More than a third of primary school pupils have a classmate who sometimes does not have enough food to eat, and over a quarter report sharing food with friends several times a month, according to a new poll. Research agency Survation polled 1,500 children and 1,500 adults on behalf of the National Education Union and its campaign, which seeks among other things the extension of universal free school meals to all primary pupils. Of the children polled, 37 per cent said they knew someone at school who 鈥渟ometimes does not have enough food to eat at lunch鈥�. Asked how often they had to share food with someone at school because they did not have enough money, 21 per cent said they did so two to three times a month, while 7 per cent said they did so at least four times a month. Prime minister Rishi Sunak claimed earlier this month that the cost of living crisis was 鈥渟tarting to ease鈥�, as government prepared to give a final 拢299 support payment to eight million people on means-tested benefits. Inflation has fallen from its peak in 2022, but remains at 4 per cent, and food price inflation is higher, at around 7 per cent. According to the Child Poverty Action Group, 29 per cent of all UK children live in poverty. The NEU鈥檚 polling found 56 per cent of parents said they were 鈥渏ust about managing and have had to cut back on expenses鈥�, while 14 per cent said they were 鈥渟truggling to afford basic needs鈥�. Four per cent reported having to go without basic needs or relying on borrowing. School lunch debt and smaller lunchboxes Thirty-six per cent reported cutting back on children鈥檚 out-of-school activities, while a fifth said they had skipped meals so their children could eat. Thirteen per cent said they relied on food banks. Fourteen per cent said they had racked up school lunch debt, while 33 per cent said they had put less food or less healthy food in their children鈥檚 lunchbox. Daniel Kebede, the NEU鈥檚 general secretary, said it was 鈥渟imply tone deaf for this government to claim that the cost-of-living crisis is easing when so many parents of all incomes are cutting back on food鈥�. The findings come a year after the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, announced funding to extend universal free school meals to all primary pupils in the capital. But schools have been left to make up a shortfall in funding in the scheme’s first year. Khan recently announced a one-year extension, but funding beyond that remains uncertain. The NEU wants Khan鈥檚 approach mirrored in the rest of England, and Kebede said the chancellor Jeremy Hunt 鈥渉as three weeks to decide if he is serious about young people鈥�. 鈥淲hen he steps up to the despatch box for the spring budget, he needs to tell the country that free school meals should be available to every child in every primary school in England, not just London.鈥