Pupils are coming into school tired and malnourished, say teachers
An increasing number of pupils are turning up at school malnourished and dirty, causing teachers to buy them food from their own wages, according to new research.
Almost half (48%) of teaching staff regularly witness pupils coming into school suffering from malnutrition or showing signs that they haven’t eaten enough. One in four of these (23%) see this more frequently since the recession, with some teachers admitting that they often buy food for struggling pupils from their own wages.
One teacher reported seeing “scavenger pupils finishing off scraps, as they haven’t eaten enough”, while another said that some pupils come into school “to have food and get warm”, as families struggle to pay the bills at home.
The survey, conducted by The Prince's Trust, revealed 83% of teachers are witnessing an increasing number of pupils coming into school with dirty clothes and struggling to concentrate since the recession. Many staff feel they do not have enough support to help these young people effectively and are calling for more mentoring support.
A teacher who took part in the survey said: “On a daily basis, I witness one child who never changes his clothes at all, so all term he has been wearing the same two hoodies and jeans.”
Another said: “One student came into school wearing a soaking wet uniform. He washed it in the morning as his mother had failed to do so due to being inebriated. He didn't know how to use the drier so came in wet.”
The revelations follow shortly after one charity boss claimed the government just "don't care" about children.
According to Batmanghelidjh, Cameron just "doesn't see it".
The Prince's Trust, which questioned 515 teachers, also warned thousands of teachers fear more of their pupils will end up on benefits after they leave school than ever before.
Nearly one in four teachers feel rising unemployment levels are rendering their efforts "in vain", while 70% are increasingly worried their pupils will be made to sign on.
Ginny Lunn, director of policy and strategy at The Prince’s Trust said: “We cannot allow young people to become the next victims of this recession.
With the right support, it is possible for pupils to achieve their ambitions, rather than becoming a 'lost generation'.
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Can government spending lift poor children from poverty? A new report from UNICEF suggests it's possible. The latest edition of UNICEF's report on child poverty...
Camila Batmanghelidjh isn’t angry that children are starving in London. She’s lethal. “It makes me determined to do something about it,” she tells The Huffington...
With the lack of opportunities facing us, some would argue that there really isn't much hope, whilst others say that young people have become lazy and lack motivation. We are the most educated generation to date, and we have never been more ready or able to work. The problem is that there just simply aren't enough opportunities to cater for everyone.
Eradicating child poverty is an ambitious but hugely important aspiration. Not only does it makes sense economically, as according to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation the annual cost of our high levels of child poverty is around £25 billion, but it is a moral duty, as no decent society should allow children to go without, to the extent that it affects their future life chances.
Child poverty fell by over 100,000 children during the previous government for the simple reason they put money into the pockets of the poorest and they made work pay. Poverty is the single biggest determinant of positive outcomes for children in health, education and achieving success in employment.
i was brought up, and went to school in the 1950s, rationing was still in use, and we were hungry all the time. I think todays Idea of malnutrition are not the same. Pupils are often tired when they go to school because they have been up half the night running the streets, drinking, or taking drugs.
If teachers can identfy pupils who are being neglected, under fed etc then they should report the child, and have it taken into care ?
Approveds: i was brought up, and went to school in the
Surely a teacher who can identify a malnourished, dirty or neglected child has completed a child protection course.
They have an obligation to report these circumstances to social services,
Not moan about it. Not use it as an illustration of how hard their job is.
Not present a short term solution that perpetuates the abuse.
If the child is fed, cleaned or comforted at school- the parents will allow that and expect it!
Report it- possibly save the child from a lifetime of abuse.
Reality_always_bites: Surely a teacher who can identify a malnourished, dirty or
Oh what a clear cut, black and white world some people live in!
We DO report it. We DO follow CP procedures. What happens, or doesn't happen, then is not in our hands, but we still deal with the child sympathetically on a daily basis. If you consider that to be "perpetuating the abuse" I would suggest you desperately need to develop a little humanity.
I wondered how long it would take for someone to do a bit of teacher bashing.
mmartini54: Oh what a clear cut, black and white world some
I am not teacher bashing- Reality is the watchword. Teachers are trained- they know the procedures and those procedures must be followed.
This type of poverty or parental abuse has been recognised since before you became a pupil. I presume you are a teacher and know the difference between humanity and compassion.
Reality_always_bites: I am not teacher bashing- Reality is the watchword. Teachers
There are as many reasons why children are coming to school hungry and dirty as there are families. Drugs, alcohol, illness (both mental and physical), wilful neglect. It is not just one thing or another. The issues are complicated and the solutions are not one size fits all families. I admire these teachers for their concern. I know it is not part of their job description but it is sad they have to step in when other facets of the government are obviously failing. Children should not have to worry about where their next meal is coming from or be ashamed of their situation. I don't look on the past through a haze of nostalgia. There have always been failures and I have seen them with my own eyes. I am overwhelmed by the idea that the one meal a day a child might have is at school and that school budgets are so stretched fewer and fewer children will have that option, meanwhile the rich get richer and the incompetent heads of banks think nothing of receiving multi-million pound bonuses for under performing or outright failure.
