Free school breakfast for every child

In an ideal world yes. But we don’t live in an ideal world so if something simple like offering a universal free slice of toast means no child is starting the day hungry then brilliant.

If it means the mum who would have otherwise gone hungry can then go home and have a slice of toast herself even better!

Isn't that the parents job?

@PurpleThistle7 People did NOT starve pre food banks. Yes, pre First World War but that’s well over a century ago and no benefits! I’m talking about the last 25/30 years and we do not have starving dc. They now get dc benefits for all dc so spend it on food!

Huh? Of course people starved. A lack of able bodied soldiers available from the working class is one of the many reasons the UK looked at widening the welfare policies. Plenty starved in the workhouses too.

Obviously some parents are useless but I still have no idea why the children should pay. Creating a whole new generation of poorly educated people with vitamin deficiencies doesn’t help anyone.

@HollyhocksandPeons There are only 635 MPs and yes they do need help with a second home on their relatively low salaries that are not enough for living in London and their constituencies! It’s hardly the same as free breakfast for dc! Parents do need to take responsibility for dc. When we hear about all these issues with feeding dc, what are parents prioritising? Phone ? Tv satellite ? It’s easy to rock up and say you don’t have money with another dc on the way. No one ever looks at where their money is being spent. Ever. Whets the child allowance used for? Could be spent on food. Or clothes but it’s easier to get free food and hand outs. No one starved in the uk before food banks.

Could you, on the PTA, suggest a fruit / vegi snack?

It might not cost as much as you think or anything at all. Large companies often have charitable trusts.

Supermarkets often have excess stock. It might be worth asking whether they would supply fruit / veg, in exchange you give them a bit of free advertising as in "Daily fruit supplied by X supermarket"

If it were me I would start with the Co op.

As well as providing nutrition you are providing a service to those who have come to the UK from places were the food available is very different. People who cannot afford to buy some fruit, just to try. A child coming home and saying they had a pear, or some berries means the parent knows their child will eat it.

www.coopfoundation.org.uk/

We have been trialling it in my school where I work. Children can come free from 8.30am. If it's before then think it's about £2.50 or something per session.

Is this happening anytime soon? Currently paying £8 a day for breakfast club.

mixing kids every morning, not allowing them to sit together in their friendship groups, but really mixing this would be awful! Part of navigating school is avoiding the kids who are unkind, kids shouldn't be forced to mix if they don't want to, it's not speed dating.

Yes lots of money is being spent needlessly.

I'd rather see money going to schools for stuff than into bags for every child.
What teacher wants 25 identical P1 bags for kids that can hardly read their name? Lots of fun figuring out who's is who's on a daily basis. Most parents can afford a bag for their kid, and most kids want a bag of their choosing, not a government issue number.

Billions for illegals and Ukraine is not a good use of funding, second homes with furniture for MPs is not a good use of funding, but breakfasts for everyone is a wonderful idea, it is a great bonding experience - children would be breaking bread together, and if teachers or classroom assistants organise it wonderfully - like mixing kids every morning, not allowing them to sit together in their friendship groups, but really mixing - this is wonderful!

Honest its Toast to Go, is the service they offer. Which you'll realise it's toast the kids take outside into the playground.
Government requirements don't enter the equation

Pre covid they did a proper breakfast club, but that never resumed, social distancing and budget it restarted as Toast to Go

Toast and water sounds like something out of Oliver Twist.

How does this fit in with the government's healthy eating plan? Doesn't sound very nutritious to me.

Our local schools had the lunchbox stasi. If food wasnt nutritious it was confiscated and they had to do without. No white bread. No crisps. No treats. Croissants wouldn't be allowed either.

Yet, school meals often included pizza.

Mine had cooked breakfast at home in winter. They also expected something warm for lunch. At one stage I tried sending tomato soup in a flask to school. It wasnt very successful. One mother tried sending a warm pasty for lunch. That was frowned on too.

£2 is ok, and excellent if it starts at 8.00,
I'm South Lanarkshire its free toast and water but only from 8.40.

£10 week would be great if it meant I could start work earlier and in turn finish earlier

Anyone who can afford to smoke doesn't need state handouts!

This. How many times do taxpayers have to feed a child?

I think that providing a healthy breakfast and lunch for every school child is a great way to spend public money. My kids get good breakfasts and packed lunches but so many don’t. It’s also a really good social learning experience eating together. Having children brush their teeth after a meal at school would also be a positive thing. But we all know public money is wasted by our governments and often not funnelled into the right resources.

From first hand observation - kids would go hungry if the expected handout from the local charity not received. BUT parents smoke and have a full Sky subscription and haven’t worked for years.
Tell me that’s right.

£2 per day and they have toast, cereal, fruit and milk. However in some areas of Glasgow they are piloting it for free and it's the same deal. We actually rarely use it because my husband WFH the days I'm in the office and vice versa but for some families it's the only reason they can all get to work on time.

The must be a paid service?
Our freebie toast to go is at 8.40 so just 20mins before school starts.

I work pretty near school so I only actually need breakfast club for 20mins (get there at 8.15-8.20) We sometimes get there earlier though as the DC like playing with their friends before school.
The DC usually eat breakfast at home but occasionally have double breakfast which I don't mind - sometimes I have breakfast at home and then have another coffee and a banana as soon as I get to my desk!

Just because it is offered, doesn’t mean you have to take it. I doubt most of the wealthier families would bother to send their child to school for poor quality toast and think “yippee”.

On the other hand - many wealthier parents would drop their kids off for free at 8.25am and think “yippee now I can get to work on time.” I would do that and feed ds first - a few extra cornflakes wouldn’t then be a problem if he consumed them.

She very clearly said they need the breakfast club and pay for it. Not wraparound

Our school does breakfast club and opens at 8

It must be supervised to some extent.
Ours is toast to go, ie take into the playground.
But if breakfast club works for a family and let's parents get to work why would they continue to pay for childcare.
Is is what i was really trying to point out to the poster I replied to