Peter Lazenby
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CHILDREN’S education is being “devastated” by the cost-of-living crisis with youngsters turning up for school hungry, wearing dirty and damaged clothes, inappropriate footwear, tired and with no energy for lessons.
Teachers are regularly giving food and money to needy families and referring them to foodbanks.
The shocking picture of life in many schools in England and Wales today comes from a survey of more than 6,000 teachers carried out by teaching union NASUWT.
General secretary Dr Patrick Roach condemned the government for the “outrageous” situation which is leaving families “struggling or unable to feed, clothe or keep a roof over their children’s heads.”
“An emergency response is needed to deliver extra help for children, schools and families,” he said.
“At a time when many teachers are already struggling financially, many have dug deep into their own pockets to provide urgent help to their pupils, in the absence of additional support from the government.
“The financial worry and anxiety that many parents are already experiencing is also being felt by children and is likely to have a negative impact on their education.
“Regrettably, the government has simply failed to recognise the depth, breadth and urgency of the financial difficulties that increasing numbers of families are under. It cannot be left to schools and teachers to pick up the pieces of the cost-of-living crisis or to provide from their own budgets financial help and assistance to families in desperate need.”
He called for “immediate action” from the new Prime Minister “to mitigate the dire financial crisis that millions are facing this autumn and winter.”
