Poorest UK pupils relying on schools for food and clothing
Head teachers’ association boss says politicians need to end their ‘Brexit fixation’ and focus on public services
Britain’s schools have become an “unofficial fourth emergency service” that is forced to supply impoverished pupils with food, clothing and other basic necessities, a new report warns.
A survey of 407 head teachers by the Association of Schools and College Leaders (ASCL) found that nine out of ten had needed to provide clothing for pupils, The Guardian reports.
And almost half of their schools “had to buy washing machines because so many parents were sending in their children wearing dirty uniforms”, says the Daily Mail.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
This informal front-line care also extends to providing meals and personal hygiene supplies. Three-quarters of those quizzed said they were dishing out free breakfasts to pupils who turn up hungry each morning, and 71% had to provide sanitary products.
One head teacher told the researchers: “In 24 years of education I have not seen the extent of poverty like this, children are coming to school hungry, dirty and without the basics to set them up for life. The gap between those that have and those that do not is rising and is stark.”
The ASCL says the “rising tide” of poverty is a result of a decade of austerity imposed by the Conservative government.
A trend of “chaotic home lives” is growing as families struggle to make ends meet on Universal Credit and the Government’s controversial social welfare scheme, while cuts to social care and local authority budgets are also taking their toll, the assocation claims.
ASCL general secretary Geoff Barton is urging politicians to overcome their “Brexit fixation” and provide more education funding.
“[Schools] have become an unofficial fourth emergency service for poor and vulnerable children, providing food and clothing and filling in the gaps left by cut backs to local services,” he said. “We simply must do better for struggling families and invest properly in our schools, colleges and other vital public services.”
Speaking today at the ASCL’s annual conference in Birmingham, Education Secretary Damian Hinds acknowledged the financial pressures being placed on overstretched schools.
“I understand that there are real concerns on funding, that finances are challenging for schools and that many of you have had to make, and are having to make very hard choices,” he said.
Hinds vowed to make the “strongest possible case for education” to Chancellor Philip Hammond, who has committed to a spending review before the summer recess.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Today's political cartoons - October 5, 2024
Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - gathering funds, juggling tariffs, and more
By The Week US Published
-
5 category 5 cartoons about hurricane Helene
Artists take on precarious conditions, planning ahead, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Wolfs: 'comedy thriller' stumbles despite George Clooney and Brad Pitt
While the crime caper might 'pleasingly pass a Saturday night' its star-studded duo cannot ultimately salvage it
By The Week UK Published
-
Unschooling: the radical education trend raising eyebrows
Under the radar Some parents are letting their children lead their education
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Satanists are pushing for representation in schools
In the Spotlight The 'After School Satan Club' has been igniting controversy in recent months
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Intelligence service: how schools are managing AI
In Depth Machine-thinking has the potential to create a paradigm shift in education but the change and challenges are huge
By Amanda Constance Published
-
Smartphones face bans in US schools
Talking Points Educators say the devices disrupt classrooms
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Not worth cheating your way in
Opinion Bribing the college admissions office no longer makes any sense
By Mark Gimein Published
-
Schools are suffering from low attendance
Under the radar But students are suffering even more
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
The rise and rise of home-schooling
The Explainer Why more parents in the US and UK are choosing to educate their children at home
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
How incel culture is on the rise in UK schools
The Explainer Teachers report students to counter-terrorism Prevent scheme amid 'scourge' of misogyny and sexual abuse
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published