Scottish teachers have reported a huge increase in the number of pupils going to school hungry.
In poorer areas of the country, it’s as high as 40 per cent.
To say this is unacceptable in modern Scotland is an understatement.
It is heartbreaking to think of thousands of children sitting in classes everyday feeling hungry.
It means they are unable to focus on their work and could ultimately mean they fail to realise their potential.
As Manchester United star Marcus Rashford, who has campaigned in England for free school meal vouchers, says: “No child can engage and sustain concentration on an empty stomach.”
The situation could get much worse when the job retention scheme comes to an end.
Thousands of families face hardship because of the Tories’ unwillingness to extend the furlough period.
Teachers fear, with good reason, that even greater numbers of children will begin the school day without breakfast.
So schemes like Silence the Rumble make a huge difference.
They help children from disadvantaged backgrounds start the day on the front foot.
And as the breakfasts they supply are available for all, they don’t stigmatise pupils from poorer backgrounds.
But just like the explosion of foodbanks, it is a tragedy that these sort of schemes are needed at all.
