Kids in the poverty trap need clothes, food and normality. If we can give them those, their dreams and hopes will follow
Union chief’s plea for pupils in crisis
It was a stark but simple story when headteacher Nancy Clunie told a Holyrood committee how some of the kids at her Dalmarnock Primary School had never seen the sea or been to a farm.
Mrs Clunie’s appearance at the Scottish Parliament’s Education Committee on Wednesday has reignited a debate about tackling child poverty in schools.
Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) president Nicola Fisher, a teacher who also sits on her union’s Equality Committee, explains to John Ferguson why all of society must change if every child is to have the start in life they deserve.
It is common to have children coming in hungry in the morning – some will not have had breakfast and some may not have eaten the day before.
There are pupils who have clearly outgrown their uniforms and parents just don’t have the money to buy a new one.
Children will often have footwear that is falling apart because the family can’t afford something that is going to last.
While days out and holidays are things that many families take for granted as part of the childhood experience, others just don’t get to do those things.
Many parents can’t afford a car and the price of travel in this country is appalling. Even activities such as going to the pantomime or the theatre are incredibly expensive. So many children never have that wonderful cultural experience growing up.
All of these things play a huge part in a child’s wellbeing and attainment potential. So when you have children who are experiencing that sort of poverty, they are at an immediate disadvantage to their peers.
A trip to the seaside, for example, can have a huge impact on literacy and on drama because of the imagination that it sparks.
If you have never seen the sea, how can you imagine what it might be like to work at sea, for example.
If you are going out to school while your family is living in
Poverty manifests itself in many ways in our schools and I have no doubt the heartbreaking examples that Nancy gave to the Scottish Parliament are accurate.
poverty, it can be quite a desperate situation.
We need to look at why these things seem to be getting worse because there was a time when things seemed to be getting better.
Benefits sanctions and the cap on child benefit are both things that are pushing many children who were already in poverty into even worse poverty.
We want children to come to school happy and ready to learn, but if that is the context that they are coming to school in, they are already at a disadvantage when the bell rings at nine o’clock.
Poverty has a huge impact on a child’s mental health and wellbeing.
Colleagues across the country often tell me of children who are suffering mental health problems as a result of the stress their family are under.
The children know that their parents are stressed and they get stressed too. Often they are worried about their parents because of the things they are hearing at home – they know mum or dad can’t pay bills and can’t afford to buy food.
You see children opting out of things at school rather than ask their parents for money.
They won’t sign up for the school trip or go to the school fair because they know that their parents are struggling for money.
There are little fixes and big fixes to these problems.
Schools can and are doing lots of things to try to mitigate poverty.
Teachers will choose more modest trips that are free rather than expensive outings.
They look at uniform policy and try to go for ones that aren’t badged and can be bought for a few pounds.
There is food being provided to kids who are hungry and there are pupil equity funds. But unfortunately, schools will never be able to mitigate the effects of poverty without real societal change coming along with it.
We need to look at how people are supported at every level of government if we want to make sure people aren’t on the breadline and going to foodbanks.
We need to deal with in-work poverty, because a lot of parents are working hard, but really struggling to make ends meet.
I would love it if schools had a magic wand but they don’t.
These are big issues that can’t be solved by one group or organisation.
If child poverty is ever to be eradicated, it will require all of society to be of the view that it is just not acceptable for children to grow up this way.
It is a problem that can be solved, but it will take a will at all levels of government and society, from parents to the First Minister, to make it happen.