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5 steps to start your school breakfast club

Healthy breakfast foods

 

The new free school breakfast club offer

  • Combatting child hunger: School breakfasts ensure pupils have the energy they need for the day and are often more nutritious than at-home options, as they must adhere to school food standards. Also, parents have reported that children with selective eating habits at home are happier to eat and try new or varied foods at school breakfast clubs.
  • Boosting academic outcomes: An EEF study found that Key Stage 1 pupils attending school breakfast clubs made an average of 2 months of additional progress and showed improved behaviour. A York primary school has also reported significant improvements in punctuality and pupils’ attitudes to attending school since opening its breakfast club.
  • Improving socialisation and well-being: The informal breakfast club setting is conducive to socialising and creates an opportunity for children of different ages to mix. It also gives pupils a softer start to the school day by bridging the gap between home and the classroom.
  • Supporting families: School breakfast clubs provide essential support to families. Free or low-cost breakfasts mitigate the rising cost of living, while affordable wrap-around care helps parents access employment. 44% of working mothers say reliable childcare helps them to work, while over a third cite the necessity of childcare that fits their working hours. (DfE)

Children doing activities at breakfast club

1. Design your breakfast club with parents

  • Times: The government is funding 30 minutes of free provision immediately before school starts, but this can be combined with longer, paid-for sessions that families may choose to pay for.
  • Venue: Your location must accommodate expected numbers, but you should also consider how seating arrangements, noise, and lighting may affect pupils. A calm, welcoming environment will prepare pupils for a focused start to the school day.
  • Menus: Ensure breakfast options meet School Food Standards, cater to cultural, religious, and dietary requirements, and rotate to encourage a varied diet. You can simplify the process with Nutmeg, the complete nutritional platform that gives detailed reports to help school caterers follow standards for any age group. Then, decide whether children will choose meals each morning or if parents will pre-order breakfasts, as many do with lunches.
  • Activities: Plan structured activities such as literacy and numeracy games, puzzles, drawing, and reading to focus children’s energies and use this time productively while keeping the club fun, encouraging attendance.
 

Mother making a payment on the iPay app

2. Give parents an easy breakfast club booking and payment system

 

3. Plan your club’s staffing carefully

4. Enhance wraparound care communications

“Sharing with both staff and parents the benefits you gain from your breakfast club [to] ensure everyone understands the positive impact it is having.”

Breakfast Club communication on the iPay app

5. Centralise breakfast club administration

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