'We all deserve magic': Meet the teachers working to bring Christmas joy to children in poverty

Winter is upon us once again, and the holiday season with it. As many begin planning their extravagant Christmas dinners, or wandering the shops for presents to be opened on Christmas morning, millions of families feel an ache of anxiety when they consider the expectations of their children that will go unmet throughout December.

Newly published data shows that 5.2 million children in the UK – 36% of all the children in the country – are living in poverty right now. While the government has announced a child poverty taskforce to evaluate the scale of the problem, no extra help is expected during the last month of 2024, leaving parents at a loss for how they will give their children a magical two weeks off over the Christmas holidays.

• ‘It can’t stay like this’: Meet the North East families fighting child poverty by themselves
• Poverty has become everyday. It’s time to give our children some hope

Schools, in many ways, are at the forefront of the cost of living crisis, witnessing first-hand the impact of poverty on families. They might not be able to directly influence national policy, but they can alleviate hardship and support the children and carers under their umbrella.

“The impacts of child poverty can seem even more devastating for those in need during the holiday season,” Russell Hobby, CEO of Teach First, an education charity that equips teachers and school leaders in some of the poorest areas of the country, told Big Issue. “Schools serving communities facing significant levels of deprivation will be privy to the hardship these communities face “

He said schools step up admirably and dedicate their limited resources and time to arrange festive activities, presents and experiences for pupils and their families who might otherwise go without.

“This support isn’t charity, it’s a helping hand coming from within the community itself, from those that thoroughly understand its challenges, because they are experiencing them also,” he said.

And he’s right. School staff all over the UK are gearing up to make this holiday season special for children and their families – no matter their income.

“Our school is in the most deprived areas in Coventry, and one of the most deprived areas in the country,” Danielle Kingham, headteacher at St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School, told Big Issue.

The school, which Kingham has been at for seven years, has a mix of working families and those on benefits.

“Families we really try to support are those working families who have just tipped over the line for any additional support,” she said. “They aren’t earning much money. It’s really hard for them. Then we have a lot of families who are new to the country that have no access to public funds.”

Kingham said that staff at the school are “amazing” and see working there as a vocation.

“You wouldn’t work here if you didn’t really love it,” she said. “They are really tuned in to the needs of the children.”

And because of this, the entire staff are hugely aware of the difference they can make to families leading up to the holidays.

“We’ll make sure to give them the best time over the next few weeks,” she said.

The celebrations kick off with the start of advent, when all the classes make Christmas decorations.

Teachers then stay on after school to make a Santa’s grotto in one of the classrooms.

“We buy a selection box for each child, out of the school money or donation, and wrap it up, and then they all get to visit Father Christmas in the grotto,” she said. “A couple of years ago, one of the girls said to Father Christmas that she wanted warm socks.”

All the while, teachers make donations for food hampers to be delivered to the homes of the families most in need.

“They can go to food banks, but you never get the nicest things,” she said. “Staff and their families also buy and donate toys.”

The little girl who asked for warm socks had them in one of the hampers, much to her delight.

Every activity they plan is donation only – no child is excluded when they can’t pay for the pantomime or concerts. And on a chosen day, staff and children sit together to enjoy a proper Christmas dinner, with crackers and all.

“Everybody is always really thankful,” she said. “You see what a difference you can make to people’s lives.”

Emma Humphries is a Year 2 teacher in Plymouth, in a school central to a council estate.

Instead of charging parents to see their children perform at the Christmas show, her school makes it clear that families don’t need to pay a thing.

“It’s a time to show off the children and the main aim is to spread joy and happiness, not make money,” she told Big Issue.

She said that costumes for the show can often “be quite pricey” for parents, so the school ensures there are costumes available at the school.

“Sometimes we ask parents to provide their child with leggings and tops to go under their costumes, but we always ensure this is something they will already have at home,” she said.

One year, Humphries remembered planning a special viewing of The Polar Express in her classroom.

“It’s a really special Christmas film which really highlights that Christmas is not just about presents – it’s about the magic and love that surrounds us,” she said. “The children loved this so much and really enjoyed the polar express bells and tickets I bought for them to take home. I did not mind funding this myself as I believe the film has a truly lovely message and all children deserve some Christmas magic.”

Faith [name changed], a Year 2 teacher in south Bristol, and all the other teachers in her school stay on after work on 30 November each year to decorate the school for December’s festivities. There is quite a mix of families in the school – some from very deprived backgrounds, others that have a more secure financial situation.

“We transform the classrooms, have music playing, and every class has a Christmas tree,” she told Big Issue. “For some kids, it’s the only Christmas tree they’ll get.”

None of the teachers begrudge working late.

“We all collectively share decorations we’ve bought with our own money,” she said. “We say that Santa’s elves have come to decorate for the children. It’s a wow, special moment.”

The trees they used to decorate are then donated to families who still need one for Christmas day.

All the children get two small presents. One from Santa, who visits the school each year, and one directly from the school.

“Father Christmas is a man named Bill,” she said. “He used to be a governor. He visits each class. We start off with the bells, and the children get so excited. It’s not something all families can afford to do. It’s a magical day.”

On Christmas Jumper Day, the school keeps a stock of spare jumpers so that every child can be included, and not feel different than anyone else.

“All of our Christmas events are free,” she said. “The head teacher feels school events like this should be inclusive for everyone. We ask for donations, but it’s just children standing with buckets at the end of performances. It’s a complete option. The performances are about the children and families, not about making money for the school.”

The pastoral team at the school is prepped to give out as many food bank vouchers as necessary to support families who depend on free school meals over the holidays.

“It’s such a privilege to be part of so many children’s Christmases,” she said. “We’re really lucky. These are core memories for children, and we get to help provide them. The children really bring out the magic for us as well.”

Hundreds of schools all over the UK do their very best to make it a magical time of year, but they’re also working tirelessly all year to educate and provide for their most vulnerable pupils.

“Although, we should be incredibly proud of the people in schools who step up, we should also be clear that they shouldn’t have to,” Hobby concluded. “It should not fall to schools to solve these problems [poverty] alone – this is a challenge for society to ensure young people are not growing up in poverty. We welcome education policy makers to take note of this work, which could benefit hugely from targeted funding so they can continue ensuring all their pupils and have everything they need to thrive.”

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