Breakfast club launch at Amble Links Primary
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson visited Amble Links Primary School at the beginning of March, one of 56 in the region to be part of the first tranche of schools to benefit from the rollout of free breakfast clubs.
Secretary of State Bridget Phillipson, with Northumberland Labour Leader Scott Dickinson, Amble Links Primary School Head teacher Paul Healey, and North Northumberland MP David Smith.
Under the proposals, all primary aged children will be able to access a free breakfast and at least 30 mins of free childcare every day. The policy was a manifesto pledge by the Labour government and research shows that breakfast clubs can have a lasting impact on children’s behaviour, attendance and attainment.
Amble Links Primary School already runs a breakfast club which costs £1.50 per session or £2 for children arriving before 8am.
Head teacher Paul Healey said “For us the club is much more about the social and emotional side of it. We’re not seeing huge amounts of hunger, but when we do see it, we are able to offer them more food.
“We have always run ours very cheaply – running it for free will open it up to even more people. We currently get around 15 and 30 pupils, around 20% of the eligible cohort – I think that could double.”
James Robinson
Local Democracy Reporter Service
