To wonder what will happen about the government's 'free' breakfast club proposal?!

They all eat dinner in school.

You obviously don't work full time then if you don't use breakfast club

I work hybrid, as does my DH. On each of our 2 days wfh school gate opens 8.35, we drop and start work at home at 9. The 5th day they walk to school with my friend.

Or maybe don't have kids that you can't afford to pay for. Some of us limited our family size because of what we could afford.

Good luck finding the staff. We've had to stop after school club Thursdays and Fridays because we couldn't find anyone to staff it.

Get rid of the two child cap policy for one.

But ultimately that's the responsibility of parents, not schools.
Schools should be for educating kids ie reading/writing. They should not be a form of social services, although they are heading that way!

Why can’t children have breakfast provided at home?

It's been a thing in Wales for years.

I was not in a deprived area or a poor family. I often went to primary school hungry.

I think finding space is red herring, you can have different classes eating at different times.

The other problems with staffing I think are bigger problems.

I am a working parent. There is already morning childcare provision available, which i can afford. I don't use breakfast club because i think its too long a day for children to regularly be in where they get such low levels of adult engagement.

You obviously don't work full time then if you don't use breakfast club

30 minutes is going to make no difference to working parents

True, but those children will currently exist and manage til lunchtime or schools already know of these children and feed them breakfast anyway.

Well sure at the moment it’s tough luck until lunch time. But there is no denying she’d perform better at school that morning if she had eaten something

I have the same worries too. Our wraparound provision is ran by an external private company but on school premises. They rent the hall from the school to use for the provision before and after school. I'm worried that they will either be forced out to give the space to the free sessions or our fees will increase to cover the running costs for the free spaces that will be joining our paid childcare.

At the rate we’re going, schools will be expected to provide dinner and baths for children soon.

That would be difficult for some kids who may not have eaten since the evening before. I know I can't concentrate when my stomach is growling loudly. So a half day of school wasted and may cause behavioural problems and disruption.

Not to mention - many women leave the workforce entirely when forced to choose between time with their kids mon-fri and a job, due to long hours/commutes.

You would actually get more women/parents working if more part time was a default.

I get annoyed about this stuff.

I am a working parent. There is already morning childcare provision available, which i can afford. I don't use breakfast club because i think its too long a day for children to regularly be in where they get such low levels of adult engagement.

They are already in school at 15 to 1 or 30 to 1 ratios from 8.30 to 3.30. Many are then in clubs or childcare from 3.30 to 6.

When are these children supposed to get time with parents who can talk to them, hear them read etc?

Instead of providing more and more and more childcare, the government should be facilitating both mothers and fathers of younger children to work a little less. Encourage employers to create job shares and 25 hour roles. There is a mental health crisis among a generation of children, our children clearly need more parenting. Educators and childcare staff cannot raise our children. We can't keep farming them out to ever longer hours of childcare with 10 kids to only 1 adult who barely knows them.

The government need to remember, these kids are the workers of the future. The productivity crisis is a long game, the best solution is for us to be a little more present for children in the crucial early years and give them the resilience and confidence that will enable them to be the workforce of the future. We need the future entrepeneurs who will take a risk, explore a new idea, not anxious, emotionally stunted individuals.

It is a battle, but it's just tough luck and they can go hungry till snack time at 10.30am ish if they really don't eat. I also had one like this, and even when we did breakfast club he wouldn't eat there.

I think what the poster has said above is extremely common. I have one who won’t eat breakfast and one who does.

the one who won’t just sits there not eating whilst we rush around getting ready and reminding her to eat constantly- but time runs out and you just have to leave for school. Then no food has been eaten. That’s massively common.

im almost certain she’d eat in a room with friends tho.

i doubt that (at a population level) it’s common for parents not to be able to afford breakfast. Many more parents either leave too early to make sure anything is eaten, or have the same battles I’ve described

More bollocks from BP then

I agree with you. It’s not my take but one of the potential benefits mooted when the scheme was announced.

Kids who are routinely late/school refusing aren't going to be tempted back with a slice of toast!

Plenty of people are asking!

Imo it’s a mixture of poverty and problematic home environments. Plus easing kids into the school day with breakfast was seen at the start of this scheme as potentially being helpful for kids routinely late for school or school refusing. And iirc also mooted as benefiting working parents.

I work at a food charity. We do breakfast/snack items for a local secondary. The standard offering is 20kg of bananas a week, which I buy wholesale at around £19/box. There’s a huge need.