Almost one in 10 school staff brings food in from
home to feed kids who would otherwise go hungry, a shocking GMB
study has found.
GMB surveyed thousands of classroom based school
support staff up and down the country - 8 per cent of whom felt
they have to spend their own money on food for hungry
children.
Staff report children coming to school without having
eaten breakfast, or with no money for food at break times.
[See note 1 for full testimonies from school
staff]
More than half school support staff in the survey
said they were spending their own money on things for the
children - including tampons, pens, pencils, books, toilet paper
and toys for break time. [2]
A whopping 78% of staff say their school has been
forced to make ‘significant financial cut backs’ as Conservative
underfunding of education bites.
The shocking statistics come from a nationwide survey
of members.
More than 4,600 school support staff responded to the
question ‘Have you felt obliged to spend your own money on things
for the children (food, toilet paper, brought resources from home
etc)’
Meanwhile figures uncovered by GMB Union from the
Department for Education’s own previously unpublished analysis
reveal up to 2.6 million children could lose out on free school
meals by 2022 thanks to Government plans. [3]
Karen Leonard, GMB National Officer,
said:
“It beggars belief that in one of the richest
countries in the world not only are kids coming into school
starving – but this government is cutting free school dinners at
the same time.
“Hungry children cannot learn effectively –
Conservative cuts to education are endangering the future of an
entire generation of young people.
“Meanwhile dedicated staff are left out of pocket
because they refuse to allow kids to go hungry.
“It’s a scandal – and only properly funding our
schools can give our kids the education they
deserve.
ENDS
Contact: GMB press office on
07958 156846 or at press.office@gmb.org.uk
Notes to Editors
[1] Testimony of GMB school staff
members
-
School dinners are absolutely tiny, therefore any
extra food we have at home is taken into school for the
children.
-
Breakfast cereal as we are in a deprived area where
children often arrive having had no breakfast. Also books for
the classroom as we no longer have a school library
service.
-
I often purchase sandwiches, biscuits etc in order
to provide food for those pupils who haven’t had any breakfast:
lunch / otherwise, they go without.
-
The budget is extremely tight and the kitchen will
only prepare a certain amount of food. If the children do
not have enough money for a lunch or do not like/drop their
lunch they often do not get another one.
-
Spent lots of my own money on buying
resources for the children including breakfast.
-
I have bought some children fruit in the morning as
they often come to school without having
breakfast.
-
I regularly buy biscuits and snacks for children
who have nothing for their mid morning break.
-
Children not fed so bring in food. Students have no
pens so lend them out.
-
Pupils had started eating fruit last year, that was
cut back, so when they asked, to stop them buying crisps I
would sometimes buy fruit.
-
Without the extra things that I buy with my own
money, the children would not have the healthy food
options
[2] http://www.gmb.org.uk/newsroom/school-staff-essentials
[3] http://www.gmb.org.uk/newsroom/millions-lose-school
