Dundee’s youngsters enduring hardship

The Courier reported last month that teachers in Dundee were giving children fruit and cereal bars at break time because they were too hungry to learn.

A study by the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) Scotland found youngsters were showing up to school without so much as a glass of water, while some primary children faced years on waiting lists to access breakfast clubs.

It found more than a quarter of children in Dundee were in poverty, with more than a third of youngsters growing up in the city’s East End struggling to make ends meet.

It means Dundee has the second highest level of child poverty in Scotland, with rates in six of its eight council wards above 25%.

Teachers reported being left with the choice of turning hungry children away or using their own cash to buy snacks for youngsters too hungry to concentrate on lessons.

Schools have been urged to consider the Pupil Equity Fund, cash provided by the Scottish Government to try reducing the poverty-related attainment gap, extend staff hours and offer more breakfast club spots.

Other suggestions to ease the burden of school costs on hard-up parents include “swap shops” for second-hand uniforms, subsidising or paying for trips and removing course fees.

The report found even young children are aware of poverty’s impact, with pupils and staff repeatedly identifying coming to school hungry as a significant barrier to taking part in the school day.

Children and families service convener Gregor Murray called it “a hard-hitting piece of research that raises a number of questions the children and families service will need time to consider and respond to” and said work was ongoing to tackle poverty levels in the city.