Two young Birmingham brothers are being fed EVERY DAY by their school because of crippling poverty, as well a being handed PE kits, school uniforms and shoes.
The primary age boys also have no toys or books and no carpets at home, their clothes are stored in bin bags and they do not get breakfast before heading to school.
The siblings have also never been on holiday or spent days away from their housing estate.
The shocking case came after we revealed how some Birmingham pupils were while at school, to avoid going hungry at home.
The brothers鈥 story is included in a dossier compiled by head teachers in Erdington and Kingstanding as they lobby the Government to stop threatened cuts of up to 拢302 per pupil, per year, to their budgets.
Across Birmingham schools could lose 拢50 million per year by 2020 under the new 鈥榝airer funding鈥 formula which will redistribute money to other parts of the country.
Despite the poverty, the report says the older brother has achieved the average grades expected for a boy of his age because of the extra support given by the school.
This money often goes on the extra services - breakfast clubs, school trips - often the only chance many children get to see the countryside or a farm animal and the vital small group tuition to raise their education.
The case study of the brothers highlights the extent of child poverty in the city, where there are problems with unemployment, low pay, substance abuse and low attainment.
The report states: 鈥淭he challenges faced by some of our children, however, are so great that many resources have to be put in place to ensure they are ready and able to learn.鈥
It points out that the family may not be unusual and could be one of many facing such desperate poverty in the city.
鈥淢um can鈥檛 read and often struggles with many things,鈥 the report says. 鈥淭here are no carpets in her house and clothes are stored in bin bags.
鈥淓very day we give the two boys breakfast because they come to the school hungry. On Friday we give them extra lunch and send them home with a food parcel because we know they might not eat at the weekend.
鈥淭here are no toys or books at home. We buy them PE kits, school uniform including shoes, and pay for all school trips.
鈥淲e also spend time with the family trying to support them with establishing normal routines.
鈥淪chool is the one place mum trusts and the boys feel safe and happy. We also provide free holiday play schemes so that the children have somewhere to go in school holidays. The family continue to lurch between family support, social care and health support, but as is the case in many situations, resources are scarce.
鈥淣either of the boys have been on holiday or been out of the estate in which they live, so we make sure our school trips include the most basic of experiences - for example a trip to a forest, up a mountain, to a river, a farm, the seaside, a castle, the cinema.
鈥淚n addition to school trips, we provide lots of free after school clubs, including sports, arts and music because all children have the right to these experiences and joys. All of this support and lots of targeted intervention and high quality teaching meant that the oldest boy achieved his age related expected standards at age seven despite entering school significantly below the national average.
鈥淪urely this is what education must be about. School funding cuts will mean that many of these services and experiences will have to stop.
鈥淓ducation can bridge that gap and help to end poverty, but only if we are able to support and enable the whole child.鈥
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