NEU comments on Sutton Trust report on cost of living

Commenting on a new report which shows that as the cost of living soars, there is a rise in the numbers of pupils less able to concentrate at school due to being hungry, cold and tired, Dr Mary Bousted, Joint General Secretary of the National Education Union, said: 

“This new research confirms what NEU members have been seeing for months. More and more people are being pulled into poverty by Government policies and it is children who are paying the price. Restrictive eligibility for free school meals has long meant that children have been going hungry and the cost-of-living crisis means that more and more families are struggling to make ends meet. Offering free school meals to all children in primary school would be a welcome first step in tackling the epidemic of child hunger, giving families some breathing room and supporting the education and wellbeing of our children. The cost of not doing so is too great. The Government must rectify its decision not to widen access to free school meals and ensure that every child in primary school gets a hot, healthy meal every day.”