CYP Now - School role in tackling poverty eating into lesson time, teachers warn

Supporting children who are hungry, tired and emotionally struggling due to hardship at home is eating away at time in the classroom, primary school teachers have said.

More than a third of primary school teachers say pupils arrive at school hungry. Picture: Gpointstudio/Adobe Stock

On average, staff estimate that more than a third of their pupils came to school hungry at some point this school year, rising to 44% in deprived areas, new research from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation finds.

A third of workers say their school provides a food bank, a quarter say they provide other essentials, including toiletries, energy top-up vouchers, beds and bedding and nearly two in five say staff are providing direct support out of their own pocket.

“Parents and carers breaking down in tears at the school gates and looking to the school for help also takes up time and resources, with some schools creating job roles specifically to respond to this need,” states the report.

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