, Labour’s
Shadow Education Secretary, responding to the Government’s
announcement of continued funding for breakfast clubs, said:
“This is a pitiful response to Labour’s call for a universal
breakfast club offer for every child. This funding is likely to
provide breakfast club support to just four per cent of children
which is simply not good enough.
“Labour is calling for breakfast clubs to be available to support
every child to recover the learning and social development they
have lost during the pandemic.
"From providing a measly 43p per child per day for educational
catch-up to offering no additional funding for schools in the
Budget, the Conservatives have shown they are simply not
ambitious about children’s recovery from this pandemic.”
Ends
Notes to editors
The National Schools Breakfast Programme reached 280,000 children
across 1,800 schools
The new funding will reach 2,500 schools according to Government
tender, estimated reach would therefore be 388,889 children, or
4% of the total 8.8 million school children in England.
Source: National School Breakfast Programme reaches 280,000
children: https://schoolsweek.co.uk/just-1-in-6-breakfast-clubs-in-26m-scheme-are-actually-new/#:~:text=Around%20280%2C000%20children%20are%20supported,to%20expand%20their%20existing%20clubs
Source: Government tender: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/notice/638cba3a-2a86-4f79-bc0c-13d6ee3a0a2f?origin=SearchResults&p=1
Source: School children in England: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics
