Labour’s flagship free breakfast clubs policy has gone up in smoke – and schools are the ones left to pick up the bill!
Headteachers are pulling out faster than you can butter a piece of toast after discovering the funding rate is a measly 60p per pupil.
Schools are fuming, saying the cash on offer won’t even cover the cost of a bowl of cereal and a cup of tea – let alone staff wages or heating the hall.
‘WE’LL LOSE THOUSANDS!’
Paul Bertram, headteacher at Buxworth Primary School, slammed the scheme after finding his school would be £9,000 out of pocket if they joined.
“We currently charge £2.75 per child for a full hour with a sports coach,” he told Schools Week. “But with Labour’s 60p-a-head offer, we’d be running at a loss – it’s just not doable.”
And it’s not just Buxworth. Hartford Manor Primary’s head, Simon Kidwell, warned his school would face a £4,000 shortfall under the scheme.
“To break even, we’d have to either pack kids in like sardines or skimp on food,” he said. “We haven’t even counted the cost of admin, heating or cleaning!”
‘FREE’ BREAKFAST – AT A COST
The government’s grand plan was to fund up to 750 schools from April, with a £315 million budget to roll it out nationwide. But it seems they’ve served up a dog’s dinner of a deal.
Schools do get a £500 set-up payment and £1,099 for “staffing costs” – but after that, it’s 60p a head, per day. There’s an extra 78p for pupils on free school meals, but most schools say it still won’t cover costs.
No wonder many are pulling out. As one trust leader put it bluntly: “The funding’s so poor it won’t cover food – let alone staff.”
‘BREAKFAST ON A BUDGET’
Labour claims their breakfast clubs will help kids concentrate and save parents £400 a year. But schools say they’ll be the ones footing the bill.
One academy trust chief revealed his group of schools would lose 70p per child under the plan. “We believe in breakfast clubs,” he said. “But not if it means losing money and collapsing existing wraparound care.”
And what if hundreds of kids turn up for their free brekkie? Forget it. “We’d never fit them all in the hall,” he said. “And we’d need an army of staff!”
‘JUST NOT ENOUGH TO GO ROUND’
Lindsey MacDonald, boss of the Magic Breakfast charity, told MPs that the 60p-a-child budget was a joke.
“This level of funding stifles innovation and leaves schools scrambling to cover the gap from already squeezed budgets,” she said.
‘LABOUR’S HALF-BAKED PLAN’
The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) crunched the numbers and found Labour’s budget could only cover a basic breakfast-in-the-classroom for all pupils – or a full club for just 60% of kids.
So, what’s it gonna be, Labour – a bowl of porridge in class or a proper breakfast club for the lucky few?
SCHOOLS: ‘WHERE’S THE PLAN?’
Headteacher Kidwell summed it up:
“Is this about helping families, boosting attendance, or supporting working parents? Right now, it’s anyone’s guess. We need clarity – and proper funding – before this rolls out nationwide.”
GOVT SAYS: ‘STICK WITH IT’
The Department for Education says schools shouldn’t quit the trial and promises to “work closely” with them to “overcome challenges”.
But if schools do decide to walk away, they’ll have to give parents a full term’s notice.
With heads fuming and budgets bleeding, one thing’s clear: Labour’s ‘free’ breakfast clubs are leaving schools with a right old financial bellyache.
Read more on Schools Week.
Main Image: For illustration purposes only. Image created by Grok.
