Lee MacDonald on Gateway 97.8

Feeling irritable when hungry is not an unfamiliar concept to most adults or a problem that can’t be easily fixed with a quick sandwich. However, for children, who lack the emotional maturity to differentiate between hunger and anger, the problem can easily escalate and begin to negatively affect other areas of their lives.

Concerning figures released today by Kellogg’s – to mark the launch of the Breakfast Club Awards – show more than a quarter of children (27%) in Britain’s classrooms are lashing out at other pupils due to hunger. Over a third (39%) of British teachers have witnessed violent behaviour such as hitting or scratching from children they suspect to be hungry in the classroom.

What’s more, the majority (84%) of teachers surveyed say they have experienced a child arriving to school hungry, with more than a third (36%) saying they have bought snacks into school to combat the issue during class.

Around one in eight (12%) teachers have been personally attacked by a hungry pupil and around two in five (44%) having witnessed children being tearful or visibly upset to due to hunger. It’s perhaps unsurprising that 83% of teachers believe hunger had a direct impact of hunger on a child’s behaviour.

Aston spoke to Lee MacDonald, TV Actor and Grange Hill star and Peter Cansell from the National Association for Primary Education (NAPE) to discuss how schools can enter the Breakfast Club Awards.