Will Messrs Reeves and Raynor Still Be Around This Time Next Year?

Our breakfast club was free for all children. It was set up in the school hall. The food offered was only cereals and toast, so no cooking apart from toasters. Water, milk, or juice was offered to drink. The take up was quite low, at most thirty children each day. After they had eaten the children had to sit in a corner with books for entertainment. To be honest, if there was a nicer option for your child, I would think it preferable. It was basic, but adequate, mostly used by parents who were rushing off to work.

Younger children don't really need any more than 5 minutes at the start of the day to have a chat. Infact a lot of their interaction is physical puppy play, just excitement at being together. A quick burst is enough. This can be done at drop off time.

The number of children attending primary schools is reducing.
Between 2019 and 2024, there was a 1.9 per cent decline, representing around 85,000 fewer pupils. Between 2024 and 2028, the number is projected to fall by around 4.5 per cent (205,000 pupils).

Schools that offer extended hours will be the ones that flourish, because parents will opt to send their children there. My daughter went to breakfast club in our local rural primary school 30 years ago, and lots of children from outside the catchment area went there for that reason. It will disadvantage less well off parents if their local schools can’t provide extended hours, because they are less able to travel.

I think it's horrible that 4 year olds are putting in a 10 hour day

I agree with that. In the first year of school especially, they get so tired even just attending from 9 - 3.15pm let alone being rushed out to breakfast club then staying for after school clubs.
Poor little things.

ronib

Growstuff I am thinking more about the young children- 4 to 6 years old who might enjoy just being with mum for a bit longer. Very old fashioned I know.

Is it old fashioned and ( dare I say it) may be preferable. But few families can afford to exist on one salary. The woman also daren't step away from a job or career.

I think it's horrible that 4 year olds are putting in a 10 hour day.

I am generally in favour of breakfast clubs, but I worry their implementation may be at the expense of other more important areas of learning. Now that children can join the school's pre-school at 2+ years, it is better for the accommodation to be used for that purpose rather than a breakfast club. I know of a couple of village schools that are having to make the choice, either/or, because the premises simply aren't big enough to offer both.

eazybee
You have a good point about getting the numbers through. Our school only has 2 lunch sittings, but we have two halls.

Lunchtime, when almost all children are catered for either by school meal or packed lunch gives a far more realistic example of what would be needed if lots of parents, or even all parents, take up the free breakfast club provision.

Picture lunchtime provision for a 3 form entry primary (630)children or a 2 form entry (420) children,
then picture that possibility, with all the preparation, cooking, supervision, food storage and clearing away, before school starts or needs to use the space.

Examples of current paid before-school care don’t really provide an idea of numbers, although someone will undoubtedly leap in and say all children at their school are catered for, or unless, as in some of the village schools near us, the numbers are much lower.
E.g. one village school has fewer children in the whole school, than we have in one year group.

Growstuff I am thinking more about the young children- 4 to 6 years old who might enjoy just being with mum for a bit longer. Very old fashioned I know.

ronib

growstuff what about play time and lunch time for socialising with other children? How about family time as a part of childhood too?

It's not the same as the beginning of the day. Sometimes children are bursting with news and want to chat to their friends. Not only that, but breakfast clubs ensure that all pupils are on site by the beginning of the day and ready to start work without feeling the need to chat at the beginning of lessons.

I'm baffled by your last question. We're talking about half an hour or so. How on earth do children not have family time?

In any case, there was a discussion about breakfast clubs a couple of weeks ago. I don't feel inclined to go over old ground.

Breakfast clubs are a relatively recent innovation so probably many of us became aware of them when our grandchildren were at primary school. They certainly weren't around when my own children were at school.

Several large firms became involved eg Kelloggs, Greggs and some supermarkets.

ronib

growstuff as a guess - your children attended breakfast clubs before the government expanded numbers?

I was on the committee of the breakfast club, so I had details of its usage. About half of the school's population made use of the club at some stage. The primary school had just over 200 pupils, so that was about 100 pupils.

The secondary schools my children attended didn't have breakfast clubs, but the canteen was open before school, as was the school shop for buying school equipment.

growstuff what about play time and lunch time for socialising with other children? How about family time as a part of childhood too?

jasper16

growstuff

kittylester

Surely, it isn't difficult to understand the correlation between how Bridget Phillipson appears to me and whether I trust her to do a good job.

Who is to dictate how I perceive people?

She looks smug to me and I don't like, or trust, smug people.

It has nothing to do with whether she went to the local state school or an expensive independent.

Don't you even care about policies and whether politicians achieve them?

Hmm ... now let me think which MPs (in my opinion) are more smug.

I think in more enlightened cultures it is possible for a parent to give a child a nourishing breakfast each day.

That's not the point. Plenty of research has shown that breakfast clubs provide children with an opportunity to socialise before school starts and ensures that everybody makes a timely start to the serious business of learning.

Oreo

MaizieD

ronib

Oreo at the minute am beginning to think Cuba is the better option….

Cuba has no electricity ATM.

I don’t believe any of us were being serious 😁

Why not?

The best time to visit Cuba falls between November and April (during the country's dry season) with comfortable to warm temperatures and plenty of sunshine hours.

Sunshine, warmth, a sun lounger, good book and a piña colada.
Sounds awful in comparison to grey, chilly Britain.

growstuff as a guess - your children attended breakfast clubs before the government expanded numbers?

kittylester

^Don't you even care about policies and whether politicians achieve them?^

Of course but I am also allowed an opinion on the people aiming to deliver them.

What was your opinion of Gavin Williamson?

eazybee

No, Miss Adventure.
A lot of single parents do it themselves, provide a hot breakfast for their children before 8 am and they go to school, and before a 40 minute drive in heavy traffic to get to work.
There is a flourishing breakfast club at the pre-school here, but it can only take limited numbers, is expensive and it won't be able to cope with free breakfasts for all, as 'promised' by by the education secretary. Schools won't be able to cope on school premises; tried years ago and could not process the numbers in the time before two halls needed for classes. Bad enough with dinners, three shifts necessary.
More nanny state.

Wow! I wonder how the schools my children attended managed to work such miracles. They all provided breakfast clubs, although we parents had to pay. Nevertheless, they managed to provide for all the children whose parents wanted them to use the clubs.

Whenever I see a media photo of Keir, Angela and Rachel grinning idiotically at each other I just have to think "I bet two of you will have got your P45's by next year ......"

I misread P45s as PJs

Really time to make an appointment with the optician.
And the hairdresser as I'm competing with Claudia Winkleman.

That would depend entirely on what time they start work, I'd presume.
Very few jobs are neat, 9 to 5 packages these days.

The government is investing a large amount into the scheme.

No, Miss Adventure.
A lot of single parents do it themselves, provide a hot breakfast for their children before 8 am and they go to school, and before a 40 minute drive in heavy traffic to get to work.
There is a flourishing breakfast club at the pre-school here, but it can only take limited numbers, is expensive and it won't be able to cope with free breakfasts for all, as 'promised' by by the education secretary. Schools won't be able to cope on school premises; tried years ago and could not process the numbers in the time before two halls needed for classes. Bad enough with dinners, three shifts necessary.
More nanny state.

MaizieD yes Cuba does have an energy crisis so I hope this government takes note. We’re heading in the same direction.

MissAdventure

MaizieD

ronib

Oreo at the minute am beginning to think Cuba is the better option….

Cuba has no electricity ATM.

I don’t believe any of us were being serious 😁

Yes, I am, thank you for asking.

MissA are you having a bad day?
Greenpeace will want cheap public transport to stop more cars on the road.