How can governors help with the cost-of-living crisis?

A recent article in the Times Education Supplement, (tes) discussed how one chair of governors at an infant and a junior school, who is also a governor in a primary school and a trustee director at a large multi-academy trust approached the issue of supporting children and families during the cost-of-living crisis.

It notes that while the chief responsibility of those in governance is setting the strategic direction of the school so it delivers the best education and life chances for all pupils, if children are coming to school hungry, cold and worried, they will not be ready to learn.

The article suggests that governors need to be assured that school leaders are picking up on the signs of families suffering from the cost-of-living crisis and sharing with governors how the school can help. Governors can make a point of asking leaders at least termly about any support that is being provided for families. This can be through direct questions or asking questions about the information that leaders provide, taking care not to directly identify any children or families during discussions.

What can governors ask?

• How many pupils are affected by the cost-of-living crisis in our school?
• Is this situation likely to get worse?
• What are we currently doing to help?
• What more could we do?
• How are children attracting pupil premium funding being supported?
• How are families who used to receive benefits and now no longer do and yet could still be struggling being supported?

What have schools been doing to help?

• Clothing initiatives around second hand school uniform
• Food initiatives
• Making sure that children have their own pens, colouring pencils and crayons at home or a book of their own
• Encourage staff to discreetly give what is needed while never sharing the identities of those children
• Set up coat banks where pre-loved or even new coats can be donated
• Signpost parents to charities and organisations that can offer financial advice and support – Citizens Advice, for example
• Reach out to businesses in their communities, such as supermarkets, and receive funding for coat bank initiatives and food for food banks and breakfast clubs. Governors can help here by using their community connections to facilitate introductions.

Whilst school budgets are of course under pressure, the article makes the point that “those of us who have stepped up to serve our schools and their communities have to think hard, act where we can and work closely with school leaders to ensure that crisis-hit families aren’t left to suffer alone”.