This from Peter Shreeve, Assistant District Secretary of the National Education Union. In his own words. Ed
New research by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation shows the impact hardship is having on families, children and staff in primary schools and primary and community healthcare settings.
Commenting, Peter Shreeve, Assistant District Secretary of the National Education Union, said,
“The report shows the scale of hardship is continuing to worsen in the primary school sector and impacting on primary health provision.
“With seven in ten (73 per cent) primary school staff across Britain saying they are having to support pupils who cannot afford the essentials, educational progress is becoming a growing challenge.
“Class teachers do not work in a vacuum. The more children there are experiencing hardship, hunger and upset feelings of home challenges, the greater the time needed to respond. This eats into the teacher’s teaching time and resources. It ripples through their whole class and impacts on the whole school, ultimately affecting all children.”
He went on to add,
“Indeed, the ripples dominate the start of the school day. Every teacher and support staff member experiences daily the growing need just to get everyone physically, mentally and emotionally ready to learn.
“This research states: ‘Primary schools and primary and community healthcare providers are staggering under the weight of hardship’.
“The NEU has been repeatedly saying: Solutions need to begin outside the school gate. This research agrees that society must ensure families ‘can afford life’s essentials to tackle the problem at source’.”
Mr Shreeve finished by saying,
“This term the Island NEU have been trying to work with primary schools to highlight the need for free school meals for all primary pupils to next month’s incoming government. Despite enthusiasm, participation has been limited as schools are staggering under the reality of their own workload.
“Poverty could be further challenged with the immediate removal of the two-child benefit cap.
“Schools need to be poverty-proofed, as does primary health care provision.”
