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More than 1,600 pupils have been given free breakfasts to help them learn as one of the UK’s largest education workforce providers tackles the growing crisis of child hunger in classrooms.
Affinity Workforce delivered more than 8,500 breakfasts across four primary schools in England in January as part of its Before the Bell campaign, which aims to ensure no child is too hungry to learn.
Schools in Barnsley, Birmingham, Wirral and London received a week of free breakfast provision after the company surveyed its supply teachers and discovered that nearly 70% of children were experiencing hunger that affected their ability to learn.
The campaign was launched after research from Affinity Workforce revealed that almost one in three teachers see hungry children at the start of the school day every single day, with 59% saying hunger significantly affects pupils’ ability to learn in morning lessons and 70% saying it affects classroom behaviour.
Esme Bianchi-Barry, CEO of Affinity Workforce, said: “Our supply teachers work across hundreds of different schools, so they have a unique perspective on the scale of this problem. They told us that child hunger is not a localised issue, it is a nationwide crisis affecting learning and behaviour in classrooms across the country.
“We launched Before the Bell because we could not wait for someone else to act. In January, we provided over 8,500 breakfasts to more than 1,600 pupils at four schools in some of England’s most deprived areas. But one week is not enough. We are continuing to monitor the situation and working with our teachers and schools to do what we can to make sure that children aren’t going hungry and can get the most out of their education.”
The four schools selected were Laithes Primary School in Barnsley, Christ Church C of E Nursery and Primary School in Birmingham, Riverside Primary School in Wirral, and Julian’s Primary School in London. All serve communities facing significant deprivation, with Pupil Premium rates ranging from 56% to 58%.
Corinna Holden, Managing Director of Monarch Education, part of Affinity Workforce, said: “Because our supply teachers move between schools, they could see patterns that this was happening nationwide. We’re talking about the experience of more than 300 schools. This isn’t a localised problem, it’s a nationwide problem.
“One week at four schools won’t solve the problem, but it has highlighted to us the importance of pushing government to do more. We’re continuing with the campaign and this should be at the top of the agenda for government to make sure that children really get the most out of education.”
Affinity Workforce’s research found that more than a third of schools have no breakfast provision at all, with cost identified as the biggest barrier preventing children from accessing breakfast. Almost half of teachers said they now see more hungry children than when they first started teaching.
Following the launch of Before the Bell, the government announced that it will extend free school meals to all children in households on Universal Credit from September 2026, benefiting over 500,000 children, and fund breakfast clubs in schools across England.
Chris Carter, Regional Director for CER Education, part of Affinity Workforce, said: “It’s been great for our staff to do something different, to go and see the pupils and get involved in something so important that affects their learning. Supporting our drive to help reduce hunger in schools has been a fantastic opportunity for our teams across the country.”
Affinity Workforce provides temporary staff to schools, multi-academy trusts, colleges and training providers across the UK through its brands Affinity Partnerships, Career Teachers, CER Education, Monarch Education and The Protocol Group.
