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Desperate children in parts of Birmingham are filling their pockets with food at school on Fridays to avoid starving over the weekend, a city head teacher has revealed.

Problems faced by children growing up in poverty in Kingstanding and Erdington are highlighted in a report by seven school head teachers in a warning to Government over threatened cuts in funding of up to £302 per pupil per year.

The report states some children in the area:

• Grow up without books or toys at home, their clothes stored in bin bags

• Face family problems like substance abuse

• Have poor written and spoken English

• Arrive at school without breakfast

• Only leave their estate when they go on school trips to a forest, farm or castle

• Only ever get a proper meal at school

(Image: Birmingham Mail)

Helen Slack, the headteacher of Twickenham Primary School in Kingstanding, said the school opens early to give youngsters a free breakfast, offers hard up families help with uniform costs, food parcels and school trips.

She said: “The projection is that our school will be £80,000 a year worse off by 2020. But we have huge challenges with many families living in real poverty.

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“We have children filling their pockets with food on Fridays because they may not get a substantial meal all weekend. We’ve given food parcels to families, that can’t be right in the 21st Century.”

The school provides support for families.

(Image: PA)

“We open half-an-hour earlier to give them a free breakfast, provide uniforms, trips, music lessons, sports for free. We offer support to families, the school is a real hub in the community.”

Also at risk as a result of proposed cuts are the personalised learning, small group teaching and extra support offered to some children to help them catch up.

“They come here performing way below the national average and leave here above. Education is the one chance they have of getting out of poverty. All that is at risk,” she warned.

A survey of schools in the area revealed that many face severe issues looking after and educating children from deprived backgrounds - many without toys or books at home, from chaotic backgrounds where there are huge problems with substance abuse, some with special needs, poor English skills and some whose only square meals are provided at school.

During the era of austerity schools have maintained their funding - but this is in effect a cut as costs, including wages, supplies and repairs, are rising rapidly.

Seven head teachers have backed the report which outlines the problems they are facing and were taken by Erdington MP Jack Dromey to raise their concerns with schools minister Nick Gibb earlier this year. They will also meet shadow Education Secretary Angela Rayner at Birmingham Council House on Friday, November 10.

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They are Michelle Gay of Osborne Primary, Vicky Nussey of Paget Primary, Jon Smart of Brookvale Primary, Julie Anne Tallon of Abbey RC Primary, Helen Hastilow of Slade Primary, Anna Stevenson of Birches Green Infants and Helen Slack of Twickenham Primary. They expect to lose sums of between £76 and £302 per pupil if the cuts go ahead.

The teachers are frustrated that under the Government’s fairer funding policy resources are being taken away from places like Birmingham and shared to schools in the shire counties. They argue that if those schools are underfunded they should be given more money without cutting funding to schools in cities.

Labour MP Jack Dromey said that dedicated teachers and school staff are passionate about transforming lives of children - but their ability to do so will be impacted.

He said: “It is nothing short of tragic now to see the damage being done to the life chances of a whole generation by cuts to school budgets. This is the first generation growing up since the War with worse prospects than their mums and dads.”

(Image: Twitter)

Profile of year six at one of the schools:

63% disadvantaged compared to 25% nationally

54% with English as an additional language (EAL) compared to 20% nationally

29% SEND compared to 12% nationally

13% close to permanent exclusion

53% had been at the school since Y3 and 25% arrived in year four

13% arrived new in year six and 8% of those were new to the UK

33% had significant family difficulties

79% had significant social, emotional and family issues

4% with a life threatening medical condition

20% with a diagnosis of autism.

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