Hunger strikes: Breakfast in demand for school children

Hundreds of school teachers all over the country are reporting that some children are showing signs of hunger due to infrequent meals at home.

According to the teachers, many kids aren’t even provided with breakfast let alone a decent packed-lunch, prompting calls for an introduction of free school breakfasts and other meals throughout the day.

Chartable Funding

Charities have been overwhelmed with forms from schools hoping to get funding for free breakfasts. These schools and their teachers are struggling to help ill-fed children that come into school hungry, and around 40 per cent of referrals to the first aid room last year were deemed to be afflicted by a lack of breakfast.

A school in Blackburn has seen a rise in underweight and pale children. Many of them have trouble concentrating, and also complain about hunger pains and being tired. A teacher from Merseyside contacted authorities because over a quarter of her 7-11 pupils didn’t have breakfast one morning.

As well as asking for charitable funding to meet the demand of breakfast clubs, schools have also been trying to expand their free food schemes to anticipate larger numbers of children going without meals in the mornings.

It has been suggested that the rise in financial applications from schools is the result of the credit crisis and the government’s austerity drive, which has cut benefits for thousands of families. Much of a school’s budget goes to books, equipment and school furniture suppliers, which doesn’t leave much left in the pot for meals.

Head in the Sand

Schools and teachers may be trying to cut the breakfast and meal deficit, but it’s the children themselves that are reluctant to talk about the issue of meals in the morning. When it comes to discussing the advantages of the breakfast clubs, the affected children have been open on their views. However, when asked why this food was not available at home, the children were less than talkative.

Although very complicated, there is certainly a link between the economic downturn and hungry pupils, soaring food costs and shrinking incomes. Rising energy costs are also a factor, and schools have to factor this into their budgets even more as their appeals for breakfast funding continue to rise.

Many schools have also seen their state funding for breakfast schemes withdrawn. Teachers are openly acknowledging that poor parenting and stretched finances are some of the main causes of kids leaving the house without breakfast, however they are also adamant that they have seen a rise in kids not being fed at all between school hours.

Rising Prices

To those who can afford it, schools charge £1 for the breakfast club, however staff accept that a growing number of children are unable to pay the small fee. Many schools also make and sell toast, cheese and fruit each lunch break for those children who don’t even have packed lunches.

Parents who are short of money concede that the breakfast club is a cheap and easy way to give their child a decent breakfast. Many have to budget weeks ahead in order to fulfil their shopping needs, but with prices on the rise from meat to vegetables, budgeting won’t be enough.

This article has been written and contributed by Zoe on behalf of Innova Solutions.