Headteachers say they have never seen anything like it: a “perfect storm” of rising poverty, higher prices and shrinking school budgets resulting in more hungry children in classrooms but fewer resources to help them.
While the proportion of children eligible for free school meals (FSM) in England has jumped from 15% in 2019 to more than 22% this year, headteachers say the numbers of “invisible hungry” – from families in poverty but not poor enough to qualify – has also increased.
