Starting the school day hungry: 1 in 5 UK schools run food banks
Last year, there were more schools running foodbanks than charities themselves, according to a recent study from the University of Bristol.[1]
While this may come as a surprise to the public, these findings only reinforce the realities experienced by many of City Harvest’s school partners. Across the country, schools are now operating lifesaving foodbanks to ensure that students and their families can access food and other necessities essential to health, nutrition and wellbeing. Both in and out of school term time, school-run foodbanks are vital to the current food security of households with children.
According to researchers Alice Bradbury and Sharon Vice, schools that opened foodbanks likely did so due to the “ethics of care” model, whereby the schools and teachers felt a moral obligation to ensure that their students receive healthy and nutritious food.
“People who are starting to need the food bank are embarrassed to ask for help. When we see children with nothing in their packed lunch, we find them food from the kitchen and make up a food parcel from the food bank and discreetly give it to the parents.” – City Harvest Primary School Partner in West London
“It’s taking away the stress and allowing them to parent”[2] – Deputy Headteacher at Peabody Primary School
Schools, especially, understand the importance of feeding children and their families. Through school-driven food provision, children can consume the necessary nutrition to support their physical and cognitive development and improve their educational outcomes — creating a dual benefit. Additionally, parents may experience less stress with not being able to afford food for their children. This is particularly important during the school holidays, when ‘holiday hunger’ is likely to impact children.[3]
%
of schools in the UK operate food banks
Schools are overburdened — and with limited resources
In the UK, only 4% of schools feel financially secure and 40% experience extreme financial pressures.[4] In spite of these significant hurdles, nearly 20% of schools in the UK operate food banks. While schools feel overwhelmed with limited resources, they continue to recognise the importance of school food provisions:
- Nearly half a million of children are eligible for free school meals but are not yet enrolled due to administrative barriers.[5]
- Beyond those eligible, as enrolment in free school meals requires a household income below £7,400 per year, over 900,000 children in poverty are missing out on free school meals because of this requirement.[6]
In fact, the majority of schools that provide this critical service cannot afford to do so – yet still recognise the need to ensure that these children and their families are still accessing nutritious and quality food at all times:
“Right, we [thought that we] can’t do this every week. It is a) exhausting and b) time consuming. We’ll just do it fortnightly,” one Rowntree Primary School teacher reflected. “[But] I think we only managed a few weeks doing it fortnightly before we realised: No, the need is there.”[7]
Ethics of care and meeting a rising need
The reality for many schools is that this is where the “ethics of care” model comes into play. Operating foodbanks expands the work of schools beyond the scope of educational services, placing copious amount of pressure on teachers and staff, who face new responsibilities and duties. By operating foodbanks, teachers and staff can encounter uncomfortable situations, having to make decisions on the type of food that is donated, how it is redistributed, and to whom. These decisions expand what is typically required of those who teach and run schools, illustrating how school foodbanks are beyond schools’ educational mandates.
A headteacher at Parkfield Primary School reflected her 18-year career and if she had imagined that feeding students and supporting their families would become so essential to her role.
“Never in a million years,” she admitted. “We’re supposed to be here to teach children to read and write, aren’t we? But they can’t do that if they’re hungry.”
When school lets out, the food banks stay open
During the holidays, when school is out of session, free meals become unavailable to students, and children are then susceptible to ‘holiday hunger’. However, those who have a hand in running school foodbanks often adopt a ‘must-do’ mentality, recognising the importance of staying open and continuing to provide for those in need.
A City Harvest report emphasised the concern of ‘holiday hunger’ for the over 4 million families in London who cannot afford food on a regular basis. At least 3 in 5 teachers are concerned that at least one child in their class will experience hunger during the summer holidays due to affordability challenges faced by their parents, guardians and carers.[8]
Schools are in a unique position since they have a firsthand perspective on the challenges facing the families. Yet, while serving as a trusted and critical food access point for children and their families experiencing ‘holiday hunger’, the heightened demand on schools during these periods force them to rely even more on volunteered time from staff and donation flow. Schools reported to City Harvest that they feel an immense amount of pressure to continue running this service amidst limited funding.
“City Harvest’s operations have a tremendous impact on our organization during the holidays, especially given the current cost-of-living crisis. The support we receive from City Harvest, along with other organizations like the Felix Project and Ted’s Veg, is invaluable. Their consistent supply of donated food enables us to meet the increased demand for food support during school holidays.
City Harvest’s operations not only provide us with a wide range of fresh and nutritious food items but also foster a sense of community and support for the families we serve. Their contributions help us address the immediate needs of our beneficiaries and alleviate some of the pressures caused by the rising cost of food.” – Teacher at City Harvest Partner Primary School in East London
As food prices and inflation continue to rise, school food banks are as important as ever. During the holidays, where food serves an important role, especially during the winter holiday period, school foodbanks work to host additional events and provide food and services to ensure all children can experience shared holiday meals.
The importance of food security in the early years
“Many of the parents that access support from our children’s centre for their own child/children have had adverse childhood experiences and attachments in their own childhood. Some of them access support from the centre as they acknowledge this, and they don’t want their children experiencing these and want to make a change.” – Staff member at City Harvest Children’s Centre Partner in South London
School meals and the food provided by foodbanks are often the only ways in which children gain access fresh produce and other items that provide necessary nutrients to support their physical and cognitive health and improve their individual life and familial life outcomes.
City Harvest’s report on the health benefits of food — Nourish to Flourish: How Food Boosts Mental, Physical and Community Health — revealed that 82% of the organisation’s charity partners believe the main reason behind the health problems suffered by their clients is the unaffordability and inaccessibility of nutritious food, in particular.[9] Amongst the schools and children centres that responded, 56% reported obesity amongst service users and 78% reported service users experiencing depression and isolation.
Ensuring access to healthy and nutritious food is critical to improving long-term outcomes for children. From improved health and increased employment opportunities to reduced criminal offenses and increased educational attainment, food security and quality nutrition are essential in the early years. Supporting City Harvest helps generate £3.70 of long-term positive impact to the final recipients of food donations.
City Harvest currently supports schools across London by providing them with nutritious food in and out of term time. Your support ensures we continue to help schools and the children and families they serve amidst a cost-of-living crisis, making nutritious food unaffordable and inaccessible.
References:
[3] Reflections from Lesley from Peabody Primary School, in research book, ‘Food banks in schools and nurseries’.
[5] https://policyinpractice.co.uk/fsm-case-study/
[7] Reflections from the Headteacher at Rowntree Primary School.
[9] For schools and children’s centres, the service users are both the parents and their children.
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