Children in England in deep poverty ‘stealing food from schools’

theguardian.com:

Children whose families are mired in “deep poverty” are stealing basic items such as food and tissues from their schools and some are missing lessons altogether because they cannot afford the bus fare, a leading social mobility expert has said.

Lee Elliot Major, a professor of social mobility at the University of Exeter, said children were arriving at schools in England hungry, tired and anxious, while older pupils were missing sixth form because they were already out working to help their families as the cost of living crisis bit.

Schools were facing an unprecedented challenge because of Covid and the cost of living crisis, he said, and he urged candidates in the Conservative party leadership race to set out how they planned to tackle disadvantage and reduce learning loss caused by the pandemic.

“It is vital there is no policy paralysis created by political instability at the very time leadership is needed to address unprecedented challenges currently facing schools and universities,” he told the all-party parliamentary group on social mobility. “Failure to act now could mean a generation being scarred by the Covid pandemic.”

Elliot Major, who was the chief executive of the Sutton Trust educational charity before being appointed as the first professor of social mobility, added: “It’s disappointing that there has been little mention of levelling up, social mobility or improving opportunities so far among candidates for the new Conservative party leader.

“Teachers on the frontline are seeing children turning up to school hungry, tired and anxious, with many still missing school altogether. Pupils are stealing basic items like tissues, they can’t pay for the bus to get to school, some are missing out on sixth form because