Cost of living: ‘We should never get used to children living in poverty’, says Sheffield headteacher

With 44 per cent of local children now living in poverty, Vanessa Langley, headteacher of Arbourthorne Community Primary School, said the cost of living crisis is harming the mental health of pupils and parents.

She said: “The current economic climate has only served to exaggerate the significant problems of living in poverty.

“We should never get used to accepting children living in poverty and must try all we can to help families in need.

“The impact on children’s futures can be significant and we must work together to eliminate potential impacts on health, well-being and standards.”

At Arbourthorne Community Primary School, 65 per cent of pupils now receive free school meals.

And Ms Langley added that many children at the school lacked access to warm water, time to enjoy leisure activities with their families, and quality fresh food.

Chris Plant, project development manager for nearby Tiddlywinks Centre nursery, has also seen how new cost of living burdens have impacted families.

She said: “Some families have to deal with a lot and try to care for their children and be the best parents they can be.

“The mental pressure of poverty is extraordinary, and that’s just another thing for them to have on their plate.

“But a child can come to the nursery three days a week and be happy, warm, safe, and fed, giving the parents one less thing to worry about for that day.”

The increase in staff and energy costs meant Tiddlywinks had to draft a new “drastic” budget plan, including reducing the number of spaces it offered to avoid compromising on the quality of care.

Chris said she was “really worried” about the current government strategy, and added: “Nursery education funding is really short-sighted and not meeting the cost of delivery of care.

“They need to invest in nurseries and family experiences, and to offer holistic support for families.

“We do anything we can, we signpost to other organisations like food banks, and we’d love to be able to do add-on support for parents themselves but there are no funds for that.”

The Sheffield South East Learning Partnership (SSELP), a group of 18 schools, have set up a Poverty Strategy with initiatives to combat child poverty such as exchanging books, clothing, and toiletries, and distributing good quality surplus food.