Labour has today announced plans to roll out breakfast clubs to every primary school in England, providing access to fully-funded childcare and a healthy meal for every child. Currently around 450,000 primary school pupils across the North West have limited access to breakfast clubs, according to the Party’s analysis.
69% of primary schools in the North West have “barriers” to disadvantaged children and young people accessing provision, including the cost both families and schools of running breakfast clubs, a perceive lack of need in areas of high deprivation and caps on places for children on Free School Meals.
Figures from Magic Breakfast show that, nationally, 3,021 primary schools, 18% of the total, do not offer breakfast clubs, leaving 838,000 primary school children with no access to breakfast clubs equivalent to nearly 28,000 classes of 30. Among schools that do offer a breakfast club 55% of schools in England had barriers to access.
The research comes as Bridget Phillipson, Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary, today unveiled Labour’s pledge to offer a fully-funded Breakfast Club in every primary school in England.
Making the announcement at the party’s annual conference, the Shadow Education Secretary said Labour’s plan will enable parents to work as well as strengthening children’s development, driving up standards in reading, writing and maths, contrasting this with the Conservatives’ failure to close the education attainment gap and support parents with young children to continue working the jobs and hours they choose.
The “landmark” new approach to childcare will be funded by abolishing non-dom tax status for the global super rich. The party says that, under its plans, families could save over £60 a week compared to other forms of before school childcare, amid the cost-of-living crisis.
Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson MP, said: “That so many children do not have full access to crucial before-school childcare deals a damaging blow to families up and down this country.
“The evidence is clear: breakfast clubs raise standards of learning for children, give parents choices and will help us build the economy of the future.
“That is why the next Labour government will offer a breakfast club in every primary school in England, as the first step on the road to a modern system of childcare.”
