Ministers are coming under mounting pressure to extend free breakfast clubs in primary schools to cover pupils in special schools and alternative provision to ensure they do not miss out on Labour’s leading education policy.
The government is planning to unveil the children’s wellbeing bill early next year, outlining plans for free breakfast clubs in all primary schools in England. Ministers say the project – one of its key promises before the 4 July general election – will help children concentrate more in school, and make a big contribution to the wider fight against poverty by saving “hard-working parents” more than £400 every year.
But charities and organisations working with Send (special educational needs and disabilities) schools, and other institutions such as pupil referral units, are insisting that the legislation must refer to all “primary aged pupils” rather than just “primary schools” to make sure that many of those most in need are not left out.
A chief concern is that parents of disabled children often face greater financial pressures than other parents, and are therefore more prone to hardship and sliding into poverty.
Lindsey MacDonald, chief executive of Magic Breakfast, a charity that provides the food and arranges deliveries for more than 200,000 children across England and Scotland, said it was “crucial that the opportunities a free school breakfast provides are available to all, so that no child is too hungry to learn”.
Stephen Kingdom, campaign manager of the Disabled Children’s Partnership, pointed to research showing the financial pressures on parents looking after children with disabilities: “When thinking about school breakfast, it’s vital that pupils in settings other than primary schools are offered the same support as their peers. To do otherwise would be unjustified.
“Research from Pro Bono Economics, commissioned by the Disabled Children’s Partnership, found that couples in work with disabled children earn an average of £274 less each week than couples with nondisabled children. The financial, practical and social benefits that school breakfast delivers are clearly needed to support children, families and communities in all schools.”
Theresa Allotey, chief financial officer of the Agora Learning Partnership, which oversees 10 primary schools in Hertfordshire and is set to open a new 60-place special school in 2025, added: “It is crucial that the forthcoming legislation is crafted to maximise its reach and positively influence as many children and young adults as possible within our educational community.”
The calls for education secretary Bridget Phillipson to widen the scope of the programme come before chancellor Rachel Reeves’s first budget on 30 October in which she promises to start filling a £22bn black hole left by the Tories.
Labour’s election manifesto committed to spending £315m on breakfast clubs in 2028–29, but without further details of what model of provision would be adopted or what the anticipated take-up would be. A food-only model, such as breakfast in the classroom, is cheaper than a programme that combines food with childcare, which requires more staff time, typically from teaching assistants and teachers.
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MacDonald is pushing for ministers to ensure that schools offer a variety of ways of providing food to children, rather just one session as the start of the day, which some may miss.
“We want to see breakfast provision, not just breakfast clubs,” she says.“This means, where viable, offering classroom provision, late provision and ‘grab ’n’ go’ offers, so no child is too hungry to learn.
“In turn, this will help school leaders to address challenges around attendance, class behaviour, learning, mental and physical health, and issues around job satisfaction and teaching staff retention in schools.”
A spokesperson for the Department for Education said: “Breakfast clubs will ensure every child, no matter their circumstances, is well prepared for school and can achieve their full potential by providing a supportive start to the day. We will work closely with the sector as we develop the breakfast club programme and will share the details in due course.”
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