Free breakfast club-offensive government campaign

[JTT95]

The government has lost the plot. This campaign is ridicolous. Listing things you could do instead of having breakfast with your child (while the child eats processed toast and jam or cereal at school instead of sharing a family meal). They are pushing some strange anti-family agenda.

Listing things you could do instead of having breakfast with your child (while the child eats processed toast and jam or cereal at school instead of sharing a family meal)

Starting the day by sitting down at the table together to enjoy a "family meal" made from scratch is not the reality for many, many families.

The poster is daft, but so is thinking that a family meal is the alternative to breakfast clubs when that's simply not the reality for most people who are juggling getting kids to school with trying to get to work on time.

how does your family juggle two jobs and primary school aged children, getting everyone to the right place in the mornings inc commutes etc?

Not the op but most people i know have an arrangement where both mum & dad work either flexibly/part time or from home at least 2 days a week, so a parent can drop the children in the morning 4 days out of 5. That leaves one morning, which most cover with a grandparent, a childminder or a swap with a friend. Our school has quite an early opening time which makes it easier.

OP why are you so upset about mothers having jobs? Because that’s what it comes down to for you isn’t it?

It’s a joke - it’s explaining how much time you can ‘get back’ over the year.

Most breakfast clubs are for about 30 minutes in the morning, and the very vast majority of parents will be needing to get to work - and this makes their day cheaper and easier vs having to organise additional private childcare for every weekday.

Look if someone is daft enough to make their kid go to breakfast club purely because “the government says so” then what can you do. I doubt that happens much in reality.

I don’t mind if people use it to work but why that rubbish list?

Right - so having a daily breakfast clubs which allows slightly earlier drop off makes life much easier vs having to arrange all sorts of elaborate plans and negotiations with work because you can’t physically drop your child off then get to work on time…!

Yeap. The time I put the TV on and realised I was watching Bluey on my mine, was a parenting low point.

Nah Bluey is fine

What false advertising

By the time most people get to an airport and check in times etc, there's no way you're taking that many flights to spain.

I see it at our school. The kids of the poorest parents are being fed all this shit, while the better off kids have parents who can afford to work part time/flexibly/wfh and are arriving at school having had porridge and fresh fruit, eggs and home made sourdough toast.

I should think millions of comfortably off children are still eating cereal and UPF bread before school. Less than half the adult population is switching to low / no UPF.

Maybe those who can’t afford to feed children shouldn’t have them? Personally I don’t see why the tax payer has mop up shit choices by people unable to balance their books. Yes it is patronising, but I guess they think that’s their market? The stupid and the ill equipped. Children should be fed by their parents - that’s the core job.

Have you ever tried shoving a 5 year old back up your chuff after losing your job or your husband has left?

How'd that go?

Well the husband still need to buy the kid breakfast - and needs jailing if not.

Don’t be obtuse. The OP is referring to HOW the service is being marketed, rather than the fact it exists.

And I agree. It’s very tongue-in-cheek for a government branch that is massively in crisis.

How nicely idealistic.

There is sometimes a theme to people’s threads.

Sure - but how it is marketed matters.

I run a food bank. We market it in a way that tries to minimise stigma, rather than “Free food for people on the bones of their arse”. But if I put a sign up saying “Shop here so you save the driving time to Waitrose” I’d correctly be told it was inappropriate. And that seems to be what the government is doing with this campaign. It’s jokey and tongue in cheek in an inappropriate way.

We have had one at our High School for years, supported by a local food producer.

Made a big difference… got our persistently late Students there in time, helped concentration in young people who were counting down the time until lunch, at exam time it makes sure everyone has eaten and is ready to go.

It’s just a really good start to the day, socially and nutritionally.

I think they are trying to remove guilt and stigma to be honest. I’m not sure this particular ad works though.

Unfortunately these are the schemes being closed down by the "free" breakfast clubs
https://schoolsweek.co.uk/snap-crackle-and-flop-breakfast-clubs-have-rocky-launch/

A poorly thought out campaign. No one is actually going to say: "right, kids in BC, let's go to Spain. One down, 22 to go". They tried to be funny, they were not. Of all the things this government and ones before it is failing /failed to do (like proper support for working parents, failing to set out any robust policies to reduce various inequalities, etc) this wouldn't be on my list of things to get worked up about. Mild annoyance yes. Nothing more than that

Imagine getting a bee in your bonnet about breakfast clubs.

There’s a posh nursery near us that doesn’t do breakfast. Claims it’s because “children should have breakfast with their family for their wellbeing.” When I read that I was like, come off it! You just don’t want to do it because it’ll cost money. At least be honest about it rather than cloaking it in some psychobabble.

I never had breakfast with my family because I was always late. I’d eat my toast walking to the bus stop and somehow survived not sitting down with my parents every morning.

The state nurseries provide breakfast, and I’m glad because some of the kids won’t be getting food at home.

It’s a stupid poster BUT I support the breakfast club initiative because:

1. that extra time in the morning means a working parent may be able to accept a job that may not otherwise available. This will help women the most as they tend to be the ones most likely to give. up work for child caring reasons.
2. number 1 above is good for the economy and the economic benefits alone justify the scheme.
3. There is a huge problem with children refusing to go to school post covid. My understanding is that children who can go to breakfast club are more likely to go to school. It can be a less stressful start and easier transition to the school day for them.
4. number 3 above improves the educational outcomes for those children. There is plenty of data that shows how important it is for children to be in school.
5. number 3 above means more parents can get to work rather than having to manage a school refuser at home. This is good for the economy.
6. productivity (or lack thereof) is one of the problems holding back the economy. Having an extra 30 minutes in the morning can really help to boost productivity for working parents- getting to work earlier, etc
7. Inflation has hit families very hard. This is one way to help them out- the government covers breakfast club costs for those currently paying and giving families some reprieve.
8. it’s completely optional, there is no anti family agenda!

I won’t be using it because I can work from home and have a lot of flexibility in my job. But I think it’s a really smart idea and delivers help where it is needed.

My son’s school used to do a cooked breakfast each morning with cereal and fruit options.
Now it’s cereal or toast which my son won’t eat as the “toast is burnt”. We still pay the same amount though.
funding is going down all round.