As schools break up for summer, thousands of families across Greater Manchester face an anxious battle to stay afloat. The looming holidays are a source of dread for households already holding back a tide of soaring bills and benefit cuts.
Demand for emergency food support has soared in recent months, according to school leaders, and struggling households now face further pressures as the summer break approaches.
It's left teachers fearful of the reality in store for pupils when they walk out of the school gates at the end of term. Steve Marsland, headteacher at Russell Scott Primary School in Denton, is among those concerned about whether some families will be able to cope this summer.
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In recent months, his school has directed an increasing number of parents towards food banks. More than 30pc of the school's 500 pupil cohort now rely on free school meals - a figure that has soared due to the cost of living crisis.
"It's changing all the time," said Mr Marsland. "Lots of people have lost their jobs after Covid. They haven't got that to fall back on and the cost of living is going up."
To ease the pressure on struggling families, Russell Scott Primary is running a summer sports camp for its pupils. And while free school meals - a lifeline for many hard-up families - come to an end when the school finishes next week, Tameside Council is providing a £50 supermarket voucher to eligible children to cover the holidays.
Yet Mr Marsland questions how far the vouchers will go in helping the most vulnerable amid soaring inflation. "You are getting less and less for a tenner," he said. "That will barely buy you a tub of Lurpak these days.
"This summer is going to tip so many families living on the breadline over the edge. There will be a direct correlation between choosing heating and eating with loads of families.
"The summer will just add to the debts people are incurring just to get through the day. Families will not be able to go on holiday and, if they do, they will be putting themselves under more pressure just to try and keep a sense of normality."
Analysts have warned that three quarters of families in the UK, or 21 million households, will see the cost-of-living outstrip their incomes by the autumn. Meanwhile, a report published last week revealed that Mancunians experienced a 'real wage' loss of £133 in April as pay packets fail to offset the rising cost of living.
It's not only parents feeling anxious about what the future holds, according to Mr Marsland. "Children listen and they see the worry and anxiety of their mums and dads," he explained.
"They are very aware of the pressure their parents are under. They know mum might go without her tea to make sure they have something. We get children all the time telling us these kinds of stories.
"They know their parents are troubled and they become troubled as well. Lots of children have really struggled over lockdown then you have something else on top of that causing families to be anxious about the future.
"Children shouldn't have any worries but we have just lived through something unprecedented and here we are again with another crisis that is affecting whole communities, but also individual families really badly."
During term time, teachers are attuned to signs that a child's household may be struggling, and can then signpost them towards support. But with limited contact over the next few weeks, Mr Marsland worries that some parents may not reach out for help.
"We see our children every day and we know the vulnerable families," he said. "Over the summer holidays, if they get into difficulties they will keep it to themselves and try to battle through.
"The support mechanisms during term time are gone. We're not just schools, we are everything to these families.
"There are more parents asking for support but lots of parents are stigmatised by it and have probably never been in difficulty before so don't come forward. There's a pride element of wanting to look after your family.
"Sometimes you just have to hold your hands up and say you need help. More and more people are getting themselves into these problems and all they have got on their minds is that there are more worries to come. They can't see an end to the tunnel."
At Newman RC College in Chadderton, Oldham, struggling families are also being offered food vouchers during the holidays while the school is paying for pupils on free meals to attend summer schools. However, headteacher Glyn Potts said he 'wants to do more' to help those feeling the pinch.
"I think that we are only now beginning to see the impact of austerity, inflation and the impact of Covid," he explained. "If we wait to the winter, it will be too late and arguably it is already too late for many families.
"Locally, the council are doing a grand job putting opportunities and support in place, but so much falls on schools now that it is becoming difficult to manage without budget increases. However, we will continue to fight for our community and offer all we can."
At one secondary school in Salford, a community food store has been set up to support families over the summer break. The facility at Oasis Academy Media City UK opened earlier this month.
Although run by volunteers separate to the school, the idea was formed in response to the sheer number of parents asking the school emergency food support.
For £3.50 per week, households can choose about 10 to 12 food items to help top up their weekly shops. So far, 14 families have accessed the food store while a further ten have signed up. The expectation is that the number will continue to grow throughout the summer.
There are also plans to provide kitchen space where families can batch cook their own meals. Hannah Miller, hub leader at Oasis Community Hub MediaCityUK, said the food store aimed to provide a sustainable, long-term solution to the problems facing such families.
"We know during the school holidays there is additional food demands on families, especially those on free school meals," she said.
"Finances are tighter than ever before and it's only going to get more so as we get to winter. It's a push for people it hasn't been a push for before. Everyone is being squeezed. What we can start doing to help is vital.
"We are linked to the academy but it's open to anyone in the community but we want to make sure it's people using it because they need the help and support."
The food store is open every Wednesday from 10:30am–2pm at Oasis Community Hub MediaCityUK, Trafford Road, Salford, M50 3UQ.
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