Advertising helps fund Big Issue’s mission to end poverty
Oasis Collector's Edition is HERE! - Get yours before they go.
GET MINE
News

Government must 'end fixation with Brexit' to stop pupil poverty

Headteachers said schools are forced to buy pupils shoes and give them food parcels

School child

School leaders across England and Wales are warning against a rising tide of pupil poverty which is leaving families relying on teachers for essentials – and schools acting as the “fourth emergency service” for poor pupils.

A survey by the headteachers’ union showed that more than nine in ten schools provide clothes for disadvantaged pupils, while 96 per cent of those surveyed said pupil poverty had worsened in recent years.

The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) surveyed 407 headteachers representing 11 per cent of state-funded secondary schools.

Nearly half said their schools sometimes have to wash clothes for pupils because their families cannot afford laundry services.

This renders their extra efforts unsustainable.

Cuts to local authority support for vulnerable families and young people in the area were reported by nearly all of the school leaders – who added that this renders their extra efforts unsustainable.

Three fifths of state schools are spending more than they receive in funding from struggling local authorities, Education Policy Institute research showed earlier this year.

Advertising helps fund Big Issue’s mission to end poverty
Advertising helps fund Big Issue’s mission to end poverty

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the ASCL, said: “A decade of austerity has wreaked havoc with the social fabric of the nation and schools have been left to pick up the pieces while coping with real-term funding cuts.

“They 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.

“Politicians must end their fixation with Brexit and work together to build a new sense of social mission in our country. We simply must do better for struggling families and invest properly in our schools, colleges and other vital public services.”

Headteachers also blamed a lack of funding for the widespread difficulty they have accessing local mental health services for pupils who need treatment. They also noted an increase in demand driven by pressures associated with poverty, social media and exams.

The report was published ahead of the ASCL’s annual conference in Birmingham, at which education secretary Damian Hinds is expected to announce a new expert advisory group to help teachers cope with complex pressures like pupil poverty. It will tackle stress and lack of wellbeing among school staff.

Commenting on the extent of pupil poverty, Sarah Bone, headteacher at Headlands School in Bridlington, said: “We have far too many children with no heating in the home, no food in the cupboards, washing themselves with cold water, walking to school with holes in their shoes and trousers that are ill-fitted and completely worn out, and living on one hot meal a day provided at school.”

And Edward Conway, headteacher of St Michael’s Catholic High School in Watford, said: “Pupil poverty has increased significantly over the past eight years with us providing food, clothing, equipment and securing funds from charitable organisations to provide essential items such as beds and fridges.”

Advertising helps fund Big Issue’s mission to end poverty

SIGN THE PETITION

Will you sign Big Issue's petition to ask Keir Starmer to pass a Poverty Zero law? It's time to hold government to account on poverty once and for all.

Recommended for you

View all
Absolutely everything you need to know about Labour's benefits bill, PIP changes and who's affected
Keir Starmer
Welfare reform

Absolutely everything you need to know about Labour's benefits bill, PIP changes and who's affected

Thousands of disabled people face ten-month wait for benefits due to DWP backlog
Disability benefits

Thousands of disabled people face ten-month wait for benefits due to DWP backlog

How did Keir Starmer end up in such a mess over benefit cuts?
Disability benefits

How did Keir Starmer end up in such a mess over benefit cuts?

Disability benefit cuts violate human rights even with concessions, MPs warned ahead of vote
Keir Starmer
Disability benefits

Disability benefit cuts violate human rights even with concessions, MPs warned ahead of vote

Most Popular

Read All
Renters pay their landlords' buy-to-let mortgages, so they should get a share of the profits
Renters: A mortgage lender's window advertising buy-to-let products
1.

Renters pay their landlords' buy-to-let mortgages, so they should get a share of the profits

Exclusive: Disabled people are 'set up to fail' by the DWP in target-driven disability benefits system, whistleblowers reveal
Pound coins on a piece of paper with disability living allowancve
2.

Exclusive: Disabled people are 'set up to fail' by the DWP in target-driven disability benefits system, whistleblowers reveal

Cost of living payment 2024: Where to get help now the scheme is over
next dwp cost of living payment 2023
3.

Cost of living payment 2024: Where to get help now the scheme is over

Strike dates 2023: From train drivers to NHS doctors, here are the dates to know
4.

Strike dates 2023: From train drivers to NHS doctors, here are the dates to know

Support our vendors with a subscription

For each subscription to the magazine, we’ll provide a vendor with a reusable water bottle, making it easier for them to access cold water on hot days.