Free breakfast clubs for ALL primary school children? Why?

[Safi7]

I’ve been overseas since the election so a bit out of the loop, but is it true that Labour are going to make it standard that all primary schools must now offer free breakfasts to all children, regardless of need?

Fair enough for children from deprived families - but all children?

Where is the money for this coming from?

Are Labour actually saying that in 2024, its now to much to expect parents to actually bother to feed their own children breakfast? This responsibility can just be pushed onto schools instead - as if they haven’t got enough on? Teachers are leaving in droves as it is. Du much is out in them - the jobs is becoming more like social work in too many cases. Who will staff these breakfast clubs and make sure kids are actually eating?

Surely this is just encouraging lazy parenting - ie parents who can well afford cereal / toast / eggs etc it but just won’t bother if their kids can eat at school instead. Plus children will be dumped at school earlier than necessary, just because parents can now get away with it?

Surely it’s better to direct resources where they are actually needed, rather than turn schools into free cafes? Makes no sense.

Why do you imagine parents who don't need it would use it?! I don't work and there is no way I'll be getting my kids out the house extra early just to avoid toasting them a bit of bread?!

If/when I go back to work or if I otherwise needed it I'd be extremely grateful.

It’s about it being a level playing field too, if it’s done as a “you don’t have much money so you can come” thing then for too many pride would stop them using it. Having it universal stops there being any stigma related.

for many children having a much more relaxed start to the day helps massively. Getting children into school earlier also means they are in and ready for the start of lessons.

Starting the day having had breakfast is known to help. Making it universally available I think will help many. I doubt there are many school staff who haven’t had to go and find food for a child who has come into school hungry for whatever reason.

All schools in our city already do this, the kids aren’t rocking up for a buffet - it’s porridge and toast mostly.

1. Children focus better when they aren’t hungry, there can be many reasons kids don’t eat or eat enough at home including: parental income, parents needing to rush them to school, kids who don’t like to eat the moment they wake.

2. offering to everyone takes away the stigma of only the ‘poor’ kids being eligible, making the ‘poor’ kids more likely to go for the break fast.

3. creates good eating habits, eating with friends makes it more likely the children will sit and eat

4. Allows parents to send their kids to school for 8am, early, knowing that they’re doing something supervised

5. In DCs secondary ( state) a lot of the free extra curricular activity is available early - swimming is 7am eg, there are several other sports that have 7.30am starts, the gym is available from 7am, GCSE students can use the library and/or study rooms from 7am, music studios are open from 7am for students to go practice… breakfast being available means they can eat after these early activities.
   The school canteen also offers paid options.

We’re one of the richest nations on earth - we can afford to give our youngest citizens food and make sure they are at their best for learning. An educated population benefits everyone.

Does this answer your question?

Why would lazy parents prefer toget up an hour earlier - when it's still dark in winter- rather than pour a bowl of cereal??!?

That's not what people use breakfast club🙄

It'll help parents get to work on time, it'll stop children being hungry at school, which will improve behaviour and attainment, and it'll be a nicer start to the school day for many children, helping them switch from home-mode to school-mode. Making it for everyone saves on checks for means testing and takes away the stigma of being poor enough to be eligible.

Just hope it won't be sugary cereals or crap like that. A bowl of porridge and fruit or salad bits would be good.

It's not MAINLY about that, that's just one factor as to why this is useful

Starting school earlier and expecting young children to spend even more time studying is unreasonable, they would get tired and bored and distracted

A breakfast club means they can wake up and get settled first

That’s why my son goes. He doesn’t eat there but the easier start to the day helps him massively.

There already are breakfast clubs at majority if not all schools in my area- they have their own staff so cant see this would be an issue. I would imagine the vast majority of parents who use breakfast club (including me) do so in order to get to work on time, not because they can't be bothered to feed their child or to dump them at school earlier than necessary. It's much easier and lazier to get up a bit later, have a more relaxed morning and actually feed my child- which I manage to do on the days I don't work.

one of my kids never goes, the other eats at home but goes usually and sits with a couple of friends who do use the free option. Sometimes she will have a bit of toast there. One friend I know has parents working NHS shifts, one is from a lower income background.Regardless, it’s a nice low key intro to the school
day - and they get a lot of the chat out before class.

