A West Clare teacher claims he’s hearing more reports of children coming to school hungry now, than ever before.
New research has found that more than half of teachers in Ireland see students arriving without breakfast very often.
To mark a decade of its Breakfast Clubs programme in Ireland, Kellogg’s has conducted a survey aimed at assessing the relationship schoolchildren have with the most important meal of the day.
The headline finding is that a staggering 58% of teachers surveyed say they encounter students coming to school without having had breakfast very often, while a further 42% say they see it often.
When it comes to the reasons for this, 42% of educators believe the cost of living crisis is having a major impact, with an additional 33% reporting a significant impact.
Assistant Principal at the CBS Primary School in Ennis, Colm Davoren, says in his experience, the problem is widespread and has far-reaching effects.
Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys announced as part of Budget 2025 that every primary school child in the country will receive a hot meal in the middle of the day next year.
Secondary schools aren’t eligible for the Hot School Meals Programme at present, but some DEIS schools can avail of it, such as St. Joseph’s Community College in Kilkee.
The school’s Principal, Agnes Hehir says it’s very beneficial to students and hopes it will be expanded to all schools in the future.
You can listen to the full interview here:
