A Gateshead deputy headteacher is shining a light on the impact of health inequality on her pupils – and how “you can’t do you your work if you’re hungry”.
Beverley McCallion is highlighting how inequality, poor housing and high food prices were among issues leading pupils to head for school in some cases without a good night’s sleep or breakfast. Beverley is deputy head at Bede Community Primary in Old Fold Road. and has contributed a moving “mile in my shoes” account of her day as part of a new campaign by the Health Equals coalition, which is working to eradicate inequality that hits health around the UK.
Beverley’s story highlights how housing, food poverty and even racism can have a shocking impact on the health and wellbeing of her pupils – but that at her school, staff see it as their job to “advocate for our families” and “listen to our children”.
Speaking to ChronicleLive, she said Bede was somewhere she had where she had “began to love teaching again”. She has been there since September 2003, a time when she had become disillusioned with the “data-driven” attitude to education she had previously experienced.
Beverley said: “I became the deputy head here around 15 years ago and the head Nick Anderson, myself and the school team have continued to build a school that is very much at the heart of the community and strives very much to work in partnership with the families to bring about the best experiences and results for the children and the at times.
“Whilst here, I have always felt that the work we do matters and that we do make a difference to people’s lives. hence my not leaving, and hence being involved with Pattinson House and, of late, the A Mile in Our Shoes campaign. Anything that can help those who are underserved to feel like they have a voice, are heard and are important to society is worth taking part in.”
Pattinson House is part of the Edberts House community organisation – Edberts works to support communities with their health and wellbeing. Beverley’s story discusses how sometimes pupils will head to her office and say they’ve not had breakfast.
She explains: “Our aim is always, what do we need to do in order to make this a safe and happy place where learning can take place. Because we believe very strongly that learning can’t take place unless you’re able to concentrate on it and your mind is able to concentrate. But you can’t do your work if you’re hungry.
“There will very often be children who come to school and by half past nine they’ll come to my office and say, ‘I’m hungry miss, I didn’t have any breakfast this morning.’ Now we do run a breakfast club but not everybody goes to it, it’s free, so anybody can go.
“But it might well be that they got up early in the morning, that there wasn’t someone to get them up, they’ve come to school on their own. So, they come to school feeling hungry, but they know they can come in and say that and we’ll go and get some toast, we’ll get them a drink. And then they’re set to do their lessons.”
She explained that the area was “probably highest in the list of all the things you wouldn’t want to be highest for” when it comes to poor health or crime, for example – but added: “It is one of the loveliest places with the nicest people – [with] big hearts. They don’t have a lot in terms of finances, but they will give.”
Beverley’s contribution to the campaign also features detail of how working with organisations like Feeding Families was a way in which the school helps to support its community. She also said that good housing was an essential “building block”.
The deputy headteacher added: “We now work with an organisation called Feeding Families and they provide us with a week’s worth of groceries. They’re really brilliant, the box might be vegetarian, it might be halal. It’s taken away the shame of having to go to a food bank. Because they trust us as professionals to give those boxes to the people who need them.
“There needs to be an acceptance that these aren’t bad people. It’s not their fault that they’re in these situations. That they deserve a living wage. They deserve enough to be able to live on and not to be punished.
“Quite often you get into a cycle that you’ve, you know, you’ve missed a month’s rent for whatever and then – then you’re threatened with eviction and the cycle goes on and on.”
Heartbreakingly, Beverley also recalled how advocating for families in horrendous circumstances. She recalled how one family had faced “racist bullying” – not at school but within the community – and by speaking up for them, the school’s team had helped them to be successfully rehoused.
She added: “We knew it was necessary. Because for that child and the family, they were scared to come to school because they were frightened of coming out of their house. Eventually they were rehoused, and it’s got a very happy ending.
“And I think in a lot of places they probably would have said, ‘That’s not our job’ – because it’s not – however, we do think it’s our job, so we advocate for our families. We listen to our children, and we give a lot of time to that.”
To find out more about the Mile in My Shoes campaign and listen to Beverley’s story – click here.
Join our Breaking News and Top Stories WhatsApp community for all the latest news direct to your phone.
To join you need to have WhatsApp on your device. All you need to do is choose which community you want to join, click on the link and press ‘join community’.
No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the ChronicleLive team.
We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners.
If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose ‘exit group’.
If you’re curious, you can read our privacy notice.
CLICK HERE TO JOIN