"I'm worried that my mum's going to give up."
The heartbreaking words of a child to staff at their school sum up the struggle too many Greater Manchester families face in 2022.
Parents across the region are fighting to hold it together. Fighting to give their kids the comfortable and safe life they deserve.
Dr Patsy Hodson is outraged. Outraged by the idea that those in poverty are 'some kind of underclass' - and by the stories of young families coping with rat infestations, trapped in conditions that it was once thought had been banished from Britain.
As executive vice-principal at Manchester Communication Academy (MCA) in Harpurhey, she's all too aware of the extent to which families are struggling to put food on the table, struggling to meet rocketing costs and raise their children in substandard homes.
She speaks of the crisis in blunt terms. "This is the UK, an affluent country, in the 21st century. Shame on us if we can’t do better than this. It’s time for ordinary communities to stand together and say no," she says.
Even before Covid, staff at MCA were aware of 'things getting worse'. But now, amid the cost of living crisis that's gripping the nation, things are 'harder than ever' for families and the school is stepping up its support, she reveals.
Read more: The ‘lost generation’ of primary school pupils ‘forgotten’ during the pandemic
In one particularly harrowing incident, a student told members of staff at the school: "I'm worried that my mum's going to give up".
Dr Hodson has been at MCA since it opened in 2010 and knows as well as anyone how vital the academy-family partnership is for the local community. She says it's the parents and families who are the academy’s strongest asset - 'so committed are they to their children’s education and personal development'.
She strongly contests the idea ‘often expressed by politicians and social policy’ that those living in poverty are ‘some kind of underclass responsible for their own struggle’ . In her view, that is just an easy way to excuse ‘gross inequalities in the society we live in.’
"Our parents here are wonderful and we know how hard they work," she said. "It’s not just those entitled to free school meals that need help, but others, who sit just outside that benefit, can be working several jobs to make ends meet, and they should be applauded."
She says one of the biggest problems the North Manchester school is currently facing is unfit housing and she describes 'streets and streets' of houses owned by private landlords 'operating illegally in terms of standards - mould, heating, infestation, structural fault - with nobody holding them to account'.
The concentration of families in damp, substandard homes, is so extensive, in fact, that tackling it has become one of the school's main priorities. And, it's an issue the MEN is also championing.
MCA has now joined forces with other agencies, including Shelter; the GM Tenants Union; Manchester Law Centre; Shared Health; The Mustard Tree and Manchester City Council, to combat the problem and where appropriate to issue enforcement notices on landlords.
"It really is heartbreaking," said Patsy, who is also the school's director of social investment. "We see families trying to make the most of where they live and keep it clean and tidy, scrubbing mould off the walls, but they're trying to be house proud in houses you can’t be proud of.
"In the past it could be families trying to sort it out themselves and not getting very far. But we can strengthen their voice because it's clearly a safeguarding issue."
And she shared some heartbreaking examples of exactly how bad things have become for families, doing their absolute best to create a home.
She talked about those having to sleep in one room and those coping with rat infestations. One parent shared a video with the school of a rat jumping out of bathroom bin and describing how her small children were afraid to go into the room.
A recent conversation with another student really brought it home to school staff just how important it is for them to carry on doing what they do.
The student was showing signs of anxiety and, because he had exams coming up, it was assumed this was a factor, but when he was asked, 'what's the main thing worrying you right now?', he said 'I'm worried that my mum's going to give up'.
"When a child looks you in the face and says something so absolutely authentic and heartfelt," said Patsy, "you cannot be anything other than outraged. This is the UK, an affluent country, in the 21st century, shame on us if we can’t do better than this. It’s time for ordinary communities to stand together and say no."
The school - which has both a primary academy and a secondary - does what it can to mitigate the disadvantage.
"When people come to visit us we always say to them that our core aim is to mitigate the impact of disadvantage on our children," said Patsy. "We are much more than just a school.
"Some of our parents have gone without food, or they've waited until their children have finished and eaten what's left. The biggest thing is that they trust us and we trust them - they know they can come to us for help and we rely on them for their support."
Like many UK schools, MCA provides free uniform, equipment and breakfast and holiday clubs, transport costs, cooking ingredients and cultural experiences.
It’s important to the school and parents that students eat well throughout the year, especially as they are growing up so rapidly. Patsy explained: "The government’s emphasis on obesity is far less of an issue than ensuring consistent healthy food is on offer."
This has been made so much easier by The Bread and Butter Project, which operates at the academy.
Families can sign up for £7.50 food packages, whether they're claiming benefits or not. The fact that they can collect the parcels straight from school and that the project aims to reduce food waste, means there's none of the stigma often attached to visiting a foodbank.
She said: "All parents who are signed up to the scheme get a text asking if they want a food parcel and they simply reply 'yes'. If a parent can't afford that £7.50 then every now and again we'll pay that from the academy budget."
It's working with charities like The Bread and Butter Thing, which distributes surplus food from supermarkets, and Knutsford-based Christmas Toy project, which has provided Christmas sacks for over 1,000 children in North Manchester this year, which means that things can get to families when they need it most.
"We have a new emerging type of poverty, it's one we haven't seen before," said Patsy. "It's not simply being poor and not able to make ends meet, it's more like poverty in a developing country, where there’s not proper shelter, heat, food or appropriate clothing. But in many ways it's hidden because our students then come into their £32m school building with all the newest technology.
"It's almost like society’s offering them a double life - half affluent and half destitute. But it's that hidden destitution that is dangerous as it's so easy for it to be swept under the carpet and hidden. It's our job to stop that from happening."
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