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Original poster

Free breakfast club for all primary school kids

139 replies

ladykale · 08/07/2024 13:54

So the Labour government is planning to offer free breakfast clubs for all children at all state schools regardless of area.

Given that these are often run independently from schools themselves, if you have a state school in very close proximity to a private school, should private school parents be allowed to use this service, and if not, why not?

OP posts:
PuttingDownRoots · 08/07/2024 13:57

They are all run by the schools themselves round here.
Including the Private school.

Peoneve · 08/07/2024 13:58

ladykale · 08/07/2024 13:54

So the Labour government is planning to offer free breakfast clubs for all children at all state schools regardless of area.

Given that these are often run independently from schools themselves, if you have a state school in very close proximity to a private school, should private school parents be allowed to use this service, and if not, why not?

Do you know a private school that doesn't offer early drop off?

Greatmate · 08/07/2024 13:58

No. Children enrolled at the school use that schools resources. It's not a free for all. You can't just walk in ofc the street. It would cause safeguarding and insurance issues.

Meadowfinch · 08/07/2024 14:02

Every private school I know offers early drop-off and breakfast anyway.

It's part of the reason working parents pay the exorbitant fees. It means they can be on the 7.40 to Waterloo, and so hang on to their careers.

InTheRainOnATrain · 08/07/2024 14:05

Private schools generally have their own breakfast clubs and I don’t think anyone is so petty they’d want to drop their kids at a random school they don’t attend to get a free bowl of shreddies, especially not when money clearly isn’t an issue. Or am I missing something?

GeneralMusings · 08/07/2024 14:07

Schools here don't offer it. Would save a fortune in before school care.

UtterlyOtterly · 08/07/2024 14:08

I would hope parents or children could opt out without it being an issue.

YesThatsATurdOnTheRug · 08/07/2024 14:11

Every parent can choose paid for facilities or free facilities (with the choice being of course in part based on financial situation) if you're choosing paid for facilities then you don't get the free facilities that come with the state school choice.

Seems pretty basic to me, if you want a free breakfast club for your kids you are fully entitled to enroll your kids in a state school and access one.

RoseAndRose · 08/07/2024 14:13

I'd expect the pupils to be able to use the breakfast club only at their own school.

So those at private school would use the one there - if they have one (for they fall outside the scope of this measure) and pay accordingly.

See also universal 'free' lunches, which have been around for some years now.

IDontDrinkTea · 08/07/2024 14:14

I don’t know if it would benefit me much. There is an existing breakfast club at my child’s school that opens at 8. My other child’s nursery also opens at 8, but is a 10 minute drive away. My shift (NHS) also starts at 8. So overall it wouldn’t really help me much

Original poster
ladykale · 08/07/2024 14:15

All private schools don't seem to offer the wraparound element for free, so it adds to the cost if you do 7.30am for some it seems...

The particular case I'm thinking of the schools are opposite each other on the same road

OP posts:
Original poster
ladykale · 08/07/2024 14:17

InTheRainOnATrain · 08/07/2024 14:05

Private schools generally have their own breakfast clubs and I don’t think anyone is so petty they’d want to drop their kids at a random school they don’t attend to get a free bowl of shreddies, especially not when money clearly isn’t an issue. Or am I missing something?

Not petty... in this particular case, it came up as the family are already on a bursary, likely to pull their child out due to VAT increase depending on how much is passed on and were discussing any potential avenues to bring the cost down.

OP posts:
Original poster
ladykale · 08/07/2024 14:18

InTheRainOnATrain · 08/07/2024 14:05

Private schools generally have their own breakfast clubs and I don’t think anyone is so petty they’d want to drop their kids at a random school they don’t attend to get a free bowl of shreddies, especially not when money clearly isn’t an issue. Or am I missing something?

"When clearly money isn't an issue" rolls eyes

See previous post

OP posts:
Mrsttcno1 · 08/07/2024 14:19

No, it is for the pupils at that school. If nothing else it will be funded this way, school will receive £x to fund this for the number of pupils that they have and it is as simple as that really.

BusyCM · 08/07/2024 14:19

The children would still need taking to their school? Doesn't seem practical when you consider, space, term days, start times, etc etc...

Just seems like a bit of point scoring because you're annoyed about the VAT issue....

foodtoorder · 08/07/2024 14:24

If choosing to pay for private education why would you get to use state school provision?

Do private school children in ks1 get free school meals? (No idea?)

In my area all before or after school clubs are provided by the school they are based at. No outside provisions except in summer holidays so your example wouldn't apply in my area.

Namechanged11111 · 08/07/2024 14:25

And fuck all the kids at secondary school, let them starve.

After all we all know teenagers eat next to nothing anyway 🙄

Mrsttcno1 · 08/07/2024 14:31

Namechanged11111 · 08/07/2024 14:25

And fuck all the kids at secondary school, let them starve.

After all we all know teenagers eat next to nothing anyway 🙄

My understanding of the free breakfast clubs was that it is not solely to allow the kids to have breakfast, it is to provide free childcare to allow parents to get to work, being able to drop off your child at say 7:30 means it is easier for parents to find suitable jobs as if you can’t drop off until 9am and need to collect at 3pm, you can’t work a day really.

By secondary school age kids are not (usually) getting dropped off at school by parents and so parents can work earlier anyway.

ClonedSquare · 08/07/2024 14:31

Leaving aside the fact that I've never heard of a breakfast club that wasn't provided directly by the school for its own pupils...

How would the private school children get from the state school to their own school?

If the parents are having to hang around while they eat to then take them on to their school, surely that's actually less convenient than the kid just eating their breakfast at home. Or are you just being petty and insisting if the state kids get a 20p bowl of cornflakes for free so should yours?

InTheRainOnATrain · 08/07/2024 14:32

I still don’t get your point. The children in question would still need taking from the state school breakfast club to the private school by their parents so it couldn’t possibly be used to provide wrap around care, it would literally be just for a free breakfast and I doubt anyone at a private school even on a bursary where they still have to pay a portion of the fees and for things like uniform is at the point where a bowl of cereal is unaffordable for them. Doesn’t mean I don’t feel for the families who fear being pushed out by VAT and who are in limbo right now as they don’t know what will be passed on and if they can afford it. But this isn’t relevant. For example, KS1 kids in state schools get free school meals whilst private schools charge, or bundle it into the fees, it’s certainly not funded by the government. The idea of trying to pick my kid up at lunch and walk them round to the local state school to claim a free plate of fish fingers is quite frankly insane.

WednesdysChild · 08/07/2024 14:35

How would the kids get to their private school? It would be bedlam.

PinkChaires · 08/07/2024 14:35

Wouldn't it defeat the purpose- who would take the kid back to school? Can't be staff

crumblingschools · 08/07/2024 14:35

Not exactly the point, but I wonder who they are expecting to staff this, if a school doesn't already offer breakfast club or have many pupils currently attending?

crumblingschools · 08/07/2024 14:37

Do you think private school kids should be able to partake of the universal infant free school meals at the local state school too @ladykale

Teddybarr · 08/07/2024 14:38

I suspect the point OP is clumsily alluding to is that if there is funding provided from people's taxes for breakfast clubs then why shouldn't every child in the country benefit from this. People who pay for private schooling also pay taxes towards state provision after all.

I honestly can't see it happening anyway, are they expecting teachers to just come into work even earlier to staff it? Would children just use their classrooms, at which point is it really just an extension of the school day? Schools here only have on site private provision (as in, a private on site nursery offers it and walks the children to school) or people use childminders.