Covid crisis reveals how schools are ’propping up a failing welfare state’

The pandemic has shown the extent to which families rely on schools for 'basic needs' such as access to an adequate supply of food and help in accessing other support services, highlights new UCL research. The briefing report, published today, includes in-depth interviews from 50 parents and staff across seven schools around England and found that schools serving populations with high levels of poverty shouldered a significantly higher burden in addressing problems relating to food insecurity and housing. The schools were located in parts of the country that had experienced higher or lower prevalence of Covid from March 2020 to March 2021 and varied in the number of pupils on Free School Meals (FSM) in relation to the national average. Due to pressures linked to the pandemic, the research found that more families turned to schools as an important source of support. Among the issues schools reported dealing with included: children in need of food and clothing; families living in inadequate housing with inadequate space and resources to maintain learning at home; families with limited digital connectivity; individual pupils facing mental health crises and children experiencing difficult domestic circumstances, including domestic violence. Co-author, Professor Gemma Moss (UCL Institute of Education) said: "We know Covid-19 has directly and indirectly affected schools and families in very different ways. Communities where children were already living in poverty but also those where families suddenly faced new financial distress due to COVID have been very badly hit.