More students arriving at school hungry

“Every lunchtime, I have students lined up outside my office looking for something to eat. Last term I was feeding around 100 students at lunchtime, but now it’s even more.”

Jude says the number of students needing support has continued to grow this year as more families struggle to keep up with everyday costs.

“We’re very lucky to have a fridge that we stock, and the kids know they can go there every day,” she says.

While the school receives free lunches, Jude says many students still need additional food throughout the day, with KidsCan snacks, fruit and breakfast supplies helping fill the gap.

“If it wasn’t for organisations like KidsCan, I don’t know where we would be,” she says. “These kids come for two or three helpings, so I know they are hungry.”

Jude says she is also seeing a sharp increase in families needing emergency support, including food parcels, uniforms and shoes.

“There’s probably another 30 or 40 families who I support with food parcels and anything I can give,” she says. “I’ve had parents in tears because their kids are sharing a school uniform and they can’t go to school at the same time.”

The demand for shoes has become especially noticeable, with many students unable to afford the closed leather shoes required at high school.

“Your shoes are the most popular shoes in the school,” Jude says. “I hand out literally around 10 to 15 pairs of shoes a week.”

As winter approaches, Jude says the colder weather is adding even more pressure for families already struggling with food, petrol and power bills.

“There was one family who couldn’t eat because they had this horrendous power bill come in,” she says. “And then winter comes on top of everything else.”

Jude says the effects of hunger are visible in classrooms every day, with students struggling to concentrate, engage and regulate their emotions.

“They are lethargic, no energy, they can’t do PE,” she says. “They aren’t focused in class – you can see they aren’t taking anything in.”

She says schools are increasingly stepping in to provide the kind of practical support many families simply cannot afford right now.

“When these kids are hungry, I know they are hungry at home too,” she says. “So I’ll say, ‘Come and see me at the end of the day and I’ll get you something to take home for tea tonight.’ Then these kids walk out of here with their heads held high knowing they are taking dinner home for their family, and they will have something to eat tonight.”