to think this isn't ok at breakfast club?

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My children both go to breakfast club Monday to Friday and are there by 8am so that I can get to work on time. They have breakfast there so that they don't have to get up so early at home. I happened to stay a little longer dropping them off yesterday and saw what they are given for 'breakfast' it was 1 piece of (heavily) buttered (Marg) toast and a carton of fruit juice.

AIBU to think this isn't a)enough b)very healthy??? I am prepared to be told that if I don't like it I should give them breakfast at home which is what I'm going to do now but still!! This is supposed to give children a good start to their day no? Also they charge for breakfast so I would expect cereal, yogurt maybe the odd piece of fruit?!

List of foods that the devolved Gvt says breakfast clubs should offer in Wales is a couple of pages in.
Think ours is pretty true to this, although they are a little sugar happy on the cereal, which surely has to change.

School breakfast Wales

Most of the cost at the breakfast clubs around here is for the childcare provided, as well as the food.

At my local primary, breakfast club is free and the kids get 2 slices of toast or 1 bowl of cereal.

I think that's pretty standard and enough to carry them through until lunch.

Our breakfast club only gives out toast or cornflakes, plus juice or hot chocolate. My kids normally go for toast and hot chocolate. Or just hot chocolate. They mostly just play.
I pay 80p a child from 8.15-9am. They have breakfast at home (eggs, toast with nut butter, porridge...usually 2 of the 3 options are eaten), so aren't hungry when I drop them off so it's not the food I'm paying for it's the childcare. I wouldn't rely on breakfast club to give a healthy breakfast so I make sure they are ready early and eat breakfast at home. But understand this is not always possible for other parents due to time constraints.

Mind you, if they're only giving out toast, the kids can always eat a banana on the way to school.

Perhaps they only give toast to combat waste? Maybe they were buying milk and the kids weren't having cereal etc and the mil, was going off?
Not sure. A single slice of toast isn't a lot to keep them going til lunch but if they have a fruit for a snack, I guess lots of kids would be fine with that.

£4.35

Ours is £1.50 from 7.30 to 8.45

I asked ds on the way to school what is available this was his list:

variety of cereals
toast
fruit
milk
juice
sometimes scrambled egg
They also have
jams
peanut butter
chocolate spread.

I would seriously be speaking to the school op!

1 piece of toast does sound a bit mean

The cost is for childcare really. It not really fair to make a child wait until they get to school to eat that's a long time from waking up. Why don't you feed you child first?

Fucking hell! How in god's name do children eat so much? DS can barely manage a small piece of toast and you've all got kids who eat toast, cereal and fruit!

Or "Fucking hell! Some kids dont get fed enough by their parents"....

Surely you understand all children aresnt the same as your DS? And you havent said what age he is either.

And - not really, mine only wake at 8am if possible and in school for 9am. Those at breakfast club are presumably only awake 30 mins before they are at school

YANBU. DS' breakfast club is £4 with breakfast and they have a choice of toast, various cereals and fresh fruit.

This would not be enough for any of my dcs, even when they were little. (And no this is a balanced b'fast either)

However, I also wouldn't have thought about the breakfast club as the place for them to have a nice nutritious b'fast either.

Yes that means that they are up earlier. they just go to bed earlier!

I suspect that most parents are happy with that as either
1 - they don't have b'fast themselves
2- they are too much in a rush in the am
3- children don't eat much in the am anyway (maybe because of 1 and 2)
4- children have never complained/commented about it

Many people aren't hungry until an hour or two at least after they wake up so it might be a lot easier to eat breakfast at the breakfast club instead of at home. I eat my breakfast at work quite often.

I suppose the OP could always send in extra food if the aim of her breakfast club isn't actually to supply a decent breakfast. Cheese, fruit, muffins, sandwiches, yogurts, alsorts really, could be sent in as a portable breakfast.

Is it possible to pay less if you supply their own breakfast?

That's not enough.

I saw a posted suggested you tell Ofsted, unless the school is due an inspection, calling Ofsted won't make much Of a difference immediately. You are better off putting it in writing to both the headmaster and LEA.

Children need to be offered more than toast, a piece of fruit, a small yoghurt and some milk. If not cereal. The school are very likely to be getting free milk for every child so there is no reason not to offer cereal. The cost of £4.75 is also enough to cover more than just one slice of bread!!

I bet the lack of effort is because the cooks aren't in at that time so it's down to whoever is in charge of the breakfast club to sort it out!

The cost is for childcare really. It not really fair to make a child wait until they get to school to eat that's a long time from waking up. Why don't you feed you child first?

Surely that depends on what time they wake up and how far away the school is?

For example, my kids used to get up at 7.45am and leave for school at 8.45am. Fair enough they didn't use the breakfast club but if they did, they still wouldn't have long to wait until eating.

At my kids' school it is £5.25 a day but includes a large breakfast choice. If they wish they can have a full cooked breakfast.

It used to be free with breakfast items to be paid on the day. It was 10p for a slice of toast and I think about £1 for a huge (5 rashers chargrilled) bacon roll.

The cost is for childcare really. It not really fair to make a child wait until they get to school to eat that's a long time from waking up. Why don't you feed you child first?

Because if you are paying for breakfast club you would assume that breakfast is provided and would hope it's a healthy one. Now that the OP has discovered that it's not what she would call a healthy breakfast she's going to feed her DC at home first (which she said in the OP!)

Not sure what the point of all these snarky "feed your children yourself" posts are (other than to get lots of lovely smug points...) OP chose to use and pay for a service that should both allow her to get to work on time, and provide her DC with a good breakfast so there's no need to get them up earlier to eat at home. It's not unreasonable to want the service to actually provide that!

That's awful!

I pay £0.50 a day for breakfast club that starts at 8.00am and they get a choice of toast, crumpets, beans on toast, spaghetti on toast or cereal. That's in primary.

Definitely complain. I would! Can't believe they're charging best part of a fiver for a poxy slice of toast!

that doesn't sound right .

But I hardly think cereal would make it any healthier. Most cereals have between 20% (the "healthier" ones) and 35-40% (Frosties, CocoPops etc) added sugar content.

YANBU.

When I was teaching we provided breakfast for all children first thing (it was a special school in a deprived area). All children were offered wholemeal toast, cereal/ porridge, yoghurt and fruit. We had milk, diluted fruit juice or water for the children to drink.

Sometimes children might only want to eat a slice of toast and that was fine but there should definitely be other things on offer!

Mine is £3 per day. 7:45-8:45 so includes childcare as well. They have a choice of cereal or toast or both & someday DD1 has 1 slice, sometimes 2 slices and sometimes cereal & toast. There doesn't seem to be a limit. Fruit juice or water to drink.
No fruit, but every class right through the school has snack table with fruit/raw veg available all day.

I often have this debate. My son goes to breakfast club 4 days. They too get some toast (butter and Jam) and sugary cereals. It's not great. I just make sure he has fruit / smoothies etc before he goes. Ours is £3.

I wish I didn't need to send him there to be honest.

My dd occasionally goes to breakfast club, they get the choice of cereal and toast, there's fruit on offer too iirc (though up here they've stopped the free fruit so it's now not included).

The children get a choice on what they want, my dd frequently picks weetabix only to be asked if she wants sugar on it (then has it drowned in sugar!)

Unfortunately you're either going to have to speak to your children about healthy choices and good breakfasts or stop sending them to breakfast club if you don't trust their choice.

Could be that they ran out of cereal that day?

Buzzy £3 for the week or the day?? dd's breakfast club is 20p for one day!