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

That isn't the case around here, staff know they can work elsewhere for less stress and more money. It's really difficult to find those willing and able to cover breakfast club.

Breakfast clubs are ususlly staffed by TAs, Kitchen staff, Lunchtime Supervisors, even cleaners. Cleaners in primaries often end up with other jobs. Cleaners are often relief lunchtime supervisors, help in the kitchen, run breakfast club. It's the nature of these low-paid term time only jobs, usually staffed by women.

(The low-paid support staff issue is a different issue, and one that the riotous indignation here would be better aimed at solving. But it is a fact that support staff in schools are poorly paid snd yet are also highly sought-after roles)

The staffing of the breakfast clubs is the least difficult aspect of this to problem solve.

This policy is a significant reason why I voted Labour 'free breakfast clubs for everyone' Several of my daughters friends are single mums, they can't afford the clubs so can only do minimum wage jobs around school hours. Funded clubs would give them access to broader working opportunities and enable them to progress, hopefully eventually not need to claim UC, and build aspiration/reduce poverty trap. But nearly a year in, and there is no sign of this becoming universal. Our village is quite affluent, so won't be seen as an area of need, but there are deprived areas and people struggling with high rents etc, and not having funded clubs only deepens the wealth divide. We don't need it, but I can see the huge value it could bring to several families I know.

Where support staff (those that are left) have had a reduction in hours/pay they are unlikely to want to help in the breakfast club and I don’t blame them one bit

I’m not sure that the people it’s aimed at will benefit but I suspect those now paying for the school breakfast club where it already operates will choose the “free” option if they can

@ParrotParty so by your calculations that's £36/ day for one class, that's extremely conservative and that would cost £7000 for the school year.

Such a terrifyingly poorly thought out policy. I hope they reverse this idea before it gets fully rolled out.

Aye it's not easy here anymore either. Funny enough with the advent of more wfh, flexible working etc people (mainly women let's be real) have realised they aren't as bound to taking a low paid job for school hours and holidays as once was the case. Lots of school budgets also have zero flexibility for any additional support staff.

I agree, but retaining TAs who work with some of the more challenging children is also difficult. Many TAs may fall over themselves for the job, but once they begin and they realise they are working with a child who runs off, hits them, kicks them, swears at them, all for minimum wage then the job is less attractive.

Being wealthy doesn't always mean a child is well fed. My Dads parents were well off, had a house gifted to them when married so no rent/mortgage, both worked full time. But it all went on alcohol, cigarettes and fancy food for my grandad. My Dad was lucky if he got a digestive biscuit for breakfast, and by 9 years old he was helping a milkman in the mornings to earn a little money to buy food for himself and his younger brother. A breakfast club would have been amazing for him.

Aside from the obvious - there is no money to fund this extra childcare, schools simply can't find more money here, I'm concerned about the nutritional value of a bowl of cereal or a bagel. Feels poorly handled.

How is FSM for KS1 comparable? Was lunch simply not staffed before? It's not a can't do attriude, it's a realism and not being overly enthralled by the inevitable expectation for teachers to just take this on as an additional duty.

My child's primary school has an outside company that comes onsite to provide paid for breakfast/after school club - they charge £7.50 for 7am-8.30am (and £12.50 for 3.15-6pm) so what would happen to the outside company would they only be pain 7-8am and the "free" school breakfast club then kick in 8am-8.30?

I don't need to use breakfast club as I start work at 9 but if it was free to drop off at 8 then I could increase my hours and start earlier - I'm a low earner so to pay for breakfast club £7.50 a day is currently not worth it for me plus my child eats at home so doesn't need the breakfast.

I can't imagine staff wanting to work for free though. What suggestions would you have for this?
There are some children who are runners, some who threaten to harm themselves and also some who harm others.
I don't see other parents being happy if their child comes home and says at breakfast club they were kicked by X, and then says X usually has an adult with them in the classroom but doesn't at breakfast time. Parents are understandably upset when incidents happen with a TA in a classroom.

As also stated, it isn't going to be the case of having all children in one dining hall. Ours can take two year groups seated at the tables. This means you need staff in multiple rooms and whatever breakfast is offered needs to be low mess, as the last thing teachers need is to come into a messy room at the start of the day.

as they do the TA role specifically as it enables them to be with their own children in the mornings.

The school can contract a TA to do whatever they like. If that means starting at 8am, the TAs can be contracted to start at 8am.

With all due respect, TA roles are the easiest to fill (I hire TAs). People fall over themselves for the job. You don't wanna start at 8am then fine - the school won't have a problem finding half a dozen others who will.

No, you can't. Because thats not what EHCPs generally do.

Similarly you couldn't insist on 121 at Brownies / Cubs / football club / swimming and anything else out of school.

Many organisations will attempt to offer as inclusive an environment as they can for children with SEND needs. But it will not be the case of - you either provide the non-complusary 121 or close down and don't offer the extracurricular to anyone. They won't be compelled to offer the support, but a conversation and can-do attitude ususlly finds a solution.

If your friend is part of the free trial, then they are running it 10 minutes too short. It has to be 30 minutes to qualify.

Vast amounts of schools already offer these, without any of the drama suggested by the school staff on this thread.

I'm concerned by the can't-do attitude of so many posting here.

There was a similar can't-do attitude to universal FSM in KS1 when that first came out. And yet here we are, with it happening across the country.

But if all children are entitled to the free breakfast club then could the parents not argue they are not able to access this?

I doubt there are many EHCPs that state a pupil requires 1:1 in childcare settings, which is what breakfast club is, so only a very very small number of schools will need to provide 1:1 support during their childcare offering.

Our sons UK primary school did a free breakfast club from 8am, those needing it between 7:30-7:59 paid £2. Looking at their website the free breakfast club is still running. When I was applying for primary schools for him the majority of the ones I looked at had a free breakfast club.

It's not discriminating to say 121 is not offered outside of school hours. Smh