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Free breakfast club-offensive government campaign

92 replies

JTT95 · 19/09/2025 07:59

The government has lost the plot. This campaign is ridicolous. Listing things you could do instead of having breakfast with your child (while the child eats processed toast and jam or cereal at school instead of sharing a family meal). They are pushing some strange anti-family agenda.

Free breakfast club-offensive government campaign
OP posts:
MidnightPatrol · 19/09/2025 08:11

@JTT95 how does your family juggle two jobs and primary school aged children, getting everyone to the right place in the mornings inc commutes etc?

twistyizzy · 19/09/2025 08:11

It's offensive when popular and well run pre-existing clubs have been forced to close in favour of "free" ones. Clubs where they charged approx £2 per session and were able to provide a wide range of food. The 60p provided by government in these "free" clubs is woefully inadequate and only allows for a soggy slice of toast and diluted juice instead of fresh fruit etc.

Nothing is "free" and it boils my piss when they harp on about this.

https://www.tes.com/magazine/news/primary/schools-worries-about-free-breakfast-clubs-lack-of-funding

Breakfast club schools dilute juice and avoid fruit as funds fall short

Many schools involved in the pilot scheme for free breakfast clubs are worried about not having enough funding to support pupils with SEND, a Tes survey reveals

https://www.tes.com/magazine/news/primary/schools-worries-about-free-breakfast-clubs-lack-of-funding

JTT95 · 19/09/2025 08:11

Well yeah, framing it as “it’s there for those who need it” rather than hey it’s such a great thing for your kid to start the day at school even earlier so you can drink tea is stupid. Most people would rather have breakfast with their child than sit there drinking tea or watching peppa pig on their own.

OP posts:
LunchtimeNaps · 19/09/2025 08:10

I'm not sure anyone I know sits down to a family meal on a weekday morning.

Yamap · 19/09/2025 08:09

Well it’s just fantastic that they have hurt the private schools with VAT to provide shit like this. My DSis teaches in a private school and she has had colleagues made redundant and seen her workload increase to unmanageable levels. Where there were 4 reasonable sized classes doing a subject, there are now 3 giant ones - the kids can’t fit into the classrooms without moving desks every lesson and the remaining teachers have a stupid workload that isn’t really possible. Race to the bottom as usual with this idiotic ideology.

PollyBell · 19/09/2025 08:09

I can't see what a b out it that needs to be added to the ever growing things to be offended by list

I just saw it as a bad joke falling flat, no great conspiracy judgement or whatever else people want to twist it to be

elliejjtiny · 19/09/2025 08:08

Well the poster is ridiculous. But I think the free breakfast club is great. We have children in different schools so being able to drop 3 of them off at 8am is really helpful.

JustGoClickLikeALightSwitch · 19/09/2025 08:07

Also, watching Peppa Pig is literally the last thing you do when there isn’t a child about the place.

JTT95 · 19/09/2025 08:07

BarbaraVineFan · 19/09/2025 08:05

But they are not making out it’s better for the child? They are pointing out the benefits to the parents in a tongue-in-cheek way. I don’t see the problem with it personally

If you look at some other videos down this campaign, you’ll see they’re saying exactly that. Better for the child to start their day with their peers before school and for parents to be able to work more hours.

The campaign has received a huge backlash.

OP posts:
MakingPlans2025 · 19/09/2025 08:06

FanofLeaves · 19/09/2025 08:03

I don’t understand what the point of that is at all?

nearly everyone I know has to rely on breakfast club, no one would be able to start work on time without it. Surely no one sits down to a ‘family meal’ first thing on a weekday morning before work/school? I mean god knows mums usually have enough to do without preparing and attending a sit down breakfast.

That said I’d obviously rather my child had breakfast at home but needs must for a lot of working parents.

Edited

Perfect parents clearly do sit down to an organic curated meal first thing in the morning. Sadly I am not perfect and it is better for my child to have a crumpet and jam and milk with his friends at school so I can get to work on time and earn money to keep us both alive.

JustGoClickLikeALightSwitch · 19/09/2025 08:06

It’s awful! Surely the message needs to be, “Enabling parents to work”?

IMissSparkling · 19/09/2025 08:05

What was wrong with "Spend 5700 minutes on public transport commuting to your work".
Which is presumably the main reason people need to send their kids to breakfast club...

BarbaraVineFan · 19/09/2025 08:05

But they are not making out it’s better for the child? They are pointing out the benefits to the parents in a tongue-in-cheek way. I don’t see the problem with it personally

JTT95 · 19/09/2025 08:04

MakingPlans2025 · 19/09/2025 08:01

processed toast and jam 😂😂 if you don’t want to use breakfast club, don’t. Some people need to.

They are pushing it to everyone, even to people who don’t need it, making out it’s somehow better for the child to eat breakfast at school. If you look at their comments on instagram where this was published most people think this campaign is offensive.

OP posts:
FanofLeaves · 19/09/2025 08:03

I don’t understand what the point of that is at all?

nearly everyone I know has to rely on breakfast club, no one would be able to start work on time without it. Surely no one sits down to a ‘family meal’ first thing on a weekday morning before work/school? I mean god knows mums usually have enough to do without preparing and attending a sit down breakfast.

That said I’d obviously rather my child had breakfast at home but needs must for a lot of working parents.

Rinoachicken · 19/09/2025 08:02

I think free breakfasts clubs have a lot of potential benefits in principle. (In reality they are poorly funded etc etc).

But that is a ridiculous poster.

MakingPlans2025 · 19/09/2025 08:01

processed toast and jam 😂😂 if you don’t want to use breakfast club, don’t. Some people need to.