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Kids so hungry they're 'eating rubbers or hiding empty lunchboxes' due
to lack of free school meals
(HTM) Source
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# Kids so hungry they're 'eating rubbers or hiding empty lunchboxes'
due to lack of free school meals
The scourge of child hunger in schools was laid bare during a Commons
debate, where MPs heard how pupils are hiding in the playground as
they don't want people to know they have no lunch
Campaigners have been urging the government to expand free school
meals provision to more children (
Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)
Children are so hungry they are eating rubbers or pretending to eat
from empty lunchboxes because they don't qualify for free school
meals, MPs have heard.
The scourge of child hunger in schools was laid bare during a Commons
debate, where MPs heard how some pupils are hiding in the playground
because they don't want their friends to know they have no lunch. Lib
Dem education spokeswoman Munira Wilson said: "A child pretending to
eat out of an empty lunchbox because they did not qualify for free
school meals and did not want their friends to know there was no food
at home.
"A child coming in to school having not eaten anything since lunch the
day before, so hungry they are eating rubbers in school. A child
hiding in the playground because they don't think they can get a meal.
This has to stop."
Lib Dem MP Munira Wilson lifted the lid on the scourge of child hunger
in schools
Ms Wilson told MPs that free lunches can be "life changing" as it
helps children eat healthily, improves their concentration in class
and saves their parents money. But needy children are missing out on
free lunches due to strict eligibility rules.
State school pupils in England can claim free school meals up to the
end of Year 2. After that, they are eligible only if their parent or
carer receives certain benefits. Households on Universal Credit only
qualify if their income is less than just £7,400 from work. An
estimated 900,000 school age children who live in poverty miss out due
to strict eligibility rules, according to the Child Poverty Action
Group.
Ms Wilson took aim at critics who say parents need to take more
responsibility, saying: "That is an insult to every parent who can't
afford to feed their child." She described meeting a mum in her
constituency, who had fled her abusive partner, who was skipping her
mental health medication so she could save the cash for her
prescription to pay for her daughter's lunch.
The country's children should not be the victims of the cost of living
crisis.
They should not have to pay the price because their parents cannot
afford to put food on the table or heat the family home.
But at the moment there are nearly four million children living in
poverty. Many of them are being brought up in homes where there is not
enough money to pay for a hot meal. Some are having to skip meals
entirely.
That is why the Mirror is calling on the government to provide free
school meals for every primary pupil in England.
The Scottish and Welsh governments are introducing universal free
school meals. It's time England did the same.
If a child is hungry they cannot learn. It makes it harder for them to
concentrate in class and harder for them to reach their potential.
Free school meals for all primary-age children would save parents
vital pennies - money which could be used to pay for warm clothes,
school activities or heating.
It would reduce the bureaucracy attached with deciding which pupils
are eligible. Most importantly, it would mean every child have the
chance to flourish.
**You can find out more about our Free School Meals for All campaign
here**
"That is a mother taking the responsibility to feed her child
seriously and she is paying the price with her health and wellbeing.
I'm afraid the Conservative Government is forcing parents to make
impossible choices such as these."
She added: "That a free school meal may be the only hot meal a child
eats in a day in this country is a scandal. In a country such as
England families are struggling with this basic human need and that is
appalling. The Government should hang its head in shame."
Ms Wilson said teachers are having to "act as the fourth emergency
service" by stepping in the help hard-up families. She added: "No
child should go hungry at school. Liberal Democrats would extend free
school meals, beginning with every child in poverty, to save parents
money, encourage healthy eating and give children the energy to learn.
It's a no brainer."
Labour MP Beth Winter said it was "time for England to catch up" with
Wales, where universal free school meals are being rolled out to all
primary school pupils. "We can afford it. We are the fifth richest
nation in the world," she said. "We've got to start getting out
priorities right in this country."
Shadow Schools Minister Cat McKinnell said the impact of the cost of
living crisis on hard-pressed families and schools is a "national
scandal". Around 2 million pupils are eligible for free school meals
in England, which she said was a sign of "appalling economic failure".
She said Labour's plan to fund free breakfast clubs in every primary
school was a first step to helping children out of poverty and closing
the attainment gap. "It will put money back in parents pockets and
allow parents to have greater flexibility at work so they can earn
more for their families," she said.
The party has not backed calls to extend free school meals provision.
Ms McKinnell said Labour wants to focus on "more targeted measures"
during the current economic climate, such as breakfast clubs.
Schools Minister Damian Hinds said he was proud the Government had
extended free school meals eligibility more than any other. "We spend
over £1billion per annum delivering free school lunches to the
greatest ever proportion of school children - over a third," he said.
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