School children showing increasing signs of poverty and hunger, head teachers warn

British school children are showing increasing signs of poverty and hunger, head teachers have warned.

School leaders from across the UK have reported a growing need to provide basic provisions to pupils such as food, clothes, shoes and sanitary products.

They also described lending emergency cash to families, washing school uniforms and paying for budgeting advice and counselling for families.

The revelations emerged from a new survey published by the Child Poverty Action Group and the National Education Union.

It found that, out of 900 teachers asked, 60 per cent said child poverty in schools had worsened since 2015, with one in three saying it had got significantly worse.  

Nottinghamshire head, Louise Regan said: "Monday morning is the worst.

"There are a number of families that we target that we know are going to be coming into school hungry.”

Lynn, a head teacher from a former industrial town in Cumbria who did not want to give her full name, said: "We have washing machines and we are washing the children's clothes while they do PE.

"We wouldn't have it that these children are stigmatised because their clothes are dirty."

Another head teacher who took part in the survey added: "My children have grey skin, poor teeth, poor hair, they are thinner."

Responding to the findings, a spokesman for the Department of Education insisted the Government wanted to create a country where everyone could go as far as their talents could take them.

"That's why we launched our social mobility action plan, which sets out measures to close the attainment gap between disadvantaged students and their peers and targets areas that need the most support through the £72m Opportunity Areas programme," the spokesman said.

They also highlighted the £2.5bn it invests in disadvantaged pupils through the Pupil Premium and a recent £26m investment in breakfast clubs.