Pupils in every primary school will get a free breakfast club under the government’s plans announced in the King’s Speech yesterday.
The proposal is part of the Children’s Wellbeing Bill. Once approved, the bill will require “free breakfast clubs in every primary school to ensure that every child, no matter their circumstances, is well prepared for the school day and can achieve their full potential”.
The bill also says: “Breakfast clubs will help tackle poverty by helping children get ready for the school day and support families with the cost of living”.
It also includes proposed changes to uniform requirements, tracking of home-schooled children, and giving Ofsted more powers on enforcing standards.
“We are pleased to see children’s health on the agenda, but more detail is needed on the implementation of food provision”, commented charity School Food Matters.
“We are also calling for even further food provision through extending free school meals to all children, alongside increased food education, and updating the school food standards.”
Nursery Kitchen, a charity focusing on early years education, shared disappointment at the news of pre-school nutrition “yet again taking a backseat in legislative priorities”.
“We should be giving children the earliest opportunity to form healthy habits, so it’s mind-boggling as to why early years nutrition doesn’t appear to be a core focus for our new government,” said Nursery Kitchen MD Jonny Player.
“The Children’s Wellbeing Bill presents the perfect opportunity to put a spotlight on nutrition in the early years, and yet nothing’s been included about it.
“The only nod to child nutrition is the government’s commitment to free breakfast clubs, but that is purely across primary schools. There will surely need to be thorough management of what’s served at these breakfast clubs, ensuring food is nutritionally balanced – so why can’t these standards and regulations be applied to nurseries?”
The Federation of Wholesale Distributors welcomed the government’s move in the direction of “ensuring that children grow up in a safe, healthy and happy schooling environment”.
“While we await further details of the government’s proposal, we will look to ensure that our industry is represented and wholesalers are able to play an active role in delivering breakfast clubs in the future,”
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