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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Breakfast club AIBU (Wales one)

70 replies

oohlalala · 15/01/2017 23:19

Can someone please explain in easy English why some schools in Wales give out free breakfasts to the children, irrespective of circumstance, but some choose not to?

For some reason DC's school charge for this service. I wouldn't mind except I have heard friends bragging about sending their kids to them when they are not in work so they can have a nice relaxing breakfast at home, when we have to pay for this privilege just to make it to work on time. The bill really mounts up quickly too.

If theres a reasonable explanation I will concede that its fair enough, but would just like to understand why some do & some don't really.

OP posts:
BrieAndChilli · 15/01/2017 23:25

I think you would need to ask the school why they charge, our school don't charge but breakfast club is from 8.15 and staffed by TAs so I assume that thier time is paid for by thier normal wages/normal working hours, and that at some point it was decided that the TAs could take it in turns to staff breakfast club as a good use of thier time.
If your breakfast club starts 7.30 and they have to pay the staff to start earlier then that has to come from somewhere hence some schools charging.

Rattusn · 15/01/2017 23:40

The charge is surely pretty low?

I'm not in Wales, but locally some schools offer free breakfast clubs as they choose to spend their funding on this, as otherwise many children come to school hungry. I imagine this would be similar in Wales, and schools with free breakfast clubs would be in the more deprived areas.

HeCantBeSerious · 15/01/2017 23:44

I'm in Wales. Ours is free (but kids are limited to what they can eat - it's either cereal or toast and not a huge amount of either). The kitchen staff run it - i assume that works out cheapest.

I thought the policy was free breakfasts in all schools, but that was years ago and I've not really kept up with it.

100milesanhour · 15/01/2017 23:45

Most of the schools near me are £2 a morning and can start from 8am but if the child has a sibling also attending breakfast club then you will pay an extra £1 for the sibling

My friends child goes to a school in a different district and she is £4 for breakfast club.

I think it should be a set price of £1 or £1.50 per child.

BackforGood · 15/01/2017 23:46

Not in Wales either, but IME, some schools have discovered that a high % of their dc arrive at school on empty stomachs, so offer some breakfast so the dc are so much more ready to learn throughout the day.
This sometimes comes out of their funding, their Pupils Premium, or I think there was a scheme (sponsored by Kellogs or somebody??) at one point, to make sure all dc had the opportunity to have something to eat before starting the day.
OTOH, my dcs' school offered their premises to provide childcare (which included breakfast) as an incredibly useful facility for the high number of working parents at the school. It's a completely different thing and tends to be based on the demograph of the families at the school.

Mellowautumn · 15/01/2017 23:46

The free ones are usually in 'deprived' schools that get a grant to run it from what I understand - think all the free ones are being phased out as the grants expire some schools I think have chosen to pay themselves.

Original poster
oohlalala · 15/01/2017 23:46

Well some of the ones I know of are in similar areas to me. I wouldn't have said they are deprived. From reading some information provided by the Welsh Government its meant to be for all schools if they request it. Ours is also run by a TA. £7 a day. I personally think thats quite a lot, but maybe I'm out of touch.

OP posts:
WatchingFromTheWings · 15/01/2017 23:47

I'm in Wales. I thought it was free for all primary aged kids. Ours starts at 8:10 and my DS gets cereal, toast and juice when he goes.

downwardfacingdog · 15/01/2017 23:48

Breakfast club is 2.50 per child per day at our school (Cardiff). I thought it was only deprived areas were free.

Berthatydfil · 15/01/2017 23:49

Several years ago welsh gov offered all local councils a drank to fund free breakfast clubs in all primaries. It wasn't cheap to cover staffing ratios and food costs.
However it wasn't compulsory for the primaries to take this up. In my la some schools particularly those that had got financial ties to private breakfast clubs/after school clubs and holiday clubs declined the funding. To be fair there were a small number where the old fashioned heads didn't want the hassle or believed in the hassle working parents experienced and declined for those reasons too.

And 2 years ago the wg withdrew the grant and included it in general funding instead at a lower amount, this making some clubs now uneconomical.

So I would say that your school would have been offered the free club but declined possibly because they preferred to take income from the private club.

And now the funding has been cut its unlikely you will get one now.

HeCantBeSerious · 15/01/2017 23:49

They changed it in 2013 and schools have to request the breakfasts be provided by the local authority.

Food provision in schools in Wales is not the same as England. Nor is pupil premium etc. It really doesn't help to try and compare them.

Rattusn · 15/01/2017 23:49

That is quite a high charge. What time does it start and what food is offered?

Berthatydfil · 15/01/2017 23:49

Grant not drank

HeCantBeSerious · 15/01/2017 23:50

It's nothing to do with deprivation.

Original poster
oohlalala · 15/01/2017 23:53

It starts from 7:30am, although I never make it there that early as DC is protestimg about getting up!

OP posts:
Original poster
oohlalala · 15/01/2017 23:55

I never really hear of more than cereal or toast being eaten, but maybe thats because DC doesn't tell me much

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Rattusn · 15/01/2017 23:56

That's pretty expensive.

We pay only 2/day here for similar.

Original poster
oohlalala · 16/01/2017 00:04

Well I'm glad some of you agree this is a lot. The other prices quoted sound more reasonable, what times do they start at? Is it the 7:30am start that pushes up the price?

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38cody · 16/01/2017 00:33

North London -£5.00 a day, cereal or toast - rip off but working so no choice.
Free to those on Benefits maybe?

Original poster
oohlalala · 16/01/2017 00:45

Wow! We are officially higher than London prices! 38cody what time does your club start just to compare?

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Original poster
oohlalala · 16/01/2017 00:48

Now I'm also wondering the cost of other peoples after school club? I mean school run after school club. Ours is also £7 per day. You have to pick up by 5:30

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meatloaf · 16/01/2017 00:53

£7 sounds a lot.

I am in London and breakfast club is £2.50 - toast, cereal, yogurt, fruit. Starts at 7.45am.

After school club is £9 per session up, up to 6pm, and also includes a snack - pizza / beans on toast / soup and roll.

meatloaf · 16/01/2017 00:55

I mean £7 sounds a lot for breakfast club.

Original poster
oohlalala · 16/01/2017 00:58

I'm starting to wonder if the school is making a tidy profit out of this!

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Original poster
oohlalala · 16/01/2017 00:59

After school club only provides snack such as piece of fruit or biscuit and drink of water/milk

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