Free daily breakfast clubs have been announced, allowing “families and children in every corner of England” to benefit. The government will confirm the first 750 schools which will offer the scheme, saving parents £450 annually.
From April, the schools chosen for the breakfast club in all nine regions will launch the “historic” program. An early adopter phase is set to inform the government’s “landmark” roll-out, allowing all parents to access the scheme.
“Delivering on promises made to working parents in the government’s manifesto, all primary aged children in early adopter schools will be able to access a free breakfast and at least 30 minutes of free childcare, every day, helping to support parents getting into work by dropping their children off half an hour earlier,” the government said.
“Schools are encouraged to offer healthy, varied and nutritious breakfasts, with examples from wheat bisks and porridge to fresh fruit and yoghurt,” it added. “The early adopter schools also provide the perfect setting to host activities including arts and crafts, educational puzzles, reading and more.”
Universal free breakfast clubs are part of the government’s Plan for Change which aims to remove barriers to opportunity by “making sure every child starts the school day ready to learn.” Research shows, according to the government, that such measures can have a lasting impact on children’s behaviour, attendance, and attainment.
“Making sure no child starts school hungry, the scheme also has an important role to play in the government’s commitment to remove the stain of child poverty, as out of the 180,000 children who will benefit in the early adopter schools, around 67,000 attend schools in deprived areas,” according to the government.”
The breakfast clubs will be joined with a “raft of measures” aiming to reduce costs to families. These include plans to cut uniform costs with a cap on branded items, and govnerment-funded childcare.
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