Headteachers across England report a 'heartbreaking' rise in child hunger, with pupils resorting to eating rubbers or hiding in playgrounds because they cannot afford lunch. A survey by Chefs in Schools, due next month, reveals that many schools are already struggling before winter and soaring energy bills push more families to choose between heating and food.
One school in Lewisham, south-east London, told the charity about a child pretending to eat from an empty lunchbox to avoid shame. Naomi Duncan, chief executive of Chefs in Schools, said: 'We are hearing about kids who are so hungry they are eating rubbers in school. Kids are coming in having not eaten anything since lunch the day before.'
Currently, only children whose parents earn less than £7,400 a year qualify for free school meals after year two, leaving 800,000 children in poverty missing out, according to the Child Poverty Action Group. Many schools raid already-stretched budgets to feed hungry children who do not qualify, with teachers buying toasters to offer breakfast.
Paul Gosling, president of the National Association of Headteachers, said: 'The government knows that when kids turn up hungry and cold, schools will step in. But it’s not right that it’s being left to us with no extra support.' He warned that with huge energy bills and an unfunded teacher pay rise, supporting families will push hundreds of schools into deficit.
Community food aid groups are also overwhelmed. Oxford Mutual Aid has cut delivery days because volunteers cannot cope with demand. Coordinator Muireann Meehan Speed said: 'Every day I talk to scared families who don’t know where to turn. They can’t afford to heat or eat.'
Will Teece, headteacher at Brookvale Groby Learning Campus in Leicester, said parents are asking about free breakfast clubs, adding: 'At a time when there is much greater need, we are in a much weaker position to provide it.'
