**Teachers Forced to Use Budgets to Feed Hungry Pupils Amid Soaring Rates of In-Class Hunger**
Head teachers across Scotland are facing a dire situation where they are compelled to divert funds from school budgets to provide food for pupils arriving at school hungry. This disturbing trend is impacting thousands of children in almost half of Scotland’s councils who have been let down by a failed government promise to offer free school meals for all. The Sunday Mail investigation has uncovered how teachers are opting to use the Pupil Equity Fund (PEF), originally designated to help disadvantaged children access additional activities like school trips, to purchase food for students. Some educators are even dipping into their own pockets to buy food from local shops to bring in for the pupils.
Labour MSP Monica Lennon, a key advocate for free school meals in the Scottish Parliament, has condemned the situation, citing the SNP’s failure to fulfil its commitment to universal free school meals. Lennon stressed the urgency, expressing concern over the long-term impact on children’s health, wellbeing, and education. The affected pupils are predominantly in P6/7 and early secondary school whose parents do not qualify for benefits that would provide access to school meals. Although all children from P1 to P5 receive free meals irrespective of their parents’ income, the Scottish Government reneged on extending this provision to P6/7 in the last budget.
Research conducted by the teachers’ union NASUWT revealed that schools in 14 council areas in Scotland, encompassing affluent and deprived regions, have resorted to using the PEF for providing food, with 21% of secondary school teachers confirming this practice. Furthermore, 12% of primary school teachers indicated that they were also utilising the funding to purchase meals for children in other year groups who lacked food. The union’s survey of 163 teachers in Scotland uncovered this unprecedented use of the PEF, introduced in 2017, for feeding hungry pupils.
Mike Corbett, NASUWT Scotland National Official, expressed shock at the scale of the issue, with a considerable proportion of teachers reporting the diversion of funds for lunches. He highlighted the growing trend of individual teachers personally providing food or clothing to pupils in need. With the recognition that hungry children struggle to learn, teachers are compelled to find immediate solutions while the Government deliberates on addressing poverty.
The survey findings indicated a troubling rise in the number of children arriving at school hungry, with 62% of teachers reporting an increase over the past year. A quarter of schools now host a foodbank, and a significant majority of teachers have provided food or clothing to pupils. Concerningly, teachers reported observing more behavioural problems and decreased energy or concentration in children. The situation has forced teachers to go beyond their roles, with some using personal funds to feed pupils as the need grows.
Despite years of pledges and plans, the Scottish Government recently backtracked on expanding free school meal provision for P6 and 7 students and abandoned plans for secondary schools. The Sunday Mail, alongside politicians and union leaders, has advocated for universal free school meal provision, emphasising the crucial role it plays in supporting pupils’ educational experience. The general secretary of the Scottish Trades Union Congress, Roz Foyer, urged First Minister John Swinney to prioritise addressing child poverty to prevent a worsening of disparities.
In response, a Scottish Government spokesperson acknowledged the financial constraints, attributing the challenges to Westminster austerity, the cost of living crisis, and high inflation rates. While reiterating the commitment to expanding free school meals, the spokesperson cited funding limitations that hinder the universal provision for all primary pupils by 2026. The immediate focus now is on extending the provision to P6 and 7 students receiving the Scottish Child Payment within this parliamentary term.
The harrowing accounts from teachers shed light on a grave social issue that demands urgent attention and proactive measures to ensure that no child goes hungry in Scotland’s schools.