School breakfast clubs will 'put £450 back in parents pockets' claims education secretary on visit to Amble

Bridget Phillipson was speaking on a visit to Amble Links Primary School – one of 56 in the region to be part of the first tranche of schools to benefit from the new scheme.

The so-called early adopter scheme, set to begin next month, will inform the Government’s wider rollout.

Under the proposals, all primary-aged children will be able to access a free breakfast and at least 30 minutes of free childcare every day.

The Secretary of State visited the school alongside Northumberland Labour leader Coun Scott Dickinson and North Northumberland MP David Smith.

Ms Phillipson said: “We know that lots of children arrive at school not ready to learn. Sometimes that is because they haven’t had a good start to the day with breakfast.

“I am delighted that, from April, the first 750 schools in England will start providing free breakfast clubs for parents that want to take up the opportunity. Obviously it is a big boost for parents at the start of the working day – it allows them to better combine work and family life.

“Crucially, the evidence is really clear about the impact it has on children’s attainment, on their well-being and on their behaviour. It was fantastic to hear from the staff today about how they’re really excited to be part of that early adopter programme.

“They can really see the benefits of it and I’m delighted Labour has been able to move so rapidly and to deliver on their manifesto commitment.”

The Government also see the policy as a key part of the bid to reduce child poverty. Of the 180,000 children who will benefit in the early adopter schools, around 67,000 attend schools in deprived areas.

Recent statistics show that there are around 165,000 children living in poverty in the North East – around a third of all children and the highest rate of any region in the country.

Ms Phillipson continued: “We do face unacceptably high levels of child poverty in our region and across our country. There is a lot more that we will need to do to bring down those numbers but a great start to the day with breakfast clubs will make a really big difference.

“We estimate that it will save parents up to £450 a year. That’s a big boost at a time when lots and lots of families are finding it really tough.”

Amble Links Primary School already has a breakfast club running daily from 7.45am. Children are able to come along and enjoy cereal, toast and a drink before playing with friends. At the moment, this costs £1.50 per session or £2 per session for children arriving before 8am.

Head teacher Paul Heeley said: “For us, it’s not just about the food it is about the family atmosphere. It is a big family when they come in the morning.

“The children have a lot of free time and they are able to mix with each other. They all look after each other and support each other.

“For us, the club is much more about the social and emotional side of it. We’re not seeing huge amounts of hunger, but when we do see it we are able to offer them more food.

“We have always run ours very cheaply – running it for free will open it up to even more people. We currently get around 15 and 30 pupils, around 20% of the eligible cohort – I think that could double.”

However, Northumberland Conservatives voiced concerns that the basic daily rate of 60p per pupil was far too low.

"We strongly urge the government to be more realistic about the costs involved, before it attempts to roll out this policy nationally," said Cllr Guy Renner-Thompson, education lead at Northumberland County Council.

“I echo the concerns of school leaders who tell me 60p per day falls far short of what these schemes cost. The truth is this is a token amount of money which is more about generating nice headlines for the Government than feeding children.

“If the Secretary of State for Education wanted to see real investment in education while she was in Amble, we could have met to discuss our £39m investment in the Coquet Partnerships of schools. The new King Edwin Primary School and Barndale-by-the-Sea special needs school are open to pupils and work is going to start on the new state of the art secondary school later this month to open to pupils in 2026. That is real investment in our children from Northumberland Conservatives.”