Schools put free bread on menu

Some UK primary schools are offering free bread to children who
can’t afford to pay for lunch, according to a new survey on child
poverty.

A conference on child poverty last week heard that researchers
found some youngsters end the day “very hungry” or “starving”
because they don’t have the money for meals or want to save limited
resources for after-school activities.

The National Children’s Bureau, Save the Children Fund and the
Children’s Society commissioned a survey of 106 children about the
way in which poverty affects them. Two separate groups of children
mentioned being given bread at their primary school.

One child said of its primary school: “They give bread and they
have bread on the table. You can take it yourself. It’s free.”

The main message from the consultation exercise was that
children and young people can and want to contribute to finding
solutions to child poverty both at local and national level.

Barbara Hearn, an adviser with the children and young people’s
unit, said efforts were being made to involve children in national
policy making. She added that the government was committed to
meeting article 12 of the UN convention on the rights of the child
which stated that young people’s voices should be heard.

Bread is Free: Children and Young People Talk about
Poverty from 020 7278 8222.