ONE in four teachers brought in food for hungry children during the summer term, a survey has revealed.

Anti-food waste charity FareShare’s poll found the figure rose to 31 per cent in deprived areas.

It said the cost-of-living crisis has led to many schools switching from breakfast clubs to passing food on to parents via food banks and other support services.

George Wright, chief executive of FareShare, said increased financial pressures on parents has seen its edible surplus food supplies fail to meet “skyrocketing demands” this summer.

He said: “Teachers across the country feel they have no choice but to step in to help hungry children.

“Our teachers should be teaching, not forced to fill the gap because the government stands by and allows this to happen. All the while food goes to waste on farms, food that could be going to the millions of children and families facing food insecurity.

“A new school term will undoubtedly bring huge demand for our services. We need to see the government act urgently and show that it takes tackling hunger seriously.”

Teaching union NEU said its surveys had found the majority of teachers are now providing free breakfasts and extra food for pupils during the day, either personally or through their schools.

Joint general secretary Kevin Courtney said: “There is overwhelming support for free school meals for all primary pupils. It would be a positive step in the right direction.”

James Bowen, assistant general secretary for school leaders’ union NAHT, said: “Targeted measures like extending free school meals to all pupils in households in receipt of universal credit would make a real difference, but the government also needs to provide more support for families beyond the school gates and address the root causes of shameful levels of child poverty.”

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “Following a decade of austerity, a pandemic and a cost-of-living crisis that have left a large number of families struggling to cope, schools are fighting an uphill struggle.”

FareShare is calling on the government to provide a £25 million grant which would allow it to redistribute an extra 100 million meals to vulnerable families.

A government spokeswoman said more than a third of pupils in England now receive free school meals in education settings, compared with one in six in 2010.