Breakfast clubs help children get the best start in life

Children in Wigan and across the country deserve the best start in life and our proposals will help to raise standards in schools, ease the cost of sending children to school and stop vulnerable children falling through the cracks.

One important measure which I know will make a difference to children and families in our area is the new requirement that all children in state-funded primary schools are given the option of attending a breakfast club for free.

The Government already announced the tripling of investment in breakfast clubs and hundreds of schools across the country are set to trial the free breakfast club scheme ahead of it being rolled-out.

Throughout the North West, 45 per cent of children are reported to be arriving at school hungry every day, with 60 per cent of teachers believing this to be due to a lack of food at home.

Recent figures from the Department of Work and Pensions reveal that nearly a quarter of children in Wigan live in poverty and the cost-of-living crisis has also led to more pupils relying on schools for help outside of their educational needs.

Evidence shows that providing a healthy school breakfast at the start of the school day can contribute to improved readiness to learn, increased concentration and improved wellbeing and behaviour. Amongst schools that currently provide a breakfast club, the time is also often used to provide additional support to pupils including tuition time with school staff.

It has also been shown that offering a free breakfast can particularly encourage children from lower income households to attend school early, meaning they would benefit from both the breakfast club and other support that may be provided by the school.

At the same time, the increased availability of free breakfast clubs will provide a valuable source of childcare for parents at the beginning of the day and could save families as much as £450 a year compared to current paid-for breakfast clubs.

Research shows over half of parents say they have problems finding formal childcare that is flexible enough to meet their needs, while four in ten mothers say they have had to work fewer hours than they would like because of childcare costs.

Of course, many schools already offer excellent before school support, including breakfast clubs, but under the last Conservative Government such clubs were available in just one in ten primary schools across England. At present there can also be a cost attached to breakfast clubs which could act as a barrier to some children attending. By making this an option available free to all, around 26,500 primary school pupils across Wigan Borough could be set to benefit.

Free breakfast clubs will help boost parents’ work choices as well as improving children’s life chances and will play an important part in this Government’s mission to break down the barriers to opportunity for every child at every stage of their lives.