Around half of those surveyed thought that between one and three children would go hungry and 13% were afraid up to six children would experience holiday hunger. According to the Felix Project this could equate to around 645,000 schoolchildren going without food over the summer.
The survey of nearly 10,000 teachers found 38% of teachers in the most deprived areas said four or more children in their class would go hungry compared to just 4% of teachers in more affluent areas.
Charlotte Hill, chief executive of The Felix Project, told the Daily Mirror: “That any child might experience hunger and not have access to enough nutritious food during the school holidays is heart-breaking. However, through these results we can see there are many teachers out there worried up to six children per class may be in this position – that’s beyond heart-breaking, that’s shameful for our society.
“We know the holidays are tough for parents and carers, when schools are closed and free school meals are unavailable, many struggle to cover the extra costs of feeding their children at home. Last summer thanks to funding from the Mayor of London, The Felix Project delivered the equivalent of 3.6 million meals to children and families in need across the capital and this year we will be providing this vital support all over again.”