‘Heartbreak’ of UK kids going hungry in holidays
THE number of poor children going hungry during the school holidays is increasing to “heart-breaking” levels, teachers across the country have warned.
Four in five (80%) staff reported a rise in “holiday hunger” – defined as children on free school meals whose families struggle to find the money to fund extra lunches in school holidays – at their school over the last two years.
A survey by the National Union of Teachers (NUT) found 78% identifying children arriving at school hungry, while more than one-third (37%) said pupils returned after the school holidays showing signs of being malnourished. Kevin Courtney, NUT general secretary, said: “These are heartbreaking findings which lay bare the terrible impact of poverty on the lives and educational experiences of many children. This situation should not be tolerated in the sixth richest economy in the world.
“As this survey demonstrates, teachers are acutely aware of the distressing effects of poverty on the children they teach.
“When children come to school hungry or malnourished, this has a negative impact on their physical and mental well-being and it also impairs their ability to learn, by reducing their ability to concentrate.
“Teachers are working hard to achieve the best outcomes for their pupils but the challenges they face as a result of poverty are increasing, not diminishing, under this Government.
“It is deeply concerning that, instead of tackling poverty, the Government seems intent on enacting policies which will further increase it, with the Institute for Fiscal Studies predicting that ‘if planned benefit cuts go ahead and earnings grow as the OBR forecasts, inequality will start to rise.’ The IFS also predicts that ‘low-income households with children will fare worse than other households’.
“The Government needs to take urgent action and adopt a serious poverty reduction strategy, including the implementation of universal free school meals for all primary children and measures to tackle holiday hunger.”
Around 30% of children are estimated to be on free school meals, considered a key indicator of poverty.
Only 15% of survey respondents said they were aware of local initiatives to tackle hunger in school holidays. These were considered either effective or highly effective by 69% of those who had knowledge of them.