Free breakfast club-offensive government campaign

My kids Secondary has provided free breakfast for a while...

The reality. No one eats the "healthy" porridge because its either practically drinkable through a straw or vongealed and lumpy.
When its toast with Jam etc... many will get a slice. But mass catering toast is a lot harder.

I think it’s a stupid advert - I don’t really understand what they were aiming for. But I don’t think it’s at all “offensive”. Nor do I think there’s anything wrong with breakfast clubs.

Why would you need 3 hours to provide breakfast?

I take it op you dont work. Breakfast club enables me to get to work on time. Im not sitting watching peppa pig at home or flying to Spain. I wouod need to get up at 5am to make a wholesome family breakfast that my children probably would not eat to leave the house before 8am. I think most homes breakfast is cereal, toast, pancakes etc not home cooked sourdough bread with free range eggs. Freshly picked that morning from the garden.

Look, some people will agree with you but some will disagree. Repeating that some randoms on Instrgram don't like it doesn't give your argument more clout.

It's a crap government ad - surprise, surprise. They're not exactly known for their avant garde marketing, are they.

You'd think people would have better things to worry about than this shite - like nagging your kid 15 times to eat their breakfast, brush their teeth and hair before dashing off to school, or (shock horror) rushing out the door to breakfast club so you can rush onwards with your commute and get to work.

The advert isn't great and I fancy a nice bowl of porridge myself, but it means that children are fed (who otherwise wouldn't be), then I won't knock it.

Bear in mind also that many a children who eat at home are having the same high sugar cereals, cereals bars, toast and jam etc, so are no better nourished than eating at school.

You seem to be under the impression that all patents are sitting down for a full home cooked meal at breakfast time with most of are throwing toast or cereal at our kids while trying to get ready for work.

If you don’t want or need to use a breakfast club then don’t. But this poster isn’t offensive in the slightest.

It's fine, the money from VAT isn't going to schools.
But love the sarky comment about teachers being made redundant. What a reductive, shitty comment to make.

The advert is a bit odd! Not offensive - and it’s clearly tongue in cheek somewhat. But most parents aren’t spending the extra time watching peppa pig!

Surely the program is mostly to provide childcare so that more parents (women) can work and pay more tax? If it feeds kids that wouldn’t otherwise be fed then that’s a definite bonus!

Diddums.

I had some young child-free friends over for dinner a while ago and one of them said to me ‘Aww, now you are a mum, it is so nice you have time to cook’ . At the time I had an 18 month old, I was 7 months pregnant and I was working full time. I guess she thought having a child = mum sitting at home drinking tea and watching Pippa pig. I think quite a lot of people think like this.

This poster is a bit like her comment: patronising and stupid.

Most working parents would like to have the time to sit down and eat breakfast with their children instead of having to cart them off to breakfast club.

Trust me, a slice of toast is going to get a school refuser into school!
The families who really need this aren't the ones who will access it.
See the 2 x links I've posted around the issues.

Yes this is clearly the motivation and is likely because school drop off and the standard 9 am start doesn’t quite work out

I agree with the poster who said it was pitched to minimise stigma.

It avoids a tone of "this is for poor children" and/or "this is for evil working mothers" by spinning it as "more time in your day".

It has still landed awkwardly because it's a bit too flippant but I can see what they were trying to do.

My kids are past primary age now but I almost always sent them to breakfast club even when WFH simply because they aren't "morning people" and had no appetite first thing and would just dawdle over breakfast at home, sometimes having just a single bite. A nutritious breakfast at the family dining table is fuck all good if they don't actually eat it! By the time they'd walked up the hill to school they were ready for a slice of toast or bowl of cereal. It's not the best nutrition but was better than them having nothing until lunchtime.

I nearly cried after covid when breakfast club reopened as "activity club" as school had decided it would no longer include food.

Precisely my point

My son’s school used to do a cooked breakfast each morning with cereal and fruit options.
Now it’s cereal or toast which my son won’t eat as the “toast is burnt”. We still pay the same amount though.
funding is going down all round.

It’s a stupid poster BUT I support the breakfast club initiative because:

1. that extra time in the morning means a working parent may be able to accept a job that may not otherwise available. This will help women the most as they tend to be the ones most likely to give. up work for child caring reasons.
2. number 1 above is good for the economy and the economic benefits alone justify the scheme.
3. There is a huge problem with children refusing to go to school post covid. My understanding is that children who can go to breakfast club are more likely to go to school. It can be a less stressful start and easier transition to the school day for them.
4. number 3 above improves the educational outcomes for those children. There is plenty of data that shows how important it is for children to be in school.
5. number 3 above means more parents can get to work rather than having to manage a school refuser at home. This is good for the economy.
6. productivity (or lack thereof) is one of the problems holding back the economy. Having an extra 30 minutes in the morning can really help to boost productivity for working parents- getting to work earlier, etc
7. Inflation has hit families very hard. This is one way to help them out- the government covers breakfast club costs for those currently paying and giving families some reprieve.
8. it’s completely optional, there is no anti family agenda!

I won’t be using it because I can work from home and have a lot of flexibility in my job. But I think it’s a really smart idea and delivers help where it is needed.

Imagine getting a bee in your bonnet about breakfast clubs.

There’s a posh nursery near us that doesn’t do breakfast. Claims it’s because “children should have breakfast with their family for their wellbeing.” When I read that I was like, come off it! You just don’t want to do it because it’ll cost money. At least be honest about it rather than cloaking it in some psychobabble.

I never had breakfast with my family because I was always late. I’d eat my toast walking to the bus stop and somehow survived not sitting down with my parents every morning.

The state nurseries provide breakfast, and I’m glad because some of the kids won’t be getting food at home.

A poorly thought out campaign. No one is actually going to say: "right, kids in BC, let's go to Spain. One down, 22 to go". They tried to be funny, they were not. Of all the things this government and ones before it is failing /failed to do (like proper support for working parents, failing to set out any robust policies to reduce various inequalities, etc) this wouldn't be on my list of things to get worked up about. Mild annoyance yes. Nothing more than that

Unfortunately these are the schemes being closed down by the "free" breakfast clubs
https://schoolsweek.co.uk/snap-crackle-and-flop-breakfast-clubs-have-rocky-launch/

I think they are trying to remove guilt and stigma to be honest. I’m not sure this particular ad works though.

We have had one at our High School for years, supported by a local food producer.

Made a big difference… got our persistently late Students there in time, helped concentration in young people who were counting down the time until lunch, at exam time it makes sure everyone has eaten and is ready to go.

It’s just a really good start to the day, socially and nutritionally.

Sure - but how it is marketed matters.

I run a food bank. We market it in a way that tries to minimise stigma, rather than “Free food for people on the bones of their arse”. But if I put a sign up saying “Shop here so you save the driving time to Waitrose” I’d correctly be told it was inappropriate. And that seems to be what the government is doing with this campaign. It’s jokey and tongue in cheek in an inappropriate way.