Peggy_Kendrick: There are as many reasons why children are coming to
Whatever the cause (true poverty, parents choosing to spend money on other things, alcohol and drug abuse in parents), these children are neglected and suffering from malnutrition. This would constitute abuse in any society. Yet, these kids appear to slip through all the safety nets (health services, social work services) we have to protect them and rely on the charity of their teachers for basic foodstuffs.
I agree that many families have had more children to supplement their benefits. Now that the system has tightened up, they must be struggling. But, why should the children suffer? They did not ask to come into this world.
As a society, we have a responsibility to these kids, not to their parents. Instead of giving the parents cash in hand for their kids, we need to return to food/clothing stamps so at least the children can be cared for. If a parent is irresponsible and sells these stamps to buy alcohol and drugs, they are not fit to be a parent and the kids should be taken into care.
buchanallan: Whatever the cause (true poverty, parents choosing to spend money
As I have already pointed out, irresponsible parents will sell stamps cheaply in order to feed their own addictions.
If we really want to help children born to morally, emotionally or monetarily impoverished parents, give them three sets of free school uniforms, have laundry facilities in schools, give them free school meals including breakfast, lunches and dinners. Provide after school education in economics, cookery skils, parenting classes and homework assistance.
Let the parents look after themselves and smoke, drink and ingest their choices of drugs but don't let children take the consequenses for the actions of their feckless parents.
Some parents will never take responsibility so before anyone argues with me that they should be hung out to dry, think if it was you who was the child............... Stop giving benefits to parents who can't be bothered and support the children.
Kraptonfactor: As I have already pointed out, irresponsible parents will sell
Yes Kraptonfactor.
There is no need for a child in this country, to go hungry, be badly dressed,
and filthy, the help is out there, if you really want it for your child.
Life can be hard in these auster times, though there is no need for child neglect.
It has to do with choice, what the parents priorities are, plain and simply
as that. wes
weskirk1: Yes Kraptonfactor. There is no need for a child in
Everyone has had to tighten their belts, but theres no excuse for hungry or dirty children, thats just lazy adults who cant be bothered, its quite possible to feed and clothe children on a budget, and before anyone critizises we only have one wage coming in and three children but they are well fed and clothed because I shop around.
TraceyB68: Everyone has had to tighten their belts, but theres no
Lack of cooking skills by parents probably has a lot to do with this. Very good meals can be made with inexpensive ingredients, but skills are required. Feeding a family on convenient frozen pre-prepared foods and take away junk food are a swift way to waste money and go hungry.
colinmeister: Lack of cooking skills by parents probably has a lot
What do you expect when we are run by a government made up of "Posh Boys". I guarantee their children are not eating 'pretend food'...! How about these people, who's rents or mortgages are paid by the tax payer just because of their privileged jobs as 'Representatives of the People', give up their weekly pay packets, to provide food for those less privileged who haven't any...?
The person who made the point about this being "unacceptable in a third world country" begs the question. We are becoming a third world country, living-standards-wise, simply because we have less money -- this is a function of economics and of peak oil in particular.
At this stage we could still alleviate the plight of these people, but history suggests it will not be done. Ironically that will speed our decline since an unfit populace with even more hatred of the government will destabilise the institutions further, will require more medical treatment, and will certainly not be in any position to help economic recovery. You don't need to be somehow "softhearted" to want to help. It makes the most financial sense. I don't think it will happen, since financial sense has not been acted on for many decades here or anywhere else in the West.
When will this change? So far I have seen not one politician on any side who understands the situation. Even a right wing policy should require redistribution now -- if you really believe consumerism will come to the rescue yet again, don't you require people to have money to spend? It does not seem to me to be rocket science.
But this has been happening since Rome. I think the result (in a century or two) will be the same as in that case -- a dark age.
J-Sun9: The person who made the point about this being "unacceptable
I can understand the rise in poverty and some genuine cases, but there are cases where those parents are selfish and their needs come first. We hear of cases of neglect on news reports and the kids still stay with the parents. These Teachers are informing of cases of neglect like they should and nothing is done about it. There are good single parents who make sure their children are clothed and fed first and I feel sorry for those who have to be pigeon holed the same as the ones who don't look after their kids properly.
Joe_Joe_P: I can understand the rise in poverty and some genuine
There is NO excuse for child neglect. As parents we all get child benefit which is enough to buy breakfast cereals AND evening meal.
The parent can claim free school dinners if things are that bad and they have little income.
On top of this, tax credits pay for other things such as clothes.
Parents and teachers should not be blaming the government for parental neglect!
millses: There is NO excuse for child neglect. As parents we
There was a guy in Germany in the 1930's who advocated similar, I think he also made sure the "parents " came from a "master race" blond hair , blue eyes...
Didnt like foreigners either, a sort of precurser to our own UKIP
Cant remember his name?? anyone else heard about him.
adowilliams: There was a guy in Germany in the 1930's who
There is a huge difference between selecting people of genetic features for reproduction and selecting them because they are fit and proper to do so with proper financial resources and a good dose of moral fibre etc. Besides I'm not advocating everyone else gets exterminated. I assume your house is full of adopted casualties from the laissez fare situation we now have is it ?
Felice_Tedechi: There is a huge difference between selecting people of genetic
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The Huffington Post UK | By Lucy Sherriff Posted: 27/04/2012 06:07 BST Updated: 27/04/2012 12:01 BST