Breakfast Clubs Will Save Families £450 A Year

Photo by Nyana Stoica on Unsplash

From April, over 300,000 children across England will get access to free breakfast clubs at their primary school thanks to the Labour government’s new initiative (a subject I interviewed the PM, Sir Keir Starmer about last November).

The government is expanding this programme to help families with the cost of living and to help make mornings easier for everyone.

This is a huge step towards supporting working mothers too, something I’ve been advocating for since needing to pivot into a digital career back in 2010 and having my first child after a successful career as a screenwriter and director.

What’s in it for you?

Save money

• Families can save up to £450 a year on breakfast costs
• The clubs are completely free – no forms, no eligibility checks, no means testing
• Everyone can access them, which means no awkwardness or stigma

Save time

• Families get back up to 95 hours over the school year – that’s two working weeks in a year. Extra time in the morning to get to work, look after younger children, or just have a calmer start to the day
• Less morning rush and stress

Better for your children

• A healthy breakfast helps children concentrate and learn
• Schools already running the programme have seen better attendance and behaviour
• Children enjoy the social time with friends before lessons start

The key facts

• Over 7 million meals have already been served through the programme
• Nearly half of parents (45%) now prioritise schools that offer free breakfast clubs
• 6 in 10 parents say they’re more likely to use support when it’s available to everyone, not families ‘in need’
• 1,500 more schools will join in September, with 680,000 children set to benefit

Part of a bigger picture

The government is also helping families in other ways:

• 30 hours of free childcare a week (saving up to £7,500 per year)
• Free school meals expanded to half a million more children (saving up to £500 per year)
• New school-based nurseries creating more places
• Lower costs for school uniforms

Want to know where they are?

Check out the map on the Education Hub: Free breakfast club roll out: everything you need to know  – The Education Hub.

Photo by frogses production on Unsplash.