Food matters.

My first teaching job was at a school in Orpington, Kent where there were four of us in the Home Ec. department. Each week the pupils were given a list of ingredients they would need for next weeks’ lesson and it soon became clear to me that there would always be a child who arrived empty handed. Within the department we all agreed to bring in extra sets of ingredients to cover the shortfall, with the dish being taken home by the pupil sometimes, or by us if the cost was significant – where meat or fish was involved. Other members of staff were happy to buy the dishes too if we finished the day with more than we could consume, or carry home on the train! In a different school we encountered different challenges. Two brothers were coming to school on alternate days and on further investigation it appeared they were sharing the black shoes suitable for uniform requirements. This pair of shoes was too small for the older brother and too big for the younger one. A whip-round in the staffroom allowed a senior member of staff to go shopping and find two pairs of black shoes which were the right sizes. Many of us have subsidised our pupils in one way or another, but nothing has changed over the years. A child who comes to school without breakfast will never be able to concentrate… many’s the time I’ve had cereal bars in my drawer and a bowl of fruit there for anyone who needed it. From what I hear in the news this week, it’s not improving, is it?