Food Banks in Schools and Nurseries / Alice Bradbury, Sharon Vince.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Bradbury, Alice, author.

Vince, Sharon, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

School children--Food.

School children.

Food relief, British.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (183 pages)

Place of Publication:

Bristol : Policy Press, 2025.

Summary:

Available Open Access digitally under CC-BY-NC-ND licence.During the cost-of-living crisis, schools and nurseries have had to step beyond their educational purpose to offer free food to families through food banks. This book explores how these food banks operate, why families use them and how they affect children's participation and wellbeing. Drawing on case studies of 12 primary schools and early years settings across England, it examines the impact on family wellbeing, home-school relationships and staff. The authors argue that the situation will remain unsustainable if this welfare work continues to be unfunded and unrecognised, raising a significant question of who should and who can be responsible for alleviating child poverty.

Contents:

Front Cover

Food Banks in Schools and Nurseries: The Education Sector's Responses to the Cost-of-Living Crisis

Copyright Page

Dedication

Contents

Acknowledgements

One Why research food banks in schools and nurseries?

Introduction

Rationale for the research: the cost-.of-.living crisis

The education context

Primary schools from 2010 to the early 2020s

The early years sector

Theoretical tools

Policy sociology and enactment

Power and responsibilisation

The research studies

Case study schools and early years settings

Interviews Analysis of the two datasets

Ethical issues

Structure of the book

Two How have the cost-.of-.living crisis, Covid and austerity affected families and schools?

The relationships between poverty and education

The role of austerity

The impact of the Covid pandemic

Current policy challenges: funding and the cost-.of-.living crisis

Research on hunger, family stress and learning

Biosocial perspectives

The impact of hunger on learning and participation

The impact of family stress

Food bank research: the critique of neoliberal solutions to poverty Social interactions and food

The deserving/.undeserving poor trope

The withdrawal of the state and rise in governmentality

Critiques of the 'Good Samaritan' narrative

Conclusion

Three How do food banks in schools work, and how did they start?

How do food banks in schools work?

Sourcing food

Reduced donations due to the cost-.of-.living crisis

Distributing food

Identifying families in need of support

Ways of distributing food: choice and dignity

Non-.food provision

The 'green' agenda: cloaking poverty?

How did food banks in schools start? Conclusion

Four What is the impact of food banks on children and their families?

Impact on learning

Concentration and 'brain development'

Physical impacts and behaviour

Children's wellbeing

Social impacts

Impact on families

Family wellbeing

Deficit discourses about families

Impact on particular groups of families

Five Why do schools have food banks?

Home-.school relationships

Awareness of needs

Improved connections and trust

Difficulties in relationships

Moral justifications

Practical justifications Ease of access

Reducing stigma

Six Where is policy? Schools, responsibility and the withdrawal of the state

The wider policy context

Policy enactment, context and the policy vacuum on food insecurity

Accountability and the potential for growing disparities

The responsibilisation of schools

Notes on anti-poverty and food campaigners

Historical

Contemporary

References

Index.

Notes:

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.