Schools say families are turning to them for help amid the cost of living crisis. Now, teachers note they are providing families with meals, uniform and “everyday necessities” and say this should continue.
Last week inflation hit a 40-year high of 9% and on Tuesday energy regulator Ofgem warned that the energy price cap – which limits how much suppliers can raise prices – is likely to rise to £2,800 a year in the autumn.
Stuart Allen, Headmaster of Mile Cross Primary in Norwich says: “The real fight is about bills… food and energy bills [and] it’s really what focuses everything [parents’] mind and time.”
He says the number of parents that the school is helping “is going to be a lot, lot bigger because we have working parents who are really concerned about the future and their bills, and that’s a big shift for us.”
“We have 18 months to two years ahead and how we can continue to support these parents and point them to some of the things that they may not have accessed before,” he says.
Mr. Allen says “it has become our mission” to help families struggling with the cost of living.
“We’re at the heart of the community and we have to try and support our parents and I think that’s the role of a lot of schools across the country.
“We are doing our utmost and trying to find as much support and help for our parents. If we have happy children, they will thrive, they will go to school and they will do well.”
Toby Whalen, Assistant Principal at Mile Cross Primary, has made sure the students are fed properly.
“Food is everything for the children. Not only does eating have to be fun, kids can’t learn if they have a full stomach,” he says.
He says when the kids arrive there are “hot bagels, fruit, but also quality food throughout the day, even if a kid comes in and wants a little more, they can have it.”
“The energy crisis, I don’t think we’ll really hit it until winter, but there have certainly been more requests for food bank vouchers,” he says.
- “Am I spending money on electricity or groceries?”
- “I felt like crying because there were calories on the menu”
- Why chicken is getting more and more expensive
He adds that they want to act in advance so parents “don’t have to ask for that help.”
He says he hasn’t noticed any changes in the children, but that’s because “we feed them so well.”
“Food should be enjoyed so that the meals we prepare for the kids are not only nutritionally correct but also taste fantastic,” he adds.
Tom Rolfe, Headmaster at Hellesdon High School on the outskirts of Norwich, says: “We are seeing a growing number of children and families struggling to meet the financial demands that life throws in front of them.
“Many families turn to us as a school for additional financial support and expect us to give them reassurance and ask us to provide them with some basic necessities.”
He says the school will provide assistance “as long as we can,” and he says he has “a number of resources and funding available.”
“Our families, our children and our community are our priority,” says the principal.
“We fully understand that these children need to feel safe and secure and be able to learn, ready to learn.”
He says that sometimes the kids whose families are struggling “feel a little bit left out of the school population and we want that to be the last thing that happens.”
“So if we can give extra support to these kids it becomes a lot more inclusive and we feel we owe it to them as a school community to have proper uniforms, school shoes, school bags – everything we would expect normal kids to have.” have,” he says.
Find BBC News: East of England Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have an email with a story suggestion eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk
Add Comment