Schools and GPs 'staggering' under the pressure of demands from families in poverty

Schools report that hunger is an everyday occurrence, with a third of workers saying that their school provides a food bank, a quarter that they provide other essentials, such as toiletries, energy top-up vouchers, beds and bedding. Nearly two in five said staff are providing direct support out of their own pocket.

It looks at the impact hardship is having on the delivery of services in primary schools and primary and community healthcare settings such as GP surgeries.

The JRF surveyed and spoke to staff in primary schools and primary and community healthcare settings (such as GP surgeries) across Britain.

It finds that on average:

• primary school staff estimate 48 per cent of their pupils had experienced hardship at some point since the start of the school year
• primary and community healthcare staff estimated 57 per cent of their patients had experienced hardship at some point over the last 12 months.
• 9 in 10 staff said that pupils or patients experiencing hardship has an impact on them as staff, their colleagues or the wider organisation they work for.
• 7 in 10 said supporting pupils or patients experiencing hardship is a challenge where they work; of those who say hardship is a challenge, two thirds say it makes it harder for them to do their job well.
• around 4 in 10 said hardship is a factor that is contributing to them thinking about leaving their job.

In focus groups, teachers told of being unable to start teaching on time because they had to leave the classroom to deal with distressed parents facing homelessness or find warm clothes and food for children who were going without.

They also discussed how overcrowded housing, including temporary accommodation, leaves children tired, and how much time goes into getting tired, hungry children ready to learn.

Katie Schmuecker, principal policy adviser for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, said, ‘Hardship has reached a shameful level in our country, with almost four million people finding themselves in destitution in a single year – unable to keep themselves dry, warm and fed. 

‘As the parties compete to lead the UK after 4th July, we need them to get serious about tackling the scale and depth of hardship which is afflicting millions and holding families back from building better lives. 

‘No plan for our schools or NHS should be taken seriously if it doesn’t include tackling hardship. Leaving millions to live without essential items such as enough food or heating doesn’t just rob people of options or dignity, it also adds to the pressures on the services we all rely on. 

‘Primary schools and GP services are staggering under the weight of hardship – it shouldn’t fall to them to ensure families are not going hungry. As a country we need our politicians to address hardship at source, not look the other way.’ 

Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said, ‘Schools and their staff are increasingly bearing the weight of addressing poverty in society – a responsibility which must lie with government. How can it be right that primary schools are now key providers of food aid?

‘This new research adds to a now substantial amount of evidence - which all tells the same story of schools having to deal with problems they are not equipped for.

‘An incoming government must recognise and address the causes and impacts of child poverty. Schools need to be poverty-proofed and it cannot be left to staff to feed hungry children from their own already stretched incomes.'

The NEU has called for the immediate removal of the two-child benefit cap and the introduction of Free School Meals to all pupils.

• The report can be downloaded here