I’m all for breakfast clubs for those who need it. I do take the point about stigmatising, but won’t that happen anyway? Some will be there every day and others won’t?

They shouldn’t need to have breakfast clubs mitigate lateness to actual lessons. They shouldn’t be late anyway!

Yes and it's wonderful because it means there is no stigma around a free school lunch as the majority of children are having them. I really like that my son gets a hot meal at lunchtime as he's incredibly hungry by that point. My DP qualified for free school lunches as a child and remembers the embarrassment of being called to the front of the class to collect his tokens for lunch.

I suppose the main idea is that every child has a place if the family needs it and to support parents working and paying taxes while doing so.
And that any method of proving need is complicated, costly to arrange, so a place for anyone who wants it might be the easiest way.

Well off families with SAHP don't need it, but they won't use it, they won't deprive their children of extra sleep and bio eco organic food.

Working parents will get a guaranteed place and discount on a wraparound care - so even those with lower paid jobs will be able to afford to work longer hours if they want. That's great.

Children from families in challenging situation will eat in the morning and be in time for school. That's great.

I suppose it might create some family friendly term time only jobs. Bonus.

I wouldn't be surprised if the extra taxes from the extra work parents can take on would pay for a piece of toast for their children at school.

And what about the teachers who are parents? If schools all start at 8, when do they drop their kids off? And do schools finish earlier to compensate, meaning parents need to leave work earlier to pick up?

As PPs have said, it's unlikely to be teachers who are staffing the breakfast clubs so starting earlier would have a cost, and probably more than a few bowls of cornflakes and loaves of bread.

There's a lot of families who are struggling but not eligible for free school meals. Lots of people don't seem to want the 2 child benefit cap to end because they feel parents are rewarded for having more children than they can afford: this is one way to support children directly. It also provides support for parents to work, allowing "the economy to grow" as Labour hope and also fewer families in poverty.

If some particular children feel it’s a ‘soft start’ to the school day then ok, I hear that, but conversely, other kids will be perpetually more tired due to earlier mornings and longer school days.

Our school does a paid for breakfast club but also does free toast from the gates opening to closing time. It's great. My dc have breakfast on days that are not in breakfast club and then have more toast and have a sit and chat with their friends. Or if dd1 absolutely does not want breakfast she gets some at school. It also encourages kids to get there on time.

Why would anyone be against children having free food and parents having more opportunities for work open to them. But mostly small children getting nice things, surely we want to be a kind, generous society.

I'm a supply teacher and I've noticed more and more schools are giving every child something to eat first thing in the morning. More often than not a piece of bagel.

I think it's a really lovely thing, and I would absolutely support it, I just think the OP is so wrong thinking parents are so 'lazy' they would 'take advantage'. My kids are still little so wouldn't be able to take them selves to go for a chat with their friends, it's lovely that your DC does that.

I like this 👌🏼

I can't speak for the whole lazy community, but as a lazy person myself, the lazy way would definitely be to feed DD some toast at home whilst I flop about in my dressing gown for an extra half an hour, rather than get ready earlier for the sake of a free slice of bread.

What will they be providing as actual food? UPFs? Or whole grains...

It's not mandatory, children aren't being forced to go to the breakfast club

Why? It doesn't necessarily mean they are getting up earlier. They are just spending some of their time in the morning with their peers at breakfast club as opposed to being at home.

Well what time do these breakfast clubs start?

Means testing something makes it vastly more expensive to deliver.

Free breakfast clubs for all mean:

• those ND children who struggle with transitions between settings have an easier time
• those who skip breakfast because they don’t like to eat the moment they wake up are more likely to eat
• those parents struggling with timings for getting to work have more leeway
• those who would avoid free provision because of pride or stigma can now access it

AND the 30% of children living in poverty get a guaranteed first meal of the day.

It’s got nothing to do with lazy or entitled parents, @Safi7 , and everything to do with taking a pragmatic approach.