(Image: Jane Barlow/PA Wire)
Teachers in Scotland are witnessing rising levels of poverty in their classrooms but have little confidence ministers can meet the country’s child poverty targets, new polling suggests.
A survey commissioned by children’s charity Magic Breakfast found almost three quarters of teachers have seen an increase in the number of children affected by poverty-related challenges such as hunger, financial stress and a lack of resources over the last decade.
First Minister John Swinney has said his government’s core mission is to eradicate child poverty.
However, the findings raise fresh doubts over whether the Scottish Government can meet its targets to reduce relative child poverty to under 10% and absolute to under 5% by 2030.
An estimated 21% of children in Scotland live in relative poverty.
The poll, conducted by Survation, of 316 primary and secondary school teachers found 74% had seen a rise in the number of children affected by poverty-related challenges since 2016.
More than four in 10 (41%) said it was “major” increase, while just 9% reported a decrease.
Just 34% of teachers have confidence in the Scottish Government to meet its ambitious poverty targets, which were set in 2017 following a vote in the Scottish Parliament.
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Evidence has repeatedly suggested that Scotland is on course to miss its legally binding targets, with a recent report by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation stating existing anti-poverty measures by the Scottish Government “will not deliver the scale of changes needed to shift the dial”.
The polling also revealed strong support among teachers for the Scottish Government’s commitment to provide breakfast clubs in all primary and special schools by August 2027, with 82% stating ministers must deliver on the pledge which was reaffirmed in the Programme for Government last month.
Campaigners argue universal breakfast provision could play an important role in tackling the effects of poverty by ensuring children start the school day fed and ready to learn while easing pressure on family budgets.
Magic Breakfast chief executive Dr Lindsey MacDonald said the findings reflected what schools were experiencing across the country.
"This polling underlines the issues Magic Breakfast hears about from schools every day," she said.
"We're therefore not surprised and very much heartened by the fact that teachers in Scotland agree that it is vital that school breakfasts are delivered by the Government in the timeframe they promised.
"They are an evidence-based intervention that alleviates the impact of poverty on children's lives and life chances."
The charity said the breakfast clubs commitment forms part of the next phase of measures intended to help Scotland meet its child poverty targets, which fall due during the next Scottish Parliament.
Official figures suggest fewer than half of Scottish schools currently have access to breakfast provision.
Dr MacDonald said teachers' experiences highlighted the need for ministers to deliver anti-poverty commitments in full.
"Teachers are the professionals who spend the most time with our children and young people; it's vital we listen to their experiences from classrooms across the country," she said.
"We commend the First Minister John Swinney for declaring the eradication of child poverty is the central mission of his Government.
"Programmes like school breakfast provision that offer childcare to enable families back into work and support children living in food insecure households will be vital if the Scottish Government is to meet its promise to children living in poverty."
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: "Eradicating child poverty is the Scottish Government's defining mission. While our policies are estimated to keep around 100,000 children out of poverty this year, we know there is more to do. Whole family support is central to that ambition, combining action to strengthen support now, such as our £20 million Whole Family Support Third Sector Delivery Fund, with a long-term focus on poverty prevention.
"Programme for Government set out our plans to transform childcare, including by investing a further £44 million in Breakfast Clubs from August 2027 as we know they have many positive impacts for pupils and families – giving children a healthy start to the day, helping them engage and learn in class, allowing earlier drop-off for parents and carers, and easing pressure on family budgets.
"These build on progress already underway through the Scottish Child Payment, providing unparalleled financial support to over 320,000 children. Our Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan sets out how we will go further, including a national breakfast club offer and over £40 million to improve parents' access to transport and skills."