To think that funding free breakfast clubs is wrong-headed?

[WaahWaahWinston]

Government is to fund free breakfast clubs for all primary school children. This doesn't strike me as the best use of money for schools; I imagine there are better things to spend money on that would be of greater educational benefit to children.

It may help a tiny proportion of families but breakfast is probably the easiest and cheapest meal for families to provide to children. (I doubt breakfast clubs will be providing full English or other cooked breakfasts of the sort that one could argue families are hard-pushed to provide.)

So I don't see the compelling need. Why spend money on this of all things, when there must be other improvements that could be funded which would improve education specifically?

I could understand it if it was targeted at vulnerable children but it just seems to be a pointless waste of money, especially in those areas where families can full well afford a decent breakfast for their kids and/or afford breakfast club,

Have you ever lived, worked or known children who turn up to school hungry?

Learning in the morning is impossible if you are hungry. Hunger can make children more disruptive too because they are uncomfortable.

It is probably less expensive doing it for every child rather than having administrative tasks identifying those in need.

Personally, I am happy for it. Thankfully, my DC went to school abroad for their early years and this was provided free of charge to all children.

I agree. I don’t know how they are going to fund the staff, find space etc. Also it is unfair on working parents who rely on wraparound care that now might be oversubscribed.

Call me suspicious, but I suspect it’s more about getting mothers back into work than it is about hungry children. If you can drop children at breakfast club at 8, then you can easily be at work somewhere for 9… which is much easier than finding a job that’ll let you start after dropping the kids off at 8:45.

At 63p per child is don't think many schools will be taking it up. It is impossible to fund on that money once staff, food, heating other utilities are taken into account. A lot of schools have pulled out of the trials when they realised what money would be given to them and said it is impossible to fund.

Alleviating child poverty is investing for the future and saves money in the long run. As any fool knows

Getting heartily sick of these poverty baiting posts.

I don’t think it’s about the food though is it, it’s about the childcare so more people can go to work in the morning…

I get what you mean but even if 10 percent need a breakfast and they get that .then those kids can concentrate at school .and I don't think any of us who have never been hungry can really understand I am not talking wagi beef here for tea or organic eggs Benedict wirh early grey tea for breakfast .but I know a school dinner Kady who tells ne sad stories of some poor children not being fed much friday lunch until Monday school breakfast. OK there us probably other reasons in said house but we can grudge a wee soul some toast yogurt and a bit fruit every school morning x

@SulkySeagull I'm all for an extra half hour of school...but make it an extra half hour of teaching!! Or homework club at the very least. Not just free childcare.

Exactly.

It's like they don't care that some children go to school hungry.

I once worked for a local authority that provided cheap (not free) breakfast clubs. It was promoted as a way to address poverty and help working parents. However, its main intentions were to improve education by getting children to start school on time and to attend school in the first place – but this was kept quiet.

It's not about hungry children. It's about getting kids in school and getting mothers in work.

And like everything they do for kids, it's woefully underfunded already.

If it’s free for everyone, it’s much, much more likely to be taken up by those who need it - there’s still stigma attached to poverty.

Children who are hungry cannot learn or play.

I think schools very much care that children go to school hungry, but with the funding the government have given for this, the numbers don't add up for a lot of schools! Especially with the way the tories decimated school funding. They are struggling so much already. To then have to fund some of the breakfast club costs as the government don't pay enough (the same with early years funded hours) it will break the schools completely.

I completely agree with you. As I understand it the breakfast consists of cereals which companies like Kelloggs may provide the school with for free, and toast which has to be done by someone who volunteers to help to do all this. I used to do a temporary job in a primary school allocating all the fruit to all classrooms. The fruit was great quality but mainly not eaten by the children.

Orphan Crushing Machine.

And you’d be correct in your suspicions.

A third of children are in poverty and there's little assistance for struggling parents. I knew a little girl whose mum gave her a coke and packet of crisps for breakfast.

In some areas children go through the day hungry and they can't focus. It's a sticking plaster.

I'm happy that we are feeding children.

Well if it's not about food and hunger (which I struggle to believe that it is, given that bread and bananas and cereal are not the most expensive foods by any stretch), then I wish they would be honest with us about what it's about.

It's only by being honest with us what policies are about that people can have a proper debate / understanding about the pros and cons of said policy or form a view on the wisdom of money being spent in a particular way.

Gad not another mean-spirited poster banging on about sending money on child poverty.

I have taught fast growing teenagers whose families could not afford breakfast. They were allowed a ‘free’ lunch. I think means testing is expensive. Children need food and eating together is sociable.

If the reason the children are hungry is because they're living in poverty or social deprivation then will their parents take them to the breakfast clubs?

It's only 30 minutes free so if your child starts at 08:45 then it's only from 08:15. I can't see any private or current paid school ones panicking over this as people who pay in excess of £6 a session for drop off at 07:30 won't be taking up the offer of a free 30 minutes.

I think it's a nudge to getting mothers back to work and getting the economy going. And if it helps children who need feeding and helping them concentrate on lessons, so much the better and there's no stigma because it's open to all. Great policy.