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Original poster

How much do you pay for breakfast club?

130 replies

ImFree2doasiwant · 25/11/2021 15:34

School breakfast club. How much do you pay per child, and how long is it for. Does it include food?

I feel like ours is expensive! Primary age.

OP posts:
Hexenhaus · 26/11/2021 07:38

You might be able to use tax free childcare towards it if they are registered. Ours is £3.50 for an hour and they can have cereal/toast/pancakes/brioche (they can have all of them my DC tell me). I used to use a childminder but she charged £5.50 for 1 hour and still charged us in the school holidays, whereas we only pay for the 38 weeks of the school year for breakfast club.

LethargeMarg · 26/11/2021 07:52

£3.50 opens at 8am so under an hour as school starts 8:50

Peppaismyrolemodel · 26/11/2021 07:59

@Exhausteddog

Last time my DS went was about 2 years ago. It was £5 or 6. I can't imagine how ones charging a tiny fee (50p or £1) even cover their costs!!Confused
Goodwill of overworked teachers in deprived areas: it- improves attendance, improves lateness, decreased the amount of children who don’t have breakfast and is a vehicle for parental engagement
AllHallowsEve14 · 26/11/2021 08:01

£4.50 for 45 minutes, no breakfast.

FlyingFlamingo · 26/11/2021 08:04

£1.50 from 8am. It used to be free but the school couldn’t afford to pay the staff, so they started charging 50p and that has gradually crept up. It’s swings and roundabouts though because in Wales lunch is not yet free for all primary school pupils - it is going to happen but no idea of timescales and dd2 is yr5 so we may never actually benefit.

Capricornandproud · 26/11/2021 08:39

Rural Northern Ireland… no food but 50p per day from 8.30. Wish it would start again!

MyComputerGetsSadWithoutMe · 26/11/2021 13:06

My kids start school at 8.15 so they don't do breakfast club, but they do after-school club which includes a snack and drinks from 2.45 until 5 for £6, so £5 seems pricey for 40 minutes

FestiveMayo · 26/11/2021 13:08

@ImFree2doasiwant

Really quite varied then. I can't help but feel that £5 per child for 40 minutes is taking the mick
You're paying for the childcare so you can get to work though. It's pretty cheap childcare.
FearBreedsCompliance · 26/11/2021 13:09

£6

Dauphinois · 26/11/2021 14:06

Some clubs will be subsidised by schemes like Magic Breakfast which could explain the variation in fees, though these schemes aren't available to all schools.

SpinsForGin · 26/11/2021 15:58

You're paying for the childcare so you can get to work though. It's pretty cheap childcare..
I completely agree. we pay £12.25 a day for before and after school club which feels so much better than the £800+ a month we were paying for nursery!

liveforsummer · 26/11/2021 19:56

@SpinsForGin

You're paying for the childcare so you can get to work though. It's pretty cheap childcare.. I completely agree. we pay £12.25 a day for before and after school club which feels so much better than the £800+ a month we were paying for nursery!
I disagree - when I had both dc there I'd paid more than an hours wages before I even got to work for 45 minutes of what is essentially child minding with a bit of toast from a 30p load of bread. When you're a single parent that's a lot!
Carrotte · 26/11/2021 20:04

@SpinsForGin

You're paying for the childcare so you can get to work though. It's pretty cheap childcare.. I completely agree. we pay £12.25 a day for before and after school club which feels so much better than the £800+ a month we were paying for nursery!
Yeah way better than nursery fees.
SpinsForGin · 26/11/2021 20:15

Ours doesn't even offer food!

But it is allowing you to work which is surely better in the long run? One hours wage for childcare for two children is still good value. Do you expect it to be free?

liveforsummer · 26/11/2021 20:39

@SpinsForGin

Ours doesn't even offer food!

But it is allowing you to work which is surely better in the long run? One hours wage for childcare for two children is still good value. Do you expect it to be free?

It's free for a large number of people (including the school I work in who offer more than double the time as well as a wider breakfast menu) it's less than 2 miles away.
LadyMonicaBaddingham · 26/11/2021 20:47

From 8.05am. No charge. Toastie cereal, plus fruit juice or milk. Toys, games and drawing/colouring. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

SpinsForGin · 26/11/2021 20:51

It's free for a large number of people (including the school I work in who offer more than double the time as well as a wider breakfast menu) it's less than 2 miles away.

It is very,very fortunate If you get free childcare before and after school. Very fortunate.

For most people it's something you have to pay for. In most cases you can use your tax free childcare account to pay for it.
In the vast majority of cases it's cheaper than a childminder

Original poster
ImFree2doasiwant · 26/11/2021 21:26

I don't expect it to be free, no. I am on the limit financially and trying to balance work with being a single mother who does ALL if the childcare, is hard going. My parents collect 1 day a week. The rest is down to me.

I can't afford £10 a day. I literally don't have the money.

I also dobt kniw hiw tax free childcare works so will look into that.

I dudnt pay nursery/pre school as both DC started at 2 on 15 free hours then 30 at 3. GPS helped out before that, I know I was very lucky.

It was actually easier when they were at pre school and the hours were 8 til 4.

OP posts:
Original poster
ImFree2doasiwant · 26/11/2021 21:29

I can't get tax free childcare because I receive WTC.

OP posts:
outofservice · 26/11/2021 21:33

£5 from 8am, no breakfast. I’m surprised at how much cheaper others are including breakfast! I do think it’s worth it though.

spitneybrears · 26/11/2021 21:40

£7 for breakfast club.
After school club is £15. Feeling a bit gutted reading all the other rates!!

liveforsummer · 26/11/2021 21:56

It is very,very fortunate If you get free childcare before and after school. Very fortunate.

I definitely don't get it free, plenty schools around do though so it's a complete post code lottery but not even down to county but to the last 2 letters of your postcode at times. No one mentioned free access to after school care , that's a business and of course they should charge a fee to cover staff and overheads and still make a profit - this is about school breakfast club. Paying out £50 pw when your food/shopping budget to feed your family and clean your house is £30 isn't great. They aren't official childcare and don't provide invoice so you can't claim back a percentage from WTC or UC . Schools aren't (shouldn't be) a profit making business and a BC with 2 minimum wage school staff coming in an hour early, serving a value loaf of toast ( at our school the bread is donated from a local business) in a building already open with lights and heating on regardless - 50 dc paying £5 each, let's face it, is making a profit!

DuggeeHugPlease · 26/11/2021 22:15

£6 for breakfast club (7.30-8.40)
£10 after school club (3.20 - 5.30)

Includes light snacks

Didn't realise they varied so much.

Hotelhelp · 26/11/2021 22:18

£6 per child per day

Private company rather than PEF

Unihorn · 26/11/2021 22:19

It's free for us in Wales, but our particular school doesn't start theirs until 8.30am. It is a bit of a pain as there is no morning childcare offered at any other third party nurseries or playgroups, and no childminders currently servicing the school. I currently have an informal agreement to start work late and finish late which is annoying.

As far as I'm aware ours just offer toast, apple juice and orange juice.