The Government’s new breakfast club initiative has been officially unveiled, with 750 schools across nine regions of England poised to join the programme from the start of the summer term.
This will enable children to receive a free breakfast 30 minutes before the school day begins. A Department for Education report highlighted that 180,000 pupils in the “most disadvantaged communities” will have access to these clubs from April.
The first schools to implement the new clubs will reportedly reach out to families directly with details on how to register. The full list of early adopter schools can be found here. These schools were specifically selected for the early adopter scheme to represent all school types, sizes and geographical areas across England.
Although the scheme is set to commence in April, individual schools can determine their exact start date. If your child’s school is not part of this initial rollout, it is not the end of the story as there are plans to further expand the scheme to all primary schools.
The Government aims to use the early adopter schools as a learning curve to test and refine various approaches to ensure it the scheme effectively benefits local communities.
Each chosen school will receive a lump sum to establish the scheme and a recurring sum per term to assist with costs. These payments will be received in arrears based on the number of children attending the club to cover expenses such as staffing.
The initiative is aimed at ensuring that youngsters have a nourishing start to their day, with the expectation of enhancing pupil behaviour, boosting attendance rates, and raising educational achievement.
The meals on offer are guaranteed to be “healthy, nutritious and varied”, in strict accordance with School Food Standards. These clubs will present opportunities for children to engage in activities such as reading alongside their peers before lessons begin.
Additionally, the provision will permit parents to leave their kids at school half an hour earlier without incurring extra charges. Working families stand to make substantial savings, potentially up to £450 annually through this programme.
