poverty on pupils. It shows that 87 per cent of respondents say they see signs of tiredness/fatigue when in school, as a consequence of poverty. For teachers working in the most deprived areas, this rose to 92 per cent.

Thirty-nine per cent of teachers have observed physical underdevelopment among their pupils. Over half of the teachers (52 per cent) from the most deprived schools said the same, compared to a quarter (27 per cent) of those working in the least deprived.
    
School support staff were even more likely than teachers to report pupils with poverty-related poor hygiene (74 per cent of support staff), pupils in inadequate clothing or shoes (72 per cent) and pupils showing signs of hunger (69 per cent).
    
More than half of teachers (58 per cent) said their school provides free breakfasts to disadvantaged children. More than a third said that they provide food banks (37 per cent) or lunches beyond the Free School Meals allowance (35 per cent).
    
Teachers and staff also support disadvantaged pupils in other ways. 78 per cent of teachers pay for learning supplies, e.g. stationery, out of their own pocket, while 29 per cent of support staff provide help with uniforms.

The National Education Union is calling for free school meals for all, following the examples set in London, Scotland and Wales, and starting with primary schools. The union is also calling on the government to urgently implement a strategy to reduce child poverty and to do more to support schools to respond to the effects of poverty and its impact on children's learning.