Breakfast clubs are being rolled out to a number of schools across the Liverpool City Region
Minister for Early Education Stephen Morgan speaking with Castleway Primary School pupils during a recent visit(Image: DfE)
Parents across Merseyside have been told they could save up to £450 each year as the government plans to introduce free breakfast clubs in every primary school across the country.
From April, the UK Government began rolling out free breakfast clubs to an initial 750 schools across the country including 23 across the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and seven within Wirral. Last week the government also announced it would be extending free school meals to those on Universal Credit.
During a visit to community school Castleway Primary School in Leasowe on the Wirral, Minister for Early Education Stephen Morgan said the breakfast clubs would help save parents’ money as well as give children a better start to the day.
The government plans to roll out the scheme eventually to every primary school in the country with six already delivering the scheme.
Mr Morgan told the ECHO: “What I see when I visit schools like this is the real joy these breakfast clubs bring children. They’re socialising with each other, they’re learning, they’re having a bit of fun.
“They’re also getting a food offer and what we’re supporting is at least 30 minutes of funded childcare. What I’ve seen today is children are confident, they’re resilient, they’re excited about starting the school day.”
He said: “We want to introduce breakfast clubs to every primary school in the country and we want to do that as quickly as we possibly can.
“We’re investing in 750 early adopter schools across the country and what I’ve heard today is it’s a really good scheme to get children ready ahead of the school day. There’s always challenges and we’re keen to work through those.”
He said the breakfast clubs would save parents’ money alongside government funded childcare, the free school meals announcement, and school uniform costs, adding: “It’s a package of measures which I think will address some of the cost of living pressures that families are facing.
“I’m proud to be part of a government that’s a mission driven government that wants to break down barriers to opportunities for every child so wherever they live whatever their background, they can succeed and thrive.”
Castleway Primary School Stuart Mycroft and Minister for Early Education Stephen Morgan.(Image: DfE)
At Castleway, just under half of the pupils are eligible for free school meals. Stuart Mycroft, its headteacher, said the school had previously offered just a paid breakfast club but the new government funding meant they were able offer part of the service for free from April.
He said this meant more pupils were now attending the breakfast club each day, adding: “Especially the families that are joining us that wouldn’t have been before, we have seen that cheerier start to the day, a bit more of an informal time as children are there playing outside.
“Staff are there doing one to one reading with them so they just have that softer start to the day ahead of them going into the classroom.
He told the ECHO schools were “very different places to what they were five years ago, never mind ten years ago,” adding: “Schools have become masters at doing more with less so the fact this funding is coming in now and is enabling us to do a little bit more and putting some money back in the bank to be able to provide that to families is positive.”