Students whose families used food banks during the pandemic received lower GCSE grades, almost half a grade per subject, than would be expected, according to a new report.
Researchers warned that the “post-pandemic cost-of-living pressures” are likely to impact affected students’ grades “given the seeming link between food insecurity and performance in exams”.
The study shows that students living in households with adults with not enough to eat had lower GCSE scores - about 3.5 grades less across their best 8 subjects - than peers with similar characteristics and the same baseline educational attainment at key stage 2.
The findings come from the Covid Social Mobility and Opportunities (Cosmo) study, which is tracking the lives of nearly 13,000 students in England who are taking A-level exams and other qualifications this summer.
The study - led by the University College London’s Centre for Education Policy and Equalising Opportunities, the UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies and the Sutton Trust - questioned 12,828 students aged 16 and 17 (and 9,330 of their parents) between October 2021 and April 2022.
It found that the majority (57 per cent) of households where children went hungry were not eligible for free school meals (FSM) during that time, and 36 per cent of families using food banks were not eligible for FSM.
Currently, households in England receiving universal credit must earn below £7,400 a year before benefits and after tax to qualify for FSM.
The findings emphasise the link between food insecurity, mental health and grades, researchers said, adding that they also raise concerns about the long-term impacts of the cost-of-living crisis on young people’s mental health and attainment.
Negative financial experiences during the pandemic were also linked to the poor mental health of young people and their parents, the research found.
The pandemic coincided with a critical period in the schooling of the Cosmo cohort, who were in the first year of their GCSEs at the time of the first lockdown. In an earlier Cosmo briefing on education recovery and catch-up, over a third (36 per cent) of students said that they had fallen behind their classmates as a result of the disruption caused by Covid.
The study found that living in a household that had used a food bank long term, and who used a food bank before and during the pandemic, is a key indicator of poor GCSE scores. Being from a long-term food bank user household on its own is linked with about 18 grades lower in KS4 performance, more than 2 grades per subject.
The study also found that perceived progress at school relative to classmates is strongly associated with parental perceptions of how well they were managing financially. Students living in households where a parent or carer indicated that they were “living comfortably” were considerably less likely to view themselves as having fallen behind (24 per cent) compared to those whose families were “finding it very difficult” (51 per cent).
Rates of poor mental health were particularly high for those whose financial situation has worsened since the pandemic. Nearly two-thirds (63 per cent) of parents and over half (53 per cent) of students who started using foodbanks during the pandemic reported poor mental health, compared to 33 per cent of parents and 41 per cent of young people who had not.
Overall, 39 per cent of households reported a worse financial situation than before the pandemic, with just 16 per cent reporting that their finances had improved. Those reporting a worsening financial situation were most likely to have had fewer resources before the pandemic.
‘No young people should be going hungry’
Dr Jake Anders, associate professor, deputy director of the UCL Centre for Education Policy and Equalising Opportunities and Cosmo’s principal investigator, said: “The mental health and life chances of young people and their parents are being dramatically affected by post-pandemic cost-of-living pressures. And these impacts are likely to be long-lasting, given the seeming link between food insecurity and performance in exams.
“That so many are food insecure but would not be considered eligible for FSM under current rules suggests that the eligibility criteria are in need of urgent review. No young people should be going hungry, especially if this has the potential for serious long-term impacts.”
Sir Peter Lampl, founder and chair of the Sutton Trust and chair of the Education Endowment Foundation, said the link between financial insecurity, mental health and academic attainment is “very concerning”.
He said: “Unless action is taken, there is likely to be a worsening of mental health, which will affect a whole generation. The government should review financial support for families and boost investment in schools so that vulnerable children are not left behind.”
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the NAHT school leaders’ union, said the report mirrors what headteachers have been saying, “that there has been a significant increase in both poverty and anxiety and mental health issues since the start of the pandemic.”
Mr Whiteman said the cost-of-living crisis, in particular, has had a big impact on students and families. He said: “It is frankly shameful that in one of the world’s richest countries, schools are having to set up foodbanks and warm hubs, offer the use of showers and washing machines, and fundraise to extend FSM - all things our members have told us they are having to do.
“The government needs to do far more to break down the barriers to pupil learning caused by poverty. Targeted measures like extending FSM to all pupils in households in receipt of universal credit would make a real difference, but there is a wide range of factors that affect pupil outcomes that go well beyond the classroom, and support is needed for families beyond the school gates, too.”
The Department for Education has been approached for comment.
