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As temperatures begin dropping rapidly, teachers have asked Brits to spare a thought for the shivering schoolchildren who don't own winter coats.

As Christmas looms ever nearer, children from disadvantaged backgrounds are going without coats, hats, scarves and gloves in the thick of winter.

Several dedicated primary school teachers in Essex have revealed the shocking number of children coming into school every day without coats and other vital winter clothing to keep them warm, reports Essex Live .

For safeguarding reasons, we have kept the names and schools of teachers we spoke to anonymous.

"They ask to stay inside"

One teacher said it was one of the first things to shock them most when they began their teaching career.

"They will come in school uniform and that is it. We can't say a lot to them, except 'you should be wearing a coat to school now'," they said.

(Image: Getty Images/Westend61)

"There's nothing really we can do except we can give them a spare jumper from lost property."

"It's sad and it's not right. Especially at the moment when you think of how cold it is. It's more kids than you think, I would say it's a third of the class.

"They come in and say they are cold or ask if they can stay inside."

It's not just coats which are the problem though. Children are also going without PE kits, shoes and clean, fitted clothing.

"Their PE kit is just jogging bottoms and a top which is £4 from George or Primark.

"They do not have that but then they come in with the latest gadgets. The value is just put on different things.

"We had one boy who used to come in infested with nits and he was not cleaning - he was grubby and unclean."

(Image: AFP/Getty Images)

"I feel helpless"

This isn't just happening in one school in Essex.

Another teacher we spoke to said she sees a shocking number of children who come in without a coat, and often too they go without breakfast.

"You just feel sorry for them really, you think they are coming into school without basic things that every child should have," they said.

"We go out at break time and stand out there freezing and they come in without a coat. I can't imagine what they are feeling but there's nothing we can do.

"I feel quite helpless. We do not have spare coats at school, we could provide them obviously.

"If there was a coat in lost property, we can try and suggest that but sometimes they can be quite embarrassed by that."

According to this teacher, this is a theme across all year groups in primary schools.

They added: "Most children have a shirt for every day of the week but these children constantly come in dirty, wearing shirt from the day before, their hair isn't done nicely.

"It's so obvious the children who have time spent on them in the morning and their hair is done nicely and the others have their shoved in a pony tail and it's not washed."

(Image: Getty Images)

'Families just can't afford them'

Another teacher from an Essex school has encountered similar problems.

They said: "I have a few children at the moment who don't wear a coat.

"You tell them that they need to bring in a coat and they say 'I don't like wearing my coat', but it can be an indication that they can't get a new one.

"I wouldn't say it's very frequent but I have seen a few cases.

"Sometimes they can look cold but we wouldn't let them get too cold. If there were any spare coats in lost property then I’d lend them one of those or bring them inside."

PE kits are also a problem in this teacher's school.

"With school uniforms you can use hand-me downs so you wouldn't notice as much. But you have children not having the actual school PE kit and wearing their own," they said.

"Or shoes wear through, they go through them so quickly. You notice the children who are making shoes last until they are completely falling apart."

"Families just can't afford to buy them"

(Image: Getty Images)

'I keep a spare coat in my cupboard'

Another teacher who has worked with children in year two - ages six and seven - for several years said that for many parents, buying a coat just isn't possible.

They said: "You ask where their coat is and they say 'My mum forgot to give it to me' and then the next day they don't have it, and the next and then you realise they don't have one.

"I have a spare coat in my cupboard and I say 'Don't worry, you can have that.'

"A lot of the time they just use that coat.

"It's the simple necessary things and some families just can't afford to buy them. They find it really embarrassing, it's really sad."

The Mirror reported the findings of a poll of 1,026 teachers in England last year which highlighted how poverty is affecting young pupils.

More than six out 10 teachers in the poll said there were more families who can't afford adequate winter clothing or shoes compared to three years ago.

Another 40 per cent added that the schools provide extra items for children and their hard-up families.

Diane Green, the Barnardo’s area business manager, said: “Our shops across Essex are selling good quality children’s coats, jumpers and winter warmers.

"Not only does the money raised from the sale of these items fund our work with disadvantaged children in the area, but our shops also give local families the opportunity to buy vital warm clothes and accessories at an affordable price."

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