Pupils suffering holiday hunger, ATL warns

The Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) has warned that pupils who rely on free school meals are left hungry over the holidays and has called for better holiday schemes which include meals.

Commenting on the findings, Mary Bousted, ATL general secretary, said: “We risk returning to a Dickensian era rife with inequality.”

The news comes after a report from the food banks provider Trussel Trust found a 21 per cent increase in demand during the school holidays.

According to a survey of 400 ATL members, 38 per cent said pupils suffered from physical health issues over the summer break, with 26 per cent claiming that pupils often went hungry over the period.

49 per cent of staff maintained that the summer break negatively impacted the pupils’ mental health.

The Department for Eduction (DfE) did not directly address the issue of holiday hunger but claimed that more was being done to ensure that children received a proper meal at breakfast.

A spokesman for the DfE said: “To ensure more children have a nutritious breakfast as a healthy start to their school day, we announced £10 million funding a year as part of the Budget to expand breakfast clubs in up to 1,600 schools starting from September 2017.

"Free school meals play a key role, giving children fuel for learning, and we continue to work with both councils and schools to encourage take-up.”