Nursery World - Schools acting as ‘first responders’ to families impacted by Covid

The pandemic has driven more families living in poverty to turn to schools for ‘basic needs’ such as adequate food and clothing, finds new research.

The research by UCL reveals how schools are helping to support families impacted by the pandemic Photo Adobe Stock

Published today (Thursday) by UCL, the briefing report, based on in-depth interviews with parents and staff across seven schools in England, reveals those schools serving populations with high levels of poverty have seen significantly more families turn to them for support due to pressures linked to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Among the issues schools reported dealing with included – children in need of food and clothing, families living in inadequate housing, families with limited digital connectivity, individual pupils facing mental health crises and children experiencing difficult domestic circumstances, including domestic violence.

Addressing food insecurity was the most immediate priority for all the schools interviewed. They went to considerable lengths to ensure that all their pupils received at least one meal a day, in some cases distributing food directly from the school to families’ doors.

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