Six million more meals: “It’s quite overwhelming”
Marcus Rashford’s #ENDCHILDFOODPOVERTY campaign led to unprecedented levels of donations to food charity network FairShare.
Tackling poverty and the digital divide THE NEU has prioritised a campaign against child poverty in light of Covid-19. The No Child Left Behind campaign sets out five demands (see below) the Government must urgently deliver to make sure that every child has access to food, clothes and the basic tools to learn in order to prevent young people in poverty falling behind.
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Expanded eligibility for free school meals for every child on Universal Credit Free school meals expanded year-round to end holiday hunger Affordable school uniforms Free wi-fi access for disadvantaged pupils at home A dedicated technology budget for schools to combat the digital divide
Included in the five policies is a call for free wi-fi access for disadvantaged pupils and a dedicated technology budget for schools. As the economic uncertainty of Covid-19 pushes more families below the poverty line, a digital divide has been exposed – between those children with the resources to continue their education online, and those without. Prior to the pandemic, 4.2 million children were living in poverty in the UK. This is set to rise to almost five million by the end of the year. Sarah Kilpatrick is an art teacher in Gateshead. Despite providing online lessons during lockdown, few of her students were able to engage. She told Educate: “I work in an enormously disadvantaged area. My year 11 students, for example, are great kids but they’ve come back and none had done any of the work. They just don’t have the stuff at home. “They are competing nationally against kids with their own computer, with their own bedroom with a desk, with parents able to buy them art supplies. The difference between what my students can submit for their portfolio – which is also now online – and what other students with financial security at home can submit, is really stark.” The Government promised a scheme in April to deliver laptops and 4G routers to the
Marcus met members of the Evelyn Community Store in south London which offers low-cost, healthy groceries to local families PHOTO by FareShare
“Less than a third of those eligible have received 4G routers and laptops.” most disadvantaged children to help digital learning. However, less than a third of those eligible actually received the equipment. “The lies we were told about laptops is a scandal. We haven’t received any,” says Sarah. In October, joint NEU general secretaries, Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney, wrote to the Prime Minister demanding urgent action.
Support the No Child Left Behind campaign at neu.org.uk/campaigns/child-poverty
LEAVE NO CHILD BEHIND Join our campaign now
FOOTBALLER Marcus Rashford added his support to the NEU’s child poverty campaign, retweeting the union’s letter to the Education Secretary urging him to “leave no child behind” (see above). The 23-year-old campaigner said he had been overwhelmed by the response of local communities to provide support for vulnerable children during the half-term holiday in England. His petition (sign at petition.parliament. uk/petitions/554276/ ) calling on the Government to extend free schools meals provision in school holidays until next Easter has attracted more than a million signatures. “These children are the future of this country. They are not just another statistic. And for as long as they don’t have a voice, they will have mine,” Rashford said. He invited the Government to meet him and members of the child food poverty task force he launched to work together to combat child hunger. The Welsh Government has agreed to provide free school meals in holiday time until next Easter, a decision welcomed by Rashford.
educate Your magazine from the National Education Union (NEU)
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