School deputy head teacher runs ‘hidden’ food bank from his office for staff and students

Sat amongst shelves of food, typing emails and completing mountains of paperwork in a rare quiet moment inside his office is deputy head Andrew Carter.

“This is our school food bank, it’s always been popular but demand for it has snowballed and it's only going to get worse,” said Mr Carter.

Sandal Castle VA Community Primary School’s food bank is housed inside Mr Carter’s office.

He said: “We could put the food in a different room and have a dedicated space but people don’t want others to know they’re using a food bank.

“It’s a case of if you need it, you take it.”

Mr Carter’s office also acts as a meeting room, a safe space for families as well as becoming a stockroom for free toiletries and other essentials too.

The father-of-one - who helps to manage the complex state school of over 600 pupils in the suburbs of Wakefield - has chosen to have an “open door policy.”

Mr Carter said: “All our families are just humans and people from all backgrounds are needing it at the moment.”

Staff at the school started the food bank six years ago to serve families in the school who needed extra support.

Mr Carter said: “Anyone can come in on a trust basis and grab what they need. We also deliver food parcels to some families who would otherwise struggle to get food.

“We did this a lot during the Pandemic, but it’s only going to get busier.”

Some people struggle with mobility others would rather starve than face the perceived stigma of using such a vital service.

“This is discreet and open for anyone”, he explained.

“You could be coming into my office for a number of reasons, nobody has to know. I don’t keep a record.”

Mr Carter added that many families need the support but won’t seek help to get food vouchers or quite meet the threshold of a standard food bank.

“There’s no form filling or limited amount of uses, we’ve tried to remove any barriers so people can just get what they need when they drop their kids off or pick them up.”

He said staff at the school have continued to stock the food bank over the years but now some of them need it too.

Lower paid staff such as teaching assistants and catering staff are particularly struggling.

As a result, schools are struggling to retain and recruit people into the profession.

Education leaders who are members of Wakefield Schools forums warned this week that such staff would rather work at McDonald’s than in schools due to poor levels of pay.

Mr Carter said: “These people are helping to support our next generation and we are not valuing them enough.”

While Mr Carter can’t control salaries, he and other teachers at the school are doing their best to support the people they serve.

He said: “But one of the challenges we face is that it is purely stocked by staff. As staff struggle too, it is hard for them to stock our food bank.”

Mr Carter said that families were asking for an increasing amount of essentials as they struggle to make ends meet.

“We’ve also added pet food to our offering as pets are part of the family too. As well as baby supplies and toiletries.”

“We’re in tough times.”

The support doesn’t just stop there.

Staff have a continuous supply of snacks to hand as well as free breakfasts for those children who haven’t eaten.

The school is currently doing a harvest collection which they would normally donate to another organisation.

However, as the school has become a one-stop-shop for those in need within their community, they expect to instead resupply the goods between people linked to the school.

“We’re in tough times. Sadly it’s only going to get tougher over the next few months,” said Mr Carter.