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An estimated 800,000 children are living in povery and yet do not qualify for free school meals. With the cost of living crisis biting hard, schools are reporting stark increases in the numbers of children who cannot afford lunches and who are coming to school hungry and with inadequate winter clothing…

Pupils unable to concentrate, tired, without adequate winter clothing, coming to school hungry, and families unable to afford school lunches—the impact of the cost of living crisis on families across the country has been spelt out in the starkest terms by new research.

A survey of more than 6,200 school teachers and leaders in England, commissioned by the Sutton Trust, reveals worrying increases in the numbers of pupils facing serious issues linked to the cost of living. The results show that teachers are seeing a number of problems in state schools:

Around half of senior leaders in state-funded schools (52%) also reported that the number of children ineligible for free school meals and yet unable to afford lunch has increased this autumn.