Supported by BERA’s 2022/23 Small Grants Fund, this research project aimed to explore the growing use of food banks in schools as a means of increasing children’s engagement with learning and physical activity. In the context of a cost-of-living crisis and increased child poverty, the project investigated how food banks operate and the impact this has on children whose families use them. The objectives of the project were:

• To examine the views of teachers on the impact of food banks on the children they teach, in terms of engagement with learning and physical activity.
• To explore the advantages and disadvantages of having a food bank from the school’s point of view.
• To begin to evaluate the potential impact of food banks in schools as a means of alleviating child hunger and increasing children’s engagement with learning and physical activity.

Report summary

This project set out to explore the impact on children’s learning of the growing use of food banks and other free food provision for families in schools. Using interviews with leaders, teachers and other staff at a number of case study schools, we explored how the food banks operate, and the impact this has on children whose families use them. We found that staff thought there were important benefits for children’s learning in terms of concentration because they were no longer hungry, but there was no sense that there was an impact on physical activity. The greatest benefit according to the participants related to children’s wellbeing, as one source of family stress was removed, and they were enabled to take part in everyday childhood activities. There were other advantages for the schools, such as improving relationships with families. Disadvantages were few, other than the time and money that needed to be invested. Overall, this exploratory project has established that schools can have a highly significant role in reducing the impact of rising hunger among families (and poverty in general